Soutenir or supporter: backing someone or putting up with them?

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Say you support a friend, cannot stand the noise or cheer for a team. Compare soutenir and supporter, then test the meaning in four situations.

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In short

Say Je te soutiens to mean “I support you”. Je te supporte usually means “I put up with you”. Supporter also means supporting a sports team or bearing a load, so the object matters.

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A friend offering calm encouragement to a woman preparing for an interview at a French café table, plain closed folder.
Je te soutiens offers encouragement. Illustration: Atelier

Does supporter mean support in French?

soutenir quelqu’unto support someone

Focus: helping or backing a person

soutenir + person / project

Mes amis me soutiennent pendant mes études.
My friends support me during my studies.

Nous soutenons ce projet de quartier.
We support this neighbourhood project.

supporter quelque choseto tolerate something

Focus: bearing something unpleasant

supporter + noise / heat / waiting

Je ne supporte pas ce bruit.
I cannot stand this noise.

Elle supporte mal les longues attentes.
She finds long waits hard to bear.

supporter une équipeto support a team

Focus: cheering for a sports team

supporter + team

Tu supportes quelle équipe ?
Which team do you support?

Before a job interview

Un peu de confiance
  1. Nora

    J’ai peur de rater mon entretien.

    I’m afraid of messing up my interview.

  2. Malik

    Tu t’es bien préparée. Je te soutiens.

    You’ve prepared well. I support you.

  3. Nora

    Merci. Et si je t’appelle trois fois ce soir ?

    Thanks. And what if I call you three times tonight?

  4. Malik

    Appelle-moi. Je sais que l’attente est difficile à supporter.

    Call me. I know the wait is hard to bear.

Malik backs Nora and recognises her anxiety. Changing his reply to Je te supporte would make Nora herself the person he has to endure. For simple reassurance, Je suis là pour toi means “I’m here for you”.

Useful forms before the quiz
Personsoutenirsupporter
jesoutienssupporte
noussoutenonssupportons
ils / ellessoutiennentsupportent

What else does soutenir mean?

Cette colonne soutient le toit.

This column supports the roof.

L’étagère supporte le poids des livres.

The shelf bears the weight of the books.

Physical support allows both verbs. In a discussion, soutenir que means “maintain” or “argue that”: Elle soutient que cette solution est plus simple. The sentence reports her position. For sport, both soutenir notre équipe and supporter notre équipe express backing the team.

Question 1No account needed
A friend needs encouragement. What do you say?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je te soutiens.. Je te soutiens expresses backing and encouragement.

Question 2No account needed
What is the speaker finding difficult?Je ne supporte plus ce bruit.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Tolerating the noise.. Supporter le bruit means putting up with the noise.

Question 3No account needed
Which sentence asks about sporting allegiance?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Tu supportes quelle équipe ?. With a sports team, supporter means to be a supporter.

Question 4No account needed
Choose the correct form.Nous ___ notre amie.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

soutenons. With nous, the present form of soutenir is soutenons.

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