Matching game
Verbs of saying in French: chuchoter, crier, avouer and more
Stop using dire for everything: match ten French verbs of speaking (chuchoter, crier, avouer, affirmer, répondre…) to their meanings, then use them in stories.
- B1
- 10 pairs
- Tap to match
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Instead of always using dire, French writers vary with precise verbs: chuchoter (to whisper), crier (to shout), avouer (to admit), affirmer (to state firmly), répondre (to answer), murmurer (to murmur), expliquer, ajouter (to add), s'exclamer and bafouiller (to stammer).
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
Go further
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| chuchoter | « Ne fais pas de bruit », chuchota-t-elle. |
| avouer | Il a fini par avouer qu'il avait menti. |
| ajouter | « Et n'oublie pas le pain », ajouta-t-il. |
| s'exclamer | « Quelle surprise ! » s'exclama Léa. |
After a quotation, French inverts the verb and the subject: « Viens », dit-il / chuchota-t-elle. Note the -t- between two vowels. Varying these verbs is one of the easiest ways to make a written story sound more natural in DELF B1 and B2.
« Je n'ai rien fait », affirma-t-il.
"I didn't do anything," he declared.
Elle a bafouillé quelques mots d'excuse.
She stammered a few words of apology.
In speech, dire is perfectly fine and much more common. The richer verbs belong to written stories, reports of conversations and exam essays, where repeating il a dit… elle a dit… would sound flat.
- Ami
(chuchote) Tu as compris la fin ?
(whispers) Did you understand the ending?
- Toi
(murmure) Pas vraiment, j'avoue…
(murmurs) Not really, I admit…
- Voisin
Chut !
Shh!
- « Viens », il dit.« Viens », dit-il.
Invert after a quotation.
- Il a avoué à moi.Il m'a avoué.
Pronoun before the verb.