Couper is the most common way to say “to cut” in French. But there are many other options, each with its own nuances and contexts. As you navigate conversations or read in French, you'll encounter various verbs that mean "to cut" depending on what's being cut, how it's being cut, and why. Knowing these different verbs will significantly enrich your vocabulary and understanding. Let’s explore 9 common ways to say “to cut” (and, sometimes, more than just “to cut”) in French!

The general 'to cut' – couper

The verb couper is the most common and versatile way to say 'to cut' in French. It's your go-to verb for almost any cutting action.

As a regular -er verb, couper follows standard conjugation patterns, making it relatively straightforward for learners. It’s an essential verb to master early on.

Most frequently, couper is used transitively, meaning it takes a direct object. You 'cut' something.

You’ll hear couper in a wide variety of everyday contexts, such as couper le pain (to cut the bread), couper les légumes (to cut the vegetables), couper les cheveux (to cut hair), or couper l'herbe (to cut the grass).

When you want to express the idea of 'to cut oneself' or 'to get cut', you use the reflexive form: se couper.

Couper also features in several common idiomatic expressions. For example, couper la parole means 'to interrupt someone', and couper court à quelque chose means 'to cut something short' or 'to put a stop to something'.

While French has more specific verbs like trancher (to slice) or ciseler (to mince/chisel), couper remains the general, all-encompassing term for the act of cutting, applicable in almost any situation.

Mastering couper will significantly enhance your ability to communicate various actions, from simple kitchen tasks to more abstract interruptions, making it a cornerstone of your French vocabulary.

💡 *Je vais couper le gâteau en parts égales. (I'm going to cut the cake into equal pieces.)
*Fais attention, tu vas te couper avec ce couteau. (Be careful, you're going to cut yourself with this knife.)
*Elle a coupé ses cheveux très courts. (She cut her hair very short.)
*Il m'a coupé la parole en pleine phrase. (He interrupted me in the middle of a sentence.)
*Nous devons couper l'électricité avant de réparer. (We must cut the electricity before repairing.)

The 'to slice' or 'to cut into slices' – trancher

The verb trancher is a versatile French verb primarily meaning 'to slice' or 'to cut into slices'.

Its most literal application involves a clean, often precise cut, typically used when preparing food.

You'll frequently hear trancher in the kitchen, for instance, when talking about slicing bread, cheese, or meat into uniform pieces.

Beyond its culinary use, trancher takes on a significant figurative meaning: 'to decide,' 'to settle,' or 'to make a clear distinction.'

This figurative sense evokes the idea of 'cutting through' ambiguity or hesitation to arrive at a firm, unambiguous conclusion or judgment.

While couper is the general verb for 'to cut,' trancher specifically emphasizes the slicing action or the definitive nature of a decision, implying a more precise or final act.

Whether in the kitchen or in a debate, trancher highlights the act of bringing clarity and finality, making it an essential verb to master.

💡 * Il faut trancher le pain avant de le servir. (You have to slice the bread before serving it.)

• Le chef a tranché la viande avec un couteau aiguisé. (The chef sliced the meat with a sharp knife.)
• Le président a tranché la question après une longue délibération. (The president settled the matter after a long deliberation.)
• Cette couleur tranche vraiment avec le reste de la pièce. (This color really stands out from the rest of the room.)

The 'to finely chop' or 'to mince' (herbs, onions) – ciseler

In French cooking, the verb ciseler specifically refers to the action of 'to finely chop' or 'to mince,' particularly when dealing with aromatic ingredients like herbs or onions. It's a precise culinary term.

While you might use couper for a general cut, ciseler implies a much finer, more uniform chop. It's the perfect term for preparing delicate herbs like parsley or chives, or for mincing onions and shallots very finely to ensure they melt into a dish.

Unlike the more general couper (to cut) or hacher (to chop/mince, which can be coarser or done with a machine), ciseler suggests a delicate, almost artistic hand-chopping technique that results in tiny, consistent pieces. This precision is a hallmark of French gastronomy.

Ciseler is a regular -er verb, making its conjugation straightforward and predictable. For example, 'je cisèle' (I finely chop), 'tu cisèles' (you finely chop), 'nous ciselons' (we finely chop).

Mastering ciseler is a fundamental skill in French cuisine. The fine texture achieved by this technique significantly impacts the flavor release and the overall presentation of dishes, making it a crucial step in many recipes.

💡 * Il faut ciseler l'oignon très finement pour cette sauce. (You need to finely chop the onion for this sauce.)

• J'ai ciselé le persil pour garnir le plat. (I finely chopped the parsley to garnish the dish.)
• Elle cisèle les herbes avec un couteau bien aiguisé. (She minces the herbs with a sharp knife.)
• Pour une bonne vinaigrette, ciselez les échalotes. (For a good vinaigrette, finely chop the shallots.)

The 'to cut out' or 'to carve' – découper

The 'to cut out' or 'to carve' – découper

Découper is a versatile French verb that primarily means 'to cut out,' 'to cut up,' or 'to carve.' It often implies a precise action of cutting or dividing something, usually following a specific shape or line.

When used in the context of crafts or art, découper refers to cutting out shapes from paper, fabric, or other materials. Think of cutting out a stencil, a dress pattern, or decorative elements.

Another common application of découper is in the kitchen, where it means 'to carve' food, especially meat or poultry, into portions. It can also be used for cutting a cake into slices or vegetables into specific shapes.

💡 * Elle va découper les formes pour le projet. (She is going to cut out the shapes for the project.)

• Le chef découpe le poulet avec habileté. (The chef carves the chicken skillfully.)
• Il faut découper le tissu selon le patron. (You need to cut the fabric according to the pattern.)
• Peux-tu découper le gâteau en parts égales ? (Can you cut the cake into equal slices?)

The 'to trim' or 'to prune' – tailler

The “to trim” or “to prune” – tailler

The French verb tailler primarily means “to trim,” “to prune,” or “to cut.” It's a versatile verb often used in contexts of shaping or reducing something.

Its most common application is in gardening, referring to the act of pruning plants, hedges, or trees to maintain their shape, health, or growth.

You'll also encounter tailler when talking about cutting or trimming hair (tailler sa barbe – to trim one's beard) or nails.

Beyond gardening and grooming, tailler can mean “to sharpen” (e.g., tailler un crayon – to sharpen a pencil) or “to carve/cut” (e.g., tailler une pierre – to cut a stone). It can also be used figuratively, like tailler un costume à quelqu'un (to criticize someone severely).

Tailler is a regular -ER verb, which means its conjugation follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er in French, making it relatively straightforward to learn.

💡 * Il faut tailler les rosiers chaque printemps. (You have to prune the rose bushes every spring.)

• Je dois tailler ma haie avant l'été. (I need to trim my hedge before summer.)
• Tu peux tailler ton crayon s'il te plaît ? (Can you sharpen your pencil, please?)
• Elle a fait tailler sa frange chez le coiffeur. (She had her fringe trimmed at the hairdresser's.)
• Le sculpteur a taillé la statue dans le marbre. (The sculptor carved the statue out of marble.)

The 'to split' or 'to cleave' – fendre

The verb fendre in French translates primarily to 'to split,' 'to cleave,' or 'to crack.' It describes the action of breaking something apart along a line, often with force, creating a division or opening.

Its most common application is for physically dividing solid objects. You would use fendre to talk about fendre du bois (splitting wood), fendre une bûche (splitting a log), or even fendre la pierre (cleaving stone), emphasizing the act of separation.

Fendre also features in powerful figurative expressions. Fendre le cœur means 'to break one's heart' or 'to rend the heart,' conveying profound sadness or compassion. A more informal and joyful idiom is se fendre la poire, meaning 'to laugh heartily' or 'to split one's sides laughing.'

Less intuitively, fendre can also describe rapid movement, as seen in the expression fendre l'air (to cleave the air or cut through the air). This implies moving with such speed and force that one seems to divide the very air in their path.

💡 * Il faut fendre le bois pour la cheminée. (We need to split the wood for the fireplace.)

• Cette histoire m'a fendu le cœur. (This story broke my heart.)
• Les coureurs fendent l'air à toute vitesse. (The runners cleave the air at full speed.)
• On s'est fendu la poire en regardant ce film. (We split our sides laughing watching that movie.)
• La glace commence à se fendre. (The ice is starting to crack/split.)

The 'to chop' or 'to mince' (meat, garlic) – hacher

In French, the verb hacher directly translates to 'to chop' or 'to mince'. It's primarily used when referring to reducing ingredients into very small pieces.

You'll often encounter hacher in culinary contexts, specifically for preparing ingredients like meat, garlic, onions, or herbs. Think of it as the action of finely dicing or mincing.

Hacher is a regular -ER verb, which means its conjugation follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er. This makes it relatively straightforward to use in various tenses.

💡 * Il faut hacher la viande pour faire les boulettes. (You need to mince the meat to make the meatballs.)

• Hachez finement l'ail et le persil. (Chop the garlic and parsley finely.)
• Elle a haché les oignons avant de les faire revenir. (She chopped the onions before sautéing them.)
• J'aime hacher mes propres herbes fraîches. (I like to chop my own fresh herbs.)

The 'to sever' or 'to cut off' – sectionner

The "to sever" or "to cut off" – sectionner

As a verb, sectionner means "to sever," "to cut off," or "to cut through." It implies a clean, often forceful or complete separation of one part from another.

This verb is primarily used in a literal sense, referring to the physical act of cutting. You'll often find it in contexts related to cables, nerves, limbs, or anything that can be decisively cut apart.

While couper (to cut) is a general term, sectionner suggests a more definitive, complete, and sometimes violent cut. It emphasizes the act of creating a section or separating entirely, rather than just making an incision.

💡 * Les ouvriers ont dû sectionner le câble électrique endommagé. (The workers had to sever the damaged electrical cable.)

• Le chirurgien a sectionné le ligament pour soulager la pression. (The surgeon sectioned the ligament to relieve the pressure.)
• Attention à ne pas sectionner les fils lors de la réparation. (Be careful not to cut off the wires during the repair.)
• La machine sectionne les pièces de métal avec une grande précision. (The machine cuts off the metal parts with great precision.)

The 'to slice thinly' – émincer

The French verb émincer means 'to slice thinly' or 'to finely slice'. It is most commonly used in a culinary context, referring to the action of cutting ingredients into very thin pieces.

When you émincer something, you are not just cutting it, but specifically preparing it in a way that yields thin, uniform slices. This technique is essential for many recipes, particularly for vegetables like onions, garlic, mushrooms, or potatoes, as well as certain meats.

While couper is the general verb for 'to cut', émincer implies a more precise and delicate action. You wouldn't use émincer for chopping wood, for example, but rather for preparing food. The emphasis is always on the thinness of the slices.

Émincer is a regular -ER verb, which means its conjugation follows a predictable pattern similar to many other common French verbs. For example, in the present tense, it conjugates as j'émince, tu éminces, il/elle/on émince, nous éminçons, vous émincez, ils/elles émincent.

💡 * Il faut émincer les oignons très finement. (You need to slice the onions very thinly.)

• Elle a émincé les champignons pour la salade. (She sliced the mushrooms thinly for the salad.)
• Pouvez-vous émincer le poulet, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you slice the chicken thinly, please?)
• J'émince les pommes de terre avant de les faire frire. (I slice the potatoes thinly before frying them.)
• Pour cette recette, nous éminçons l'ail. (For this recipe, we finely slice the garlic.)

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

Are there other ways to say ‘to cut’ in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say ‘to cut’ in French. But there are other terms, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for “comment dire couper en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms for couper on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about cutting.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different kinds of cutting actions, or words about cutting in French, the WordReference entry for couper is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. The richness of the French language often lies in its ability to express subtle differences through a wide array of vocabulary, making learning it a rewarding journey.