Développer or agrandir? Ideas, skills and physical size

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Develop an idea, build skills or enlarge a photo: compare développer and agrandir with a workshop scene, picture cards and four precise questions.

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In short

Développer adds detail, skills or scope: développer une idée, développer ses compétences. Agrandir makes something larger in size: agrandir une photo, agrandir une pièce. A project can involve both.

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Participants draw and take photographs in a community art workshop.
New workshops help an association développer its activities. Illustration: Atelier

What gets bigger or fuller?

développerdevelop; elaborate

Focus: detail, ability or the range of an activity

développer une idée / ses compétences / une activité

Elle développe son idée avec deux exemples.
She develops her idea with two examples.

Ce stage me permet de développer mes compétences.
This placement lets me develop my skills.

agrandirenlarge

Focus: dimensions or physical area

agrandir une image / une salle / un jardin

J’agrandis la photo pour voir le visage.
I enlarge the photo to see the face.

Ils agrandissent la salle de réunion.
They are enlarging the meeting room.

What is the difference between développer and agrandir?

Physical size

More activities, more room

Le projet de l’association
  1. Lina

    Je voudrais développer nos activités pour les adultes.

    I’d like to expand our activities for adults.

  2. Hugo

    Tu peux développer ton idée ?

    Can you expand on your idea?

  3. Lina

    Oui. On pourrait proposer un cours de dessin et un atelier photo.

    Yes. We could offer a drawing class and a photography workshop.

  4. Hugo

    Et il faudrait agrandir la salle ?

    And would we need to enlarge the room?

  5. Lina

    Non, on peut utiliser la salle actuelle à des horaires différents.

    No, we can use the current room at different times.

Lina develops the programme by adding activities. Hugo asks her to develop the idea by explaining it. Enlarging the room would be a separate change to its size. The useful question is what changes: the plan’s content, someone’s skills or the physical dimensions?

Useful word families
VerbNounExample
développerle développementle développement d’une activité
agrandirun agrandissementun agrandissement de la photo
grandirla croissanceLes enfants grandissent.

With se développer, the activity itself grows: L’activité se développe rapidement. In a photography context, développer une pellicule means developing film. That process differs from making a larger print: un agrandissement. Keep the object with the verb.

Question 1No account needed
You want more explanation of an argument.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Peux-tu développer ton argument ?. Développer un argument means setting it out more fully, for example with reasons or evidence.

Question 2No account needed
Complete with the correct present form of agrandir.Nous ___ la photo.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

agrandissons. Agrandir follows the finir pattern in the present: nous agrandissons.

Question 3No account needed
Which sentence describes skills gained through training?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Elle développe ses compétences.. Développer ses compétences concerns abilities; the other sentences describe physical size.

Question 4No account needed
In Lina’s plan, does the room become larger?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

No, the same room is used at different times.. Lina says they can use la salle actuelle at different times.

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