regarder
/ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/
To look in French is regarder.
The verb regarder is used to describe the intentional action of looking. This is distinct from voir, which refers to the involuntary ability to see.
Meaning: to try to see (verb)
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English phrase 'to look at', the French verb regarder is transitive and does not require a preposition like 'at' before a direct object. You should also distinguish it from voir, which describes the act of seeing rather than the intentional act of looking.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of regarder is regardé, which is used with the auxiliary verb avoir to form compound tenses. When using the verb with a direct object, remember that no preposition is needed between the verb and the object.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, regarder can be used to mean 'to concern' or 'to be someone's business', as in the phrase cela ne te regarde pas meaning 'that is none of your business'.
- The word regarder is built from the prefix 're-' and the verb garder, which means 'to keep' or 'to guard'.
- The verb regarder is used for watching television or a movie, whereas in English we switch from 'look' to 'watch'.
Examples in context
- Veut-il le regarder ?Does he want to look at it?This example is useful for asking if someone wants to look at something using regarder.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
- Je n'ose pas regarder.I daren't look.This example is useful for expressing a lack of daring to look using regarder.Tatoeba #12355004 by lbdx, translation #11051550 by sundown
- Regardez cette belle peintureLook at this beautiful painting
- Observez attentivement cette expérienceExamine this experiment carefully
- Regarde cette photo, elle est magnifiqueLook at this photo, it's magnificent
- Vois comment il danse si bienLook how well he dances
- Jette un coup d'œil à cette nouvelle applicationTake a look at this new app
- 131 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are at an art gallery.
- ChloéGabriel, regarde ce tableau !Gabriel, look at this painting!
- GabrielIl est magnifique, je vais le regarder de plus près.It is magnificent, I'm going to look at it more closely.
- ChloéOn peut regarder les détails ensemble.We can look at the details together.
- GabrielOui, c'est une bonne idée.Yes, that's a good idea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “look” 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.
