lire
/liʁ/
To read in French is lire.
The verb lire is used to describe the act of looking at and understanding written or printed words. You can also use dévorer metaphorically to express the idea of devouring a book or reading something with great enthusiasm.
Which one should you use?
While lire is the standard verb, the colloquial term bouquiner can be used to mean reading or thumbing through books.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present tense, the third-person singular form is il/elle lit and the first-person plural form is nous lisons. To form compound tenses such as the passé composé, use the past participle lu.
How do you pronounce it?
/liʁ/
Did you know?
- In a legal or formal context, the phrase lire les droits is not used to mean 'reading the rights' to a suspect. Instead, French police usually 'notify' notifier a person of their rights.
- The French verb lire is a distant relative of the English word 'collect'. Both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *leǵ-, which meant to gather or pick up, as reading was seen as gathering words.
- In France, a person who reads excessively or is obsessed with books is sometimes called a rat de bibliothèque, literally a 'library rat'.
Examples in context
- Je dois le lire.I've got to read it.This sentence shows how to use lire to express necessity.Tatoeba #8764631 by Julien_PDC, translation #13507064 by rul
- Tom sait déjà lire.Tom already knows how to read.This sentence uses lire to describe an ability or skill.Tatoeba #7699319 by Maxence, translation #2821355 by CK
- J'ai plaisir à lire.I like to read.This sentence uses lire to express enjoyment.Tatoeba #5064947 by sacredceltic, translation #2164515 by CM
- Je lis beaucoup de livres.I read a lot of books.
- Il aime lire les journaux.He enjoys reading newspapers.
- J'adore bouquiner des romans le weekend.I love reading novels on weekends.
- Elle dévore des livres d'aventure depuis son enfance.She has been devouring adventure books since childhood.
- 371 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are in a library.
- GabrielLéa, tu veux lire ce livre ?Léa, do you want to read this book?
- LéaOui, je vais le lire tout de suite.Yes, I am going to read it right away.
- GabrielC'est une très bonne lecture.It is a very good read.
- LéaMerci, Gabriel, c'est gentil.Thanks, Gabriel, that's kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry lire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
