courage
/ku.ʁaʒ/
In French, the phrase used to say "cheer up" is courage.
It can also function as an interjection meaning "an encouragement".
Meaning: to make someone happy (verb)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The interjection courage! is used to tell someone to cheer up, but note that the verbal phrase avoir du courage means "to have courage" or "to be brave", referring to the quality of perseverance rather than the act of cheering someone up.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of courage is /ku.ʁaʒ/ and it has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word courage is a cognate with the Spanish coraje, but in Spanish, this can sometimes mean 'anger' or 'rage', which is never the case in French.
- The word courage is a direct descendant of the Latin word cor, which means 'heart'.
- While courage can mean 'cheer up' in English, in French it often implies 'hang in there' or 'keep going' during a tedious or difficult task.
Examples in context
- Courage. Ce n'est pas si grave.Cheer up. It's not that bad.This sentence shows how to use courage to tell someone a situation is not that bad.Tatoeba #11230068 by lbdx, translation #8115552 by Hybrid
- La situation s'améliore, alors courage !The situation is improving, so cheer up!This sentence demonstrates using courage to encourage someone because a situation is improving.Tatoeba #11290659 by lbdx, translation #263782 by CK
- Du courage, Jean. Une de perdue, dix de retrouvées.Cheer up John. There are more fish in the sea.This sentence shows how to use courage to comfort someone named Jean.Tatoeba #816841 by sacredceltic, translation #610688 by darinmex
- Reprenez courage! Vous êtes plus fort(e) que vous ne le pensez.Take heart! You are stronger than you think.
- Ça va aller, ne t'en fais pas! Je suis là pour toi.It'll be okay, don't worry! I'm here for you.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma is comforting Hugo after he failed a test.
- EmmaPourquoi tu es triste, Hugo ?Why are you sad, Hugo?
- HugoJ'ai raté mon examen de maths.I failed my math exam.
- EmmaAllez, courage ! Tu réussiras la prochaine fois.Come on, cheer up! You will succeed next time.
- HugoMerci, Emma. C'est gentil.Thanks, Emma. That's kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry courage, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries courage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
