parler
/paʁ.le/
In French, "talking" is expressed as parler.
Parler refers to the act of using your voice to communicate with people. It is the most common and general way to express the concept of talking in French.
Which one should you use?
Parler is used for the general act of talking to someone and can also mean "to speak" a language. In contrast, converser emphasizes the act of having a conversation and bavarder is used specifically for casual conversations or chitchatting.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of parler is parlé, which is used to form compound tenses such as the passé composé. The first-person plural present form is parlons, which translates to "we talk" or "we are talking".
How do you pronounce it?
parler is pronounced /paʁ.le/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word parler is the root of the English word 'parley', which refers to a discussion between enemies to reach an agreement.
- In certain formal French contexts, one might use the phrase prendre la parole to describe the act of starting to talk during a meeting or debate.
- The term parler haut actually means to 'speak loudly' or 'speak up', rather than meaning to speak in a 'high-pitched' voice.
Examples in context
- Continue à parler !Don't stop talking!This sentence uses parler to express a command to continue the act of talking.Tatoeba #9556906 by Micsmithel, translation #11516571 by megamanenm
- J'ai aimé te parler.I've enjoyed talking to you.This sentence uses parler to describe the enjoyment of talking to someone.Tatoeba #7427508 by Micsmithel, translation #63857 by CK
- Tom se mit à parler.Tom began talking.This sentence uses parler to describe the start of the act of talking.Tatoeba #9392154 by Micsmithel, translation #1027027 by CK
- Je parle avec mon professeurI am talking to my teacher
- Il parle couramment françaisHe speaks French fluently
- Nous avons conversé pendant des heuresWe talked for hours
- Les diplomates ont longuement conversé avant de prendre une décisionThe diplomats talked extensively before making a decision
- J'adore discuter des questions politiquesI love talking about political issues
- Les étudiants discutent du devoir à accomplirThe students discuss the assignment to be completed
- 387 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Manon are at a quiet cafe.
- GabrielTu veux parler de ton projet ?Do you want to talk about your project?
- ManonOui, j'ai besoin de parler à quelqu'un.Yes, I need to talk to someone.
- GabrielJe suis là pour t'écouter.I am here to listen to you.
- ManonMerci Gabriel, c'est gentil.Thank you Gabriel, that is kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry parler, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
