soutenir
/sut.niʁ/
To support in French is soutenir.
soutenir is used when you are backing a cause, a party or a person, either through mental or emotional solidarity or by providing concrete aid. It can also be used to describe the act of physically holding something up.
Meaning: to back a cause, party, etc., mentally or with concrete aid (verb)
Which one should you use?
While soutenir is used for backing a person or a cause, the French word supporter has a different meaning and often means 'to tolerate' or 'to endure'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The third-person singular present indicative of soutenir is soutient, and the past participle is soutenu.
How do you pronounce it?
/sut.niʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the French verb supporter to mean 'to support' or 'to back'. In French, supporter typically means 'to endure' or 'to tolerate', such as saying you cannot stand a certain person.
When do people say it?
To convey support in a warm and comforting manner, you can use the expression Je suis là pour toi (I am here for you).
Did you know?
- In French, the word supporter is used as a noun to describe a sports fan, even though the verb supporter means 'to tolerate'.
- The verb soutenir is used in French to describe the act of defending a thesis or dissertation during a PhD viva.
- The verb soutenir is actually a combination of the prefix 'sou-' and the verb 'tenir', which means 'to hold'.
Examples in context
- Nous serons là pour te soutenir.We'll be there to support you.This sentence shows how to use soutenir to offer support to someone.Tatoeba #11704768 by lbdx, translation #5534741 by CK
- J'aime soutenir de bonnes causes.I like to support good causes.This sentence uses soutenir in the context of backing a cause.Tatoeba #10514052 by lbdx, translation #10514001 by CK
- Nous sommes là pour vous soutenir.We're here to support you.This sentence demonstrates the use of soutenir when supporting a group of people.Tatoeba #8954348 by Aiji, translation #5583087 by CK
- Je suis là pour vous soutenir dans votre projet.I am here to support you in your project.
- Nous devons appuyer cette initiative.We must support this initiative.
- Nous sommes solidaires avec les personnes affectées par cette crise.We are in solidarity with the people affected by this crisis.
- On est là pour te soutenir moralement dans cette épreuve.We're here to support you emotionally through this ordeal.
- Je suis derrière toi, je te soutiens quoi qu'il arrive.I'm behind you, I support you no matter what.
- Je vais te supporter dans cette aventure.I will support you in this adventure.
- Je suis prêt à t'aider et te soutenir.I am ready to help and support you.
- Nous devons nous soutenir mutuellement.We must support each other.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are discussing a local political candidate.
- LucasEst-ce que tu vas soutenir ce candidat ?Are you going to support this candidate?
- EmmaOui, je veux soutenir son programme.Yes, I want to support his program.
- LucasMoi aussi, je vais le soutenir.Me too, I am going to support him.
- EmmaC'est super que nous puissions le soutenir.It's great that we can support him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “support” translations and entries soutenir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries soutenir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
