répondre
/ʁe.pɔ̃dʁ/
To respond in French is répondre.
The verb répondre means to say something in return. If you wish to express the act of providing a response in a formal or official capacity, you can use the phrase apporter une réponse. The related noun for the answer or response itself is la réponse.
Meaning: to say something in return (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are responding to someone or something, the verb répondre must be followed by the preposition à. For example, you would say répondre à sa question.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables: /ʁe.pɔ̃dʁ/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying répondre quelqu'un. English speakers often mistakenly omit the necessary preposition, but this construction is grammatically incorrect in French. You must use répondre à.
Did you know?
- The French phrase répondre à côté literally means 'to respond beside', but it is used to describe someone giving an answer that completely misses the point of the question.
- To describe answering a telephone, French speakers use décrocher, which literally means 'to unhook', rather than répondre.
- In a French court of law, the 'respondent' in a case is called le défendeur, which literally means 'the defender'. The legal system focuses on the act of defending a position rather than just responding to a claim.
Examples in context
- Je vais laisser Tom répondre.I'm going to let Tom respond.This sentence demonstrates the use of répondre to indicate letting someone else provide the response.Tatoeba #5726773 by Aiji, translation #5216310 by CK
- Je n'ai pas su quoi répondre.I didn't know how to respond.This sentence shows how to express a lack of knowledge regarding a response using répondre.Tatoeba #8685532 by Julien_PDC, translation #3318871 by Hybrid
- Je peux répondre à sa question.I can respond to his question.This sentence illustrates the requirement of the preposition à when using répondre with a question.Tatoeba #127712 by sysko, translation #708139 by Nevado
- Lors de la réunion, il est important de toujours prendre le temps de bien répondre aux questions posées.During the meeting, it is crucial to always take the time to respond properly to the questions asked.
- Quand il me taquine, je ne peux pas m'empêcher de lui retourner la pareille.When he teases me, I can't help but respond in kind.
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A phone call between two friends.
- LucasPourquoi ne pas répondre à mon message ?Why won't you respond to my message?
- ChloéDésolée, je ne peux pas répondre maintenant.Sorry, I cannot respond right now.
- LucasEst-ce que tu es trop occupée ?Are you too busy?
- ChloéOui, je te répondrai plus tard.Yes, I will respond to you later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “respond” translations and entries répondre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
