deviner
/də.vi.ne/
The French verb for 'guess' is deviner.
deviner is a common and neutral way to say 'guess' in French, often used when reaching an unconfirmed conclusion. It can also mean 'to divine'. For a related noun meaning a prediction about the outcome of something, you can use conjecture.
Meaning: to reach an unconfirmed conclusion (verb)
Which one should you use?
While deviner means to guess or divine, it is distinct from supposer, which means to suppose or assume based on logic.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of deviner is deviné. The form devine is used for the second-person singular present indicative and also serves as the imperative form. As an imperative, devine can be used to tell someone to 'guess!' in a game.
How do you pronounce it?
/də.vi.ne/
Did you know?
- While English speakers 'guess' a number, a French speaker might say they are tenter sa chance, meaning they are 'trying their luck' to hit the mark.
- The verb deviner shares the same root as the English word 'divine', connecting the act of guessing to the ancient practice of seeking supernatural knowledge.
- In French, if you want to say 'I guess so', you would not use deviner but rather je suppose or je pense, as deviner implies a riddle or a mystery to be solved.
Examples in context
- Je te laisse deviner.I'll let you guess.This sentence is useful for the form deviner.Tatoeba #6070326 by Blabla, translation #10455359 by sundown
- Je n'aime pas deviner.I don't like to guess.Tatoeba #2505020 by sacredceltic, translation #2276107 by CK
- Tu ne devineras jamais.You'll never guess.Tatoeba #13370670 by lbdx, translation #2255385 by CK
- Pouvez-vous deviner quelle est ma couleur préférée?Can you guess what my favorite color is?
- Je vais faire une supposition et dire qu'il va pleuvoir demain.I'm going to make a guess and say it will rain tomorrow.
- Je pense qu'il va être en retard.I guess he'll be late.
- Je suppose que le film sera intéressant.I guess the movie will be interesting.
- 54 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are talking about a surprise gift.
- LucasJ'ai un cadeau pour toi, peux-tu deviner ?I have a gift for you, can you guess?
- LéaJe ne sais pas, c'est difficile à deviner !I don't know, it's hard to guess!
- LucasC'est un livre que tu adores.It is a book that you love.
- LéaMerci beaucoup, Lucas !Thank you very much, Lucas!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guess” translations and entries deviner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries deviner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
