Raconter or décrire: what happened, or what was it like?
Compare telling a story with describing a place through two accounts of a visit, illustrated room vocabulary and a short French quiz.
In short
Raconter means to tell or recount: raconter une visite tells what happened. Décrire means to describe: décrire le salon gives its features. You can do both in the same account, and either verb can be used in the present or the past.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
What is the difference between raconter and décrire?
- Maya
Raconte-moi ta visite chez Paul.
Tell me about your visit to Paul’s.
- Nora
Je suis arrivée à quinze heures. Paul a préparé du thé, puis nous avons regardé ses photos.
I arrived at three. Paul made tea, then we looked at his photos.
- Maya
Et son salon, il est comment ? Tu peux me le décrire ?
And what’s his living room like? Can you describe it to me?
- Nora
Il est petit et lumineux. Il y a un canapé vert sous la fenêtre et une lampe près du fauteuil.
It’s small and bright. There’s a green sofa under the window and a lamp near the armchair.
raconterto tell; to recount
Focus: an experience or a sequence of events
raconter quelque chose à quelqu’un
Nora raconte sa visite à Maya.
Nora tells Maya about her visit.
Il raconte ce qui s’est passé.
He tells us what happened.
décrireto describe
Focus: features, appearance or how something unfolds
décrire quelque chose à quelqu’un
Nora décrit le salon à Maya.
Nora describes the living room to Maya.
Elle décrit le déroulement de la visite.
She describes how the visit unfolds.
Picture the room Nora describes
Find:
The focus can change while the tense stays the same
| Focus | French example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Story, present | Chaque soir, il raconte une histoire. | Every evening, he tells a story. |
| Description, present | Elle décrit son appartement. | She describes her flat. |
| Story, past | Il a raconté son voyage. | He told us about his trip. |
| Description, past | Elle a décrit son ancienne chambre. | She described her old bedroom. |
A detailed account of an arrival can use either verb. Il raconte son arrivée presents it as a story; il décrit son arrivée focuses on how it happened. Listen to the request: “What happened next?” invites a sequence; “What was the room like?” invites details such as colour, size and position.