How to Say "Survival" in French

survie

/syʁ.vi/feminine

Survival in French is survie.

The term survie refers to continued existence or life.

Meaning: continued existence or life (noun)

Which one should you use?

While survie refers to the state of continuing to live or exist, it is distinct from survivant, which refers to a person who has survived.

The phrase s'en tirer is used to mean survival or getting through a difficult situation particularly in parts of France.

The noun survie is feminine, so any accompanying adjectives or articles must agree in gender.

/syʁ.vi/

In French, the concept of 'survival' is often split between survie for the state of existing and sauvetage for the act of being rescued, whereas English often uses 'survival' for both.
The noun survie is built from the prefix sur- meaning 'over' or 'above' and vie meaning 'life', literally suggesting a life that exists 'over' or beyond the usual limits.
The word vie at the heart of survie shares the same root as the English word 'vital', meaning both are connected to the concept of life.

C'est une question de survie.
It's a matter of survival.
This sentence shows how to use survie to describe a matter of survival.
Tatoeba #3598739 by sacredceltic, translation #3596977 by CM
L'instinct de survie est inné.
The instinct for survival is innate.
This sentence uses survie to describe the instinct for survival.
Tatoeba #1269703 by sacredceltic, translation #271730 by onkobo
L'entreprise lutte pour sa survie.
The company is struggling for survival.
This sentence demonstrates survie being used in the context of a company struggling to exist.
Tatoeba #12455534 by lbdx, translation #22376 by CK
L'étude de la survie en milieu hostile est essentielle pour les militaires.
The study of survival in hostile environments is essential for the military.
La pérennité de notre entreprise dépend de notre capacité à nous adapter aux changements du marché.
The survival of our company depends on our ability to adapt to market changes.
La survie des espèces en voie de disparition est une préoccupation mondiale.
The survival of endangered species is a global concern.
Avec un peu de chance, on s'en tirera et rien de grave ne se produira.
With a bit of luck, we'll make it through without anything serious happening.
19 more sentences on Tatoeba

Lucas and Léa are discussing a documentary about wildlife in the desert.

Lucas

La survie de ces animaux est difficile.
The survival of these animals is difficult.
Léa

Oui, l'eau est très rare ici.
Yes, water is very rare here.
Lucas

Chaque créature lutte pour sa survie.
Every creature fights for its survival.
Léa

C'est vraiment impressionnant à regarder.
It is really impressive to watch.

Sources

Wiktionary, “survival” translations and entries survie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries survie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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