regarder
/ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/
To look at in French is regarder.
The verb regarder means to observe or watch.
Meaning: observe or watch (verb)
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English 'to look at', the French verb regarder is transitive and does not require a preposition like 'à' before the object.
How does it change in a sentence?
Regarde is the second-person singular imperative form, and regardez is the second-person plural or formal imperative form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/ (3 syllables)
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add the preposition 'à' (regarder à) because they are translating 'look at' literally, but 'regarder' is used directly with the object.
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase ça ne me regarde pas literally means 'that does not look at me', but it is used to say 'that is none of my business'.
- In French slang, if someone says Il regarde de haut, they do not mean the person is physically looking upwards, but rather that they are looking down on someone with contempt.
- The verb regarder is built from the prefix re- and the verb garder, which means 'to keep' or 'to guard'.
Examples in context
- Veut-il le regarder ?Does he want to look at it?Tatoeba #1932659 by sacredceltic, translation #1931985 by Spamster
- Veux-tu le regarder ?Do you want to look at it?Tatoeba #1932690 by sacredceltic, translation #1931984 by Spamster
- Pouvez-vous me regarder ?Can you look at me?Tatoeba #7108974 by Aiji, translation #3328158 by CK
- Regardez le tableauLook at the painting
- Observez les détails de cette sculptureLook at the details of this sculpture
- Regarde ce joli chatLook at this cute cat
- Vois les couleurs de ce paysageSee the colors of this landscape
- Regarde çaLook at that
- 83 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are at an art gallery.
- HugoRegarder ce tableau est fascinant.Looking at this painting is fascinating.
- ChloéJe préfère regarder la sculpture là-bas.I prefer to look at the sculpture over there.
- HugoPourquoi veux-tu regarder ça ?Why do you want to look at that?
- ChloéRegarder les détails est important.Looking at the details is important.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “look at” translations and entries regarder, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries regarder, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
