The most common way to say "to climb" in French is grimper. But what if you're scaling a sheer rock face, clambering up a ladder, or even climbing the corporate ladder? Just like in English, French offers a variety of verbs to express the action of moving upwards, each with its own specific context and nuance.

Whether you're an avid mountaineer, describing a cat scrambling up a tree, or talking about a company's rising profits, using the right verb will make your French sound much more precise and natural.

Let's get ready to elevate your vocabulary and explore 9 different ways to talk about climbing in French!

1. The Standard 'To Climb' – Grimper

The standard and most common French verb for “to climb” is grimper.

Grimper specifically refers to the action of climbing that often requires effort and the use of both hands and feet, like scaling a wall or a tree.

For learners, grimper is a regular -er verb, making its conjugation predictable. It follows the same pattern as common verbs like parler or chanter. For example, in the present tense: je grimpe, tu grimpes, il/elle grimpe, nous grimpons, vous grimpez, ils/elles grimpent.

You use grimper for any physical ascent that implies a bit of a scramble. This could be climbing a mountain (grimper une montagne), a ladder (grimper à une échelle), or even a steep hill.

Like its English counterpart, grimper is also used figuratively to describe a rapid increase. You'll often hear it in discussions about prices, temperatures, or someone climbing the social ladder. For instance, Les prix ne cessent de grimper (The prices don't stop climbing).

While monter also means “to go up,” it's a more general term. You would use monter for walking up stairs (monter les escaliers) or getting on a bus (monter dans le bus). Use grimper when the action is more like clambering or scaling, implying more difficulty than simply going up.

💡 * Le chat a grimpé sur le toit de la maison.

• Les enfants adorent grimper aux arbres dans le jardin.
• L'alpiniste a réussi à grimper la falaise sans corde.
• La température a grimpé à 40 degrés cet après-midi.
• Il a grimpé les échelons de l'entreprise très rapidement.

To climb a mountain or wall – escalader

When you need to talk about a specific type of climbing that involves scaling a steep surface, the French verb you're looking for is escalader.

Escalader translates to 'to climb' or 'to scale' and is used for challenging ascents that often require using both hands and feet. It's the verb associated with activities like mountaineering and rock climbing.

A common point of confusion for learners is the difference between escalader and monter. Use monter for general upward movement, like climbing stairs (monter les escaliers) or going up a hill (monter une colline). Reserve escalader for more difficult feats, like scaling a cliff face (escalader une falaise) or a mountain.

A helpful way to remember its specific meaning is to connect it to the noun for the sport of rock climbing: l'escalade. If the action is related to l'escalade, then escalader is almost always the right verb.

The use of escalader isn't limited to nature. It's also the correct verb for climbing over man-made structures like a wall (escalader un mur) or a fence (escalader une clôture).

💡 * Les alpinistes rêvent d'escalader l'Everest.

• Le voleur a escaladé le mur pour entrer dans le jardin.
• Attention, il est dangereux d'escalader ces rochers.
• Mon chat escalade l'arbre tous les jours.

To go up or ascend – monter

The versatile French verb monter is essential for expressing upward movement. Its primary meanings are 'to go up,' 'to get on/in,' 'to ascend,' or 'to climb.'

You will frequently encounter monter in everyday situations, such as climbing stairs (monter les escaliers), getting on a bus (monter dans le bus), or even when prices are rising (les prix montent).

One of the most important things to learn about monter is its use in the passé composé. It can be conjugated with either être or avoir, and the choice completely changes the meaning.

Use être when the subject of the verb is the one performing the action of moving upwards. In this case, the verb has no direct object. Remember that the past participle must agree with the subject. For example: Elle est montée au sommet (She went up to the summit).

Use avoir when the subject is moving something else (a direct object) upwards. For example: J'ai monté la valise (I brought the suitcase up). Here, the action is done to the suitcase.

Monter also commonly means 'to assemble' or 'to put together,' especially with furniture or equipment. This meaning always uses avoir in the passé composé. For example: Nous avons monté le lit hier (We assembled the bed yesterday).

💡 * Je monte les escaliers quatre à quatre.

• Il est monté dans sa chambre pour étudier.
• Avez-vous monté les bagages ?
• Le chat est monté sur le toit.
• Elle a monté sa propre entreprise.

To climb over an obstacle – franchir

The verb franchir in French translates to 'to cross,' 'to get over,' or 'to overcome' an obstacle. It implies successfully passing a boundary or barrier.

Literally, franchir is used for physical obstacles. You can franchir un mur (get over a wall), franchir une rivière (cross a river), or franchir la frontière (cross the border). It conveys the idea of surmounting the challenge posed by the obstacle.

More frequently, franchir is used in a figurative sense for abstract challenges or milestones. Common expressions include franchir un cap (to pass a milestone/turning point) and franchir une étape (to complete a stage), highlighting progress and achievement.

Franchir is a regular second-group -ir verb, following the same conjugation pattern as finir. In the present tense, it is conjugated as: je franchis, tu franchis, il/elle/on franchit, nous franchissons, vous franchissez, ils/elles franchissent.

💡 * Le cycliste a franchi la ligne d'arrivée avec quelques secondes d'avance. (The cyclist crossed the finish line a few seconds ahead.)

• Pour entrer, il faut franchir ce grand portail. (To enter, you must get through this large gate.)
• Avec ce nouveau contrat, l'entreprise a franchi un cap important. (With this new contract, the company has passed a major milestone.)
• Elle a franchi tous les obstacles pour atteindre son rêve. (She overcame all obstacles to achieve her dream.)

To hoist oneself up – se hisser

The French verb se hisser translates to 'to hoist oneself up.' It's a reflexive verb that describes the action of lifting or pulling yourself into a higher position, often with considerable effort.

In its most literal sense, se hisser is used for physical actions. Imagine a climber pulling themself up a rock face, a child hoisting themself into a treehouse, or an athlete getting over an obstacle. The base verb, hisser, means 'to hoist' something else, like a flag.

Very commonly, se hisser is used figuratively to mean rising to a higher level or rank through ambition and hard work. You can use it to talk about a company climbing the market rankings, a team advancing to the finals, or a person achieving a high social or professional status.

As a reflexive verb, se hisser always uses the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses like the passé composé. For example, you would say, 'L'équipe s'est hissée en finale' (The team hoisted itself to the final).

Whether the meaning is literal or figurative depends entirely on the context. Pay attention to the subject: if it's a person performing a physical act, it's likely literal. If it's a team, company, or person in a competitive context, it's probably figurative.

💡 * Le chat s'est hissé sur le mur pour s'enfuir. (The cat hoisted itself onto the wall to escape.)

• Grâce à son travail acharné, elle s'est hissée au poste de directrice. (Thanks to her hard work, she rose to the position of director.)
• L'équipe de France s'est hissée en finale de la Coupe du Monde. (The French team made it to the World Cup final.)
• Il a dû se hisser par la fenêtre car il avait oublié ses clés. (He had to hoist himself through the window because he had forgotten his keys.)

To ascend with effort (like a steep hill) – gravir

The French verb gravir translates to "to climb" or "to ascend," but it carries a specific connotation of effort and difficulty. It's the word you use when you're not just going up, but actively conquering a steep incline. Think of it as the opposite of a leisurely stroll uphill.

The most classic use of gravir is for physical feats like climbing mountains, hills, or even a long flight of stairs. You would say gravir une montagne (to climb a mountain) or gravir une pente raide (to climb a steep slope). It emphasizes the physical exertion required for the ascent.

Gravir is also frequently used in a figurative sense to describe advancing in one's career or social standing through hard work. The common expression is gravir les échelons, which literally means "to climb the rungs" and is the direct equivalent of "to climb the corporate ladder."

Grammatically, gravir is a regular second-group verb, following the same conjugation pattern as finir. Its past participle is gravi, used with the auxiliary verb avoir. For instance, "I climbed the hill" is J'ai gravi la colline.

💡 * Les alpinistes se préparent à gravir le sommet.

• Elle a gravi les échelons de l'entreprise avec une détermination impressionnante.
• J'étais essoufflé après avoir gravi les escaliers jusqu'au dixième étage.
• Le cycliste gravit la côte avec beaucoup d'effort.

To climb the social/corporate ladder – grimper les échelons

The French expression for "to climb the social/corporate ladder" is grimper les échelons. This idiom directly translates to "to climb the rungs" and is used to describe the process of advancing in one's career or improving one's social standing through effort and ambition.

Let's break down the key terms. The verb grimper means "to climb," often in a physical sense, like climbing a mountain or a tree. The noun un échelon means "a rung" (of a ladder). Together, they create a powerful visual metaphor for gradual advancement.

This phrase is commonly used in professional and business contexts to talk about promotions and career progression. It can also be applied to social hierarchies. For example, you can use it to describe an employee who started in an entry-level position and is now in management.

💡 * Il a commencé comme stagiaire et a réussi à grimper tous les échelons de l'entreprise. (He started as an intern and managed to climb all the rungs of the company ladder.)

• Elle est très ambitieuse, elle veut grimper les échelons le plus vite possible. (She is very ambitious, she wants to climb the ladder as quickly as possible.)
• Pour grimper les échelons dans ce milieu, il faut beaucoup de détermination. (To climb the ladder in this field, you need a lot of determination.)

To clamber or scramble (informal) – crapahuter

The verb crapahuter means 'to clamber,' 'to scramble,' or 'to trek,' often over difficult terrain. It's an informal and very evocative word that implies a significant physical effort.

Originally military slang, crapahuter describes the arduous movement of soldiers on foot, often carrying heavy equipment through challenging landscapes. This origin gives it a sense of difficulty and endurance.

Today, it's used more broadly to describe any strenuous walk or hike, especially one that involves going up and down hills or navigating rough paths. You might use it to talk about a challenging hike or even children scrambling over playground equipment.

Despite its informal nature, crapahuter is a regular -er verb, which makes it straightforward to conjugate. For example, in the present tense, you would say je crapahute, nous crapahutons, and in the passé composé, j'ai crapahuté.

💡 * Nous avons crapahuté pendant des heures pour atteindre le refuge de montagne.

• Les enfants adorent crapahuter sur les rochers au bord de la mer.
• Il va falloir crapahuter un peu pour avoir la meilleure vue.
• Après avoir crapahuté dans la forêt, nous étions épuisés mais heureux.

1. To Cling or To Grab: S'agripper

The French verb s'agripper translates to 'to cling to,' 'to grab onto,' or 'to hold on tight.' It's a reflexive verb, indicating that the subject is performing the action on itself—securing its own grip. The root word, griffe, means 'claw,' which evokes a powerful, tenacious hold.

Primarily, s'agripper is used in physical situations where someone or something needs to secure itself to a surface to avoid falling or being moved. Think of a climber clinging to a rock, a passenger grabbing a handle on a bus, or a vine climbing up a wall by holding onto the surface.

As a reflexive verb, s'agripper requires a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that matches the subject. For example, 'I cling' is je m'agrippe. In the passé composé, it uses être as the auxiliary verb, such as il s'est agrippé (he clung on).

Beyond its literal meaning, s'agripper can be used figuratively to describe clinging to non-physical things like hope, power, or the past. In this sense, it implies a desperate or stubborn refusal to let go of an idea or a situation.

💡 * L'enfant s'agrippe à la jambe de sa mère. (The child clings to his mother's leg.)

• Agrippe-toi bien, ça va secouer ! (Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride!)
• Le lierre s'agrippe au vieux mur de pierre. (The ivy clings to the old stone wall.)
• Il s'est agrippé à la dernière branche pour ne pas tomber. (He grabbed onto the last branch to keep from falling.)
• Elle s'agrippe à l'espoir que tout ira bien. (She clings to the hope that everything will be okay.)

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

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

This guide has covered the most essential verbs for 'to climb' in French, including monter, grimper, and escalader. However, French is a nuanced language with many other specific or figurative terms you might encounter, depending on the context.

To expand your vocabulary, try searching for context-specific terms. For example, look up 'verbes pour l'alpinisme' (verbs for mountaineering) or how to talk about climbing the corporate ladder, which uses the expression 'gravir les échelons'.

When you discover a new synonym, always check its usage. Does it describe a specific type of movement? Is it used for literal or figurative climbing? Paying attention to these details will make your French sound much more natural and precise.

Immerse yourself! Watch French documentaries about mountaineering or follow events like the Tour de France. Listening to how native speakers describe these activities is one of the best ways to learn the right verb for the right situation.

For a deeper dive into synonyms and related expressions, the WordReference entries for monter and grimper are excellent resources. The forums often contain detailed discussions from native speakers about specific use cases.

I hope this guide helps you reach new heights in your French learning journey. To finish, here is a famous quote from Sir Edmund Hillary that resonates with language learners and climbers alike: Ce n'est pas la montagne que nous conquérons, mais nous-mêmes. (It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.)