contacter
/kɔ̃.tak.te/
To reach out in French is contacter.
Contacter is used when you want to describe the act of attempting to initiate communication with a person or an entity.
Meaning: to attempt to initiate communication (verb)
Which one should you use?
While contacter focuses on the act of initiating communication, the verb joindre is used when the emphasis is on the success of actually getting through to someone, such as in the phrase 'I couldn't reach him'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Contacter is a transitive verb, which means it is used directly with a person or an entity without a preposition. For example, you would say contacter quelqu'un.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kɔ̃.tak.te/ and has 3 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers sometimes mistakenly add the preposition à after the verb, saying contacter à quelqu'un. In French, you must contact the person directly without using a preposition.
Did you know?
- In a professional French email, instead of saying you will 'reach out' to someone, you will often use the phrase revenir vers quelqu'un, which literally translates to 'to come back towards someone'.
- Depending on the region, reaching out to a friend might be expressed as faire un signe, which literally means 'to make a sign' or 'to signal' the other person.
- While 'reach out' in English can have a spiritual or emotional connotation, using contacter in French remains strictly functional and lacks that sense of emotional outreach.
Examples in context
- Je vous invite à me contacter si vous avez des questions.I invite you to reach out to me if you have any questions.
- Nous espérons pouvoir prendre contact avec vous sous peu.We hope to reach out to you soon.
- Ça fait longtemps, on devrait prendre des nouvelles de Paul.It's been a while, we should reach out and check on Paul.
- Hier, je suis entré en contact avec Julie pour lui proposer de venir à la fête.Yesterday, I reached out to Julie to invite her to the party.
- Il faudrait que tu lui fasses signe pour discuter du projet.You should reach out to him to discuss the project.
- Est-ce que tu pourrais me contacter demain?Could you reach out to me tomorrow?
- N'hésitez pas à me solliciter si vous avez besoin d'aide.Feel free to reach out to me if you need any assistance.
- Je prendrai contact avec le fournisseur pour organiser la livraison.I will reach out to the supplier to arrange the delivery.
- Je vais lui faire signe pour lui parler du projet.I'm going to reach out to him to discuss the project.
- On devrait prendre des nouvelles de notre amie Marie.We should reach out and check on our friend Marie.
- N'hésitez pas à me contacter si vous avez des questions.Do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
- Je vais contacter le service client.I am going to reach out to customer service.
- Tu devrais contacter ton professeur.You should reach out to your teacher.
- Il a décidé de contacter l'agence.He decided to reach out to the agency.
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel are discussing a work task at a cafe.
- LéaGabriel, est-ce que tu peux contacter le client ?Gabriel, can you reach out to the client?
- GabrielOui, je vais le faire cet après-midi.Yes, I will do it this afternoon.
- LéaC'est parfait, merci beaucoup.That's perfect, thank you very much.
- GabrielDe rien, je m'en occupe.You're welcome, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry contacter, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
