acheter
/aʃ.te/
To purchase in French is acheter.
acheter is the standard, everyday verb used to mean 'to buy' or 'to purchase'. It is the most common and neutral term for this action. You can also use the noun achat to refer to the thing that has been obtained for a price, or acquisition to refer to the act of acquiring property or a title.
Meaning: to obtain by paying money or its equivalent, to buy for a price (verb)
Which one should you use?
While acheter is the direct translation for 'to purchase', it functions as the standard word for 'to buy' and is not inherently more formal than the English word 'buy'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense conjugation for the first and third person singular (I buy / he buys) is achète. The past participle of acheter is acheté.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of acheter is /aʃ.te/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The verb acheter and the verb accepter are actually linguistic siblings. They both evolved from the same Latin ancestor, acceptāre, but took different paths to reach their modern meanings.
- If you are out buying food or basic necessities, you would rarely use acheter for the activity itself. Instead, French speakers use the phrase faire des courses to describe the specific act of grocery shopping.
- While acheter means 'to buy', the related word achat is used in the expression un achat coup de cœur to describe a purchase made out of an immediate emotional attraction.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais acheter quelques bottes.I would like to purchase some boots.This sentence uses acheter to express a desire to purchase boots.Tatoeba #336922 by sysko, translation #34403 by CK
- Ziri ne pouvait pas acheter un cadeau.Ziri couldn't purchase a gift.This sentence uses acheter to describe an inability to purchase a gift.Tatoeba #12185063 by always, translation #11049952 by Amastan
- Tu ne peux pas acheter ce médicament sans ordonnance.You cannot purchase this medicine without a prescription.This sentence uses acheter to state that certain medicine cannot be purchased without a prescription.Tatoeba #1013117 by sacredceltic, translation #5992302 by AlanF_US
- Je souhaite acheter ce livre.I would like to purchase this book.
- Nous devons acheter une nouvelle voiture.We need to purchase a new car.
- Ils ont acheté une maison en banlieue.They purchased a house in the suburbs.
- J'ai récemment fait l'acquisition d'une œuvre d'art.I recently made a purchase of an artwork.
- Ils aimeraient faire l'acquisition d'une nouvelle entreprise.They would like to purchase a new business.
- Nous envisageons de faire l'acquisition d'un appartement en centre-ville.We are considering purchasing an apartment in the city center.
- J'ai acheté ces chaussures. Elles sont super confortables!I bought these shoes. They are super comfortable!
- Tu as acheté un nouveau téléphone? Montre-le moi!Did you purchase a new phone? Show me!
- Ils ont acheté les billets pour le concert en ligne.They purchased the tickets for the concert online.
- Je me suis procuré le dernier album de mon groupe préféré.I bought the latest album of my favorite band.
- On peut se procurer de délicieux gâteaux dans cette boulangerie.We can purchase delicious cakes in this bakery.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are at a bakery.
- ManonTu veux acheter un pain ?Do you want to buy a loaf of bread?
- HugoOui, je vais acheter deux baguettes.Yes, I am going to buy two baguettes.
- ManonD'accord, je vais acheter des croissants aussi.Okay, I am going to buy some croissants too.
- HugoParfait, allons-y.Perfect, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “purchase” translations and entries acheter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries acheter, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
