ramper
/ʁɑ̃.pe/
The English phrase "crawl" is translated into French as ramper.
The verb ramper means to move over an area on hands and knees. It is also often used to describe animals or plants that creep or crawl along a surface.
Meaning: to move over an area on hands and knees (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
ramper is a regular -er verb, meaning it follows the standard conjugation patterns for the first group.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁɑ̃.pe/
Did you know?
- While ramper describes the act of crawling, French uses a different verb, quatre-pattes, as a noun in the phrase faire du quatre-pattes to describe a baby's crawl.
- In a figurative sense, ramper is used to describe someone who is acting excessively submissive or sycophantic to a superior, similar to the English expression 'to grovel'.
- The French language distinguishes between ramper for animals and humans and grimper for climbing, though in Old French, ramper could mean to climb up.
Examples in context
- Le bébé a commencé à ramper.The baby began to crawl.This sentence shows how to describe a baby starting to crawl using ramper.Tatoeba #10546895 by lbdx, translation #45867 by CK
- J'ai dû ramper sous la barrière.I had to crawl under the fence.This sentence illustrates the necessity of crawling under an object using ramper.Tatoeba #2431362 by sacredceltic, translation #2331770 by CK
- Il a mis toutes ses forces pour ramper hors de la voiture écrasée.He used all his strength to crawl out of the wrecked car.This sentence describes the physical effort of crawling out of a vehicle using ramper.Tatoeba #1184637 by rene1596, translation #300787 by CK
- Je vais nager le crawl pendant une heure pour m'entraîner.I am going to swim crawl for an hour to train.
- Il est très bon en crawl et a gagné la compétition.He is very good at crawl and won the competition.
- On va faire du crawl à la piscine ce soir?Are we going to do crawl at the pool tonight?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are playing a game of hide and seek in the garden.
- GabrielJe vais ramper dans l'herbe pour me cacher.I am going to crawl in the grass to hide.
- EmmaC'est une bonne idée, Gabriel !That's a good idea, Gabriel!
- GabrielEst-ce que tu peux ramper aussi ?Can you crawl too?
- EmmaOui, je rampe vers le grand arbre.Yes, I'm crawling toward the big tree.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ramper, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
