regarder
/ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/
In French, to look is regarder.
The verb regarder is used to direct your eyes toward someone or something to see them. If you wish to express a more thorough or detailed form of looking, you might use examiner. If the act of looking involves observing or studying something, you can use observer. For looking longingly or with desire, use lorgner.
Which one should you use?
While English often requires the preposition "at" (to look at), the French verb regarder is transitive and does not require a preposition like à or de before the object. Additionally, regarder implies an intentional action of directing one's gaze, which distinguishes it from voir, which refers to the passive ability to perceive with the eyes.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of regarder is regardé, which is used with the auxiliary avoir to form the passé composé.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/
When do people say it?
The phrase un coup d'œil can be used to mean "a quick glance."
Did you know?
- The verb regarder is built from the prefix re- and the verb garder, which means 'to keep' or 'to guard'.
- In French, the phrase regarder pour soi can mean to look out for one's own interests rather than just visually looking.
- The phrase regarder en face means to look someone straight in the face, often used to describe confronting a difficult situation or a person directly.
Examples in context
- Veut-il le regarder ?Does he want to look at it?This sentence demonstrates the use of regarder in a question about wanting to look at something.Tatoeba #1932659 by sacredceltic, translation #1931985 by Spamster
- Veux-tu le regarder ?Do you want to look at it?This sentence shows how to ask someone if they want to look at something using regarder.Tatoeba #1932690 by sacredceltic, translation #1931984 by Spamster
- Je ne vais pas regarder.I'm not going to look.This sentence illustrates a negative statement using regarder.Tatoeba #4862750 by sacredceltic, translation #2547164 by CK
- Je vais regarder la télévision ce soir.I am going to watch TV tonight.
- Elle observe les étoiles chaque nuit.She observes the stars every night.
- Je vais voir s'il y a du courrier dans la boîte aux lettres.I'm going to check if there is any mail in the mailbox.
- Jette un coup d'œil à cette photo, elle est incroyable !Take a look at this picture, it's amazing!
- Arrête de mater les filles, ça ne se fait pas !Stop checking out the girls, it's not appropriate!
- 48 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a museum, Chloé and Nathan are looking at a painting.
- ChloéRegarde ce tableau, Nathan.Look at this painting, Nathan.
- NathanIl est vraiment magnifique.It is truly magnificent.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu veux regarder la sculpture aussi ?Do you want to look at the sculpture too?
- NathanOui, allons la regarder.Yes, let's go look at it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry regarder, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries regarder, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
