The verb espérer and the noun espoir are the most common ways to say 'hope' in French. But the language of Molière offers many other nuanced ways to express this essential human feeling.

Whether you're wishing for sunshine on your vacation or holding onto a deeper aspiration, having a variety of expressions at your fingertips will make your French sound more natural and sophisticated.

Let's dive into nine different ways to express hope in French!

The noun for 'hope' – l'espoir

L'espoir is the primary French noun for 'hope'. It's a masculine noun, so you would say un espoir (a hope) or le grand espoir (the great hope). The l' is used because the word starts with a vowel.

This noun is directly related to the verb espérer, which means 'to hope'. While espérer is the action of hoping, l'espoir is the feeling, the concept, or the thing you are hoping for.

L'espoir is often used in a general or abstract sense to talk about the feeling of hope itself. You'll frequently see it in common phrases like garder espoir (to keep hope) or perdre espoir (to lose hope).

When you want to specify what the hope is about, you typically use the structure l'espoir de + an infinitive verb. For example, l'espoir de réussir means 'the hope of succeeding'.

Hope is a powerful concept, and French has several expressions that use l'espoir. A very common one is L'espoir fait vivre, which literally means 'Hope makes one live' and is equivalent to the English saying 'While there's life, there's hope'.

💡 * Il ne faut jamais perdre espoir.

Elle est mon dernier espoir.

J'ai le mince espoir de gagner à la loterie.

Il a gardé l'espoir de la revoir un jour.

The verb 'to hope' – espérer

The primary French verb for expressing hope is espérer. It directly translates to 'to hope' or 'to expect' and is fundamental for conveying optimism and anticipation about future events.

Be mindful of its conjugation in the present tense. Espérer is a stem-changing verb. The é in the stem changes to è for most singular forms and the third-person plural (e.g., j'espère, tu espères, il/elle espère, ils/elles espèrent), but it remains é for the nous and vous forms (nous espérons, vous espérez).

A crucial grammatical point is that espérer que ('to hope that') is followed by the indicative mood (usually the future or present), not the subjunctive. This is because espérer implies a degree of certainty or strong belief that the event will happen.

This contrasts with verbs of wishing or wanting like vouloir que (to want that) or souhaiter que (to wish that), which express a desire for something more uncertain and therefore require the subjunctive. Using the indicative after espérer signals that you see the outcome as a real possibility.

When the subject of both verbs is the same, you don't need que. Simply follow espérer with an infinitive verb. For example, J'espère **réussir** means 'I hope to succeed'.

💡 * J'espère que tu viendras à ma fête demain.

Elle espère recevoir de bonnes nouvelles bientôt.

Nous espérons que vous avez fait bon voyage.

Ils espèrent finir leur projet avant la date limite.

2. The 'wish' – un souhait

When you want to talk about the concept of a 'wish' as a noun in French, the word you need is un souhait.

Directly related to the verb souhaiter (to wish), un souhait refers to a desire or hope for something to happen. It's the tangible thing you are wishing for, much like 'a wish' in English.

It's crucial to remember that souhait is a masculine noun. You will always see it preceded by masculine articles like un (a) or le (the), as in un souhait or le souhait.

The phrase for 'to make a wish' is faire un souhait. This is commonly used for actions like blowing out birthday candles. For greetings, you'll often hear meilleurs souhaits, meaning 'best wishes'.

While similar, un souhait is more of a formulated desire, whereas 'hope' is often translated as l'espoir or l'espérance, which represents a more general feeling of hopefulness.

💡 * Fais un souhait avant de souffler tes bougies. (Make a wish before blowing out your candles.)

Mon plus grand souhait est de voyager autour du monde. (My biggest wish is to travel around the world.)

Je vous envoie mes meilleurs souhaits pour la nouvelle année. (I send you my best wishes for the new year.)

Il a exprimé le souhait de revoir sa famille. (He expressed the wish to see his family again.)

The 'expectation' – une attente

The French word for 'expectation' is une attente. It is a feminine noun, so you will always see it preceded by feminine articles like une or la.

Une attente directly translates to 'an expectation' or 'a wait'. It is derived from the verb attendre, which means 'to wait for'. This connection highlights the idea of waiting for a certain outcome or result.

The word is very frequently used in its plural form, les attentes, to mean 'expectations' in a broader sense, such as hopes, standards, or requirements for a person, situation, or product.

While often referring to abstract hopes, une attente can also describe a literal period of waiting. For instance, la salle d'attente is the 'waiting room', and le temps d'attente is the 'waiting time'.

💡 * Mes attentes sont très élevées pour ce projet. (My expectations are very high for this project.)

L'attente était longue au cabinet du médecin. (The wait was long at the doctor's office.)

Ce film a dépassé toutes mes attentes. (This movie exceeded all my expectations.)

Contrairement à toute attente, nous avons gagné le match. (Against all expectations, we won the game.)

The 'dream' – un rêve

The French word for a 'dream' is un rêve. It's a fundamental vocabulary word for expressing thoughts, hopes, and nighttime experiences.

Pay close attention to the article un. Rêve is a masculine noun. This means any adjectives describing it must also be in the masculine form, for example, un beau rêve (a beautiful dream).

Just like in English, un rêve has two main uses. It can refer to the dream you have while sleeping, or it can describe a cherished aspiration, goal, or wish for the future.

The noun un rêve is directly linked to the verb rêver (to dream). A common construction is rêver de, which means 'to dream of'. For example, Je rêve de vacances (I'm dreaming of a vacation).

You will often hear the phrase 'C'est le rêve !' in conversation. It's an enthusiastic way to say 'It's the dream!' or 'This is perfect!' when describing an ideal situation.

💡 * J'ai fait un rêve étrange la nuit dernière. (I had a strange dream last night.)

Mon plus grand rêve est de visiter le Japon. (My biggest dream is to visit Japan.)

Arrête de rêver et mets-toi au travail ! (Stop dreaming and get to work!)

Cette maison avec vue sur la mer, c'est le rêve ! (This house with an ocean view is the dream!)

The 'confidence' in the future – la confiance

The primary French word for 'confidence' is la confiance. This feminine noun directly translates and is used to express a feeling of self-assurance, belief in one's abilities, or trust in someone or something else.

To say you have confidence in a person, an idea, or the future, the essential phrase is avoir confiance en. This construction is fundamental. For example, J'ai confiance en mes amis means 'I have confidence in my friends.'

When you want to say you trust someone, the common verb phrase is faire confiance à quelqu'un. This is slightly different from simply having confidence. For instance, Je te fais confiance means 'I trust you.' It implies placing your trust in them.

For the specific concept of 'self-confidence,' the French use the set phrase la confiance en soi. This is a key term in personal development and psychology. You might say, Le sport m'aide à développer ma confiance en soi ('Sports help me develop my self-confidence').

💡 * J'ai une totale confiance en l'avenir. (I have complete confidence in the future.)

Fais-moi confiance, je sais ce que je fais. (Trust me, I know what I'm doing.)

Pour réussir, il faut avoir confiance en soi. (To succeed, you must have self-confidence.)

Elle a perdu confiance en lui après son mensonge. (She lost confidence in him after his lie.)

The 'aspiration' – une aspiration

The word for an 'aspiration' or a strong ambition in French is une aspiration.

Similar to its English counterpart, une aspiration refers to a strong hope, ambition, or desire to achieve something significant. It often implies a long-term goal or a profound dream, carrying more weight than a simple wish (un souhait) or dream (un rêve).

Crucially, aspiration is a feminine noun in French. Therefore, you must use feminine articles and adjectives with it, such as une aspiration (an aspiration) or mon aspiration principale (my main aspiration).

💡 * Sa plus grande aspiration est de devenir une artiste célèbre. (Her greatest aspiration is to become a famous artist.)

Il a toujours eu l'aspiration de créer sa propre entreprise. (He always had the aspiration to create his own company.)

Les aspirations de la jeunesse doivent être prises au sérieux. (The aspirations of the youth must be taken seriously.)

The 'optimism' – l'optimisme

The French word for 'optimism' is l'optimisme.

L'optimisme is a masculine noun (un optimisme) that refers to the state of mind where one tends to see the positive side of things and expect favorable outcomes. It's used in the same philosophical and psychological contexts as its English counterpart.

The related adjective is optimiste (optimistic). It is invariable, meaning it stays the same for both masculine and feminine forms. For example, you would say un homme optimiste (an optimistic man) and une femme optimiste (an optimistic woman).

To use it in a sentence, you can pair it with verbs like garder (to keep) or faire preuve de (to show). For instance, garder son optimisme means 'to keep one's optimism'.

💡 * Malgré les difficultés, il a toujours gardé son optimisme. (Despite the difficulties, he always kept his optimism.)

Son optimisme est contagieux pour toute l'équipe. (Her optimism is contagious for the whole team.)

Je suis impressionné par son optimisme à toute épreuve. (I am impressed by his unfailing optimism.)

1. The Core Phrase: Une Lueur d'Espoir

The French expression for 'a glimmer of hope' is une lueur d'espoir. Broken down, une lueur translates to 'a glimmer,' 'a gleam,' or 'a faint light,' and espoir means 'hope.' The d' is a contraction of de, meaning 'of.' So, the literal translation is 'a glimmer of hope,' perfectly matching the English phrase.

Just like its English counterpart, une lueur d'espoir is used to describe a small sign that a difficult or desperate situation might improve. It represents a tiny bit of optimism or a potential for a positive outcome when everything else seems bleak. It’s a powerful and common expression used in various contexts, from personal struggles to broader societal challenges.

This phrase is often paired with specific verbs that indicate its presence or emergence. Common verbs include avoir (to have), voir (to see), donner (to give), or simply il y a (there is). For example, one might say il y a une lueur d'espoir (there is a glimmer of hope) or that a certain event donne une lueur d'espoir (gives a glimmer of hope).

💡 * Malgré la situation difficile, il reste une lueur d'espoir. (Despite the difficult situation, there remains a glimmer of hope.)

Cette nouvelle découverte médicale offre une lueur d'espoir aux patients. (This new medical discovery offers a glimmer of hope to patients.)

Dans l'obscurité, sa lettre était ma seule lueur d'espoir. (In the darkness, his letter was my only glimmer of hope.)

Nous cherchons une lueur d'espoir pour continuer le combat. (We are looking for a glimmer of hope to continue the fight.)

Are there other ways to say 'hope' in French?

This guide has covered the most essential ways to express 'hope' in French, primarily using espoir and the verb espérer. However, French is a language rich in nuance, with many synonyms and related expressions, from literary terms to more specific contexts.

To deepen your understanding, try searching for synonymes d'espoir online. You'll discover words like l'espérance (often with a religious or profound connotation) and other related concepts. Pay attention to the example sentences to grasp their specific usage.

As you read French literature, watch films, or listen to music, keep an ear out for how hope is conveyed. You'll notice that the feeling is often expressed through context and phrasing, not just a single word.

For a detailed exploration of the subtleties between espoir and espérance, or to find related verbs and adjectives, the Larousse or Le Robert online dictionaries are fantastic resources. They provide detailed definitions and contextual examples.

I hope this article has illuminated the different ways to express hope in French. To leave you with a final thought, here is a beautiful quote from the French poet Louis Aragon: L'espoir, c'est se souvenir de l'avenir. (Hope is remembering the future.)

'9 ways to say "hope" in French'