Matching game
Concéder is not avouer: choosing a French reporting verb
Match concéder, avouer, constater and soutenir to explicit French interactions, preserving the source’s stance rather than adding your judgement.
- C1
- 5 pairs
- Tap to match
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In short
Concéder grants a point in an argument; avouer admits something personal or difficult; constater notes a finding; soutenir maintains a position. Choose the verb from the actual exchange. Accepting one of an opponent’s facts is not the same as confessing a fault.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Reporting verbs do more than replace dire. They identify what a speaker is doing with a proposition. The four situations below supply the context you need. Your own agreement with the speaker is separate: a neutral summary should not turn a maintained thesis into an admission simply because you think the speaker is wrong.
| Interaction | Verb | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| An opponent’s cost figure is accepted, but the conclusion is rejected. | concéder | A point is granted within disagreement. |
| A speaker acknowledges hiding a missing document. | avouer | A personal, difficult admission is made. |
| An observer records that the room is empty. | constater | A finding is noted. |
| A speaker defends the same proposal after objections. | soutenir | A thesis is maintained. |
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
Keep the granted proposition intact
Elle concède que le coût initial est élevé, mais soutient que le projet reste utile.
She concedes that the initial cost is high, but maintains that the project remains useful.
The sentence grants the cost point only. It does not say that the whole proposal is abandoned. Replacing concède with avoue could imply a personal admission that the exchange does not support. Replacing soutient with prouve would claim an evidential result rather than report a defended position.