The verb sauter is the most common and direct way to say “to jump” in French, and it's likely one of the first you learned. But what about when you want to describe a more specific action, like hopping, skipping, or leaping over an obstacle? The French language is full of dynamic verbs that can bring your descriptions to life. Whether you're talking about a child bounding with joy or an athlete clearing a hurdle, knowing the right word will make your French sound much more precise and natural. Let's dive in and explore 9 different ways to say 'to jump'!

The standard 'to jump' – sauter

The standard 'to jump' – sauter

Sauter is the most common and direct French verb for 'to jump.' It's your go-to word for the physical action of jumping or leaping.

Good news for learners: sauter is a regular -er verb. This means it follows the standard conjugation pattern for this group, making it relatively easy to use in different tenses. For example, in the present tense: je saute, tu sautes, il/elle/on saute, nous sautons, vous sautez, ils/elles sautent.

You'll use sauter for any literal act of jumping. This can be jumping up and down, jumping over an obstacle, or jumping into water.

For example: Le chat a sauté sur la table. (The cat jumped onto the table.)

Beyond its literal meaning, sauter is frequently used in a figurative sense to mean 'to skip' or 'to blow up/explode'.

When you want to say you're skipping a page in a book, a meal, or a step in a process, sauter is the perfect verb.

For instance: J'ai sauté le déjeuner parce que j'étais en retard. (I skipped lunch because I was late.) Or, Ne sautez pas cette étape importante. (Don't skip this important step.)

In the construction faire sauter, the meaning changes to 'to make something jump,' which is a common way to say 'to blow up' or 'to explode.'

For example: Les voleurs ont fait sauter le coffre-fort. (The thieves blew up the safe.)

Don't worry about getting confused. Just like with many versatile verbs, the context almost always makes the intended meaning perfectly clear. Whether someone is jumping for joy, skipping a chapter, or blowing something up, the surrounding words will guide you.

💡 * Les enfants adorent sauter dans les flaques d'eau. (The children love to jump in puddles.)

• J'ai sauté la dernière question de l'examen par manque de temps. (I skipped the last question on the exam for lack of time.)
• Elle a sauté de joie quand elle a vu son cadeau. (She jumped for joy when she saw her gift.)
• Le pont a sauté à cause des explosifs. (The bridge blew up because of the explosives.)
• Attention, il faut sauter par-dessus ce trou. (Be careful, you have to jump over this hole.)

The 'leap' or 'spring' – bondir

To express a sudden, energetic leap or spring in French, the verb bondir is the perfect choice. It captures a sense of dynamic, forceful, and often surprising movement.

Bondir translates to 'to leap,' 'to spring,' or 'to pounce.' It's more specific than the general verb sauter (to jump). While sauter is a neutral jump, bondir implies a quick, often horizontal or forward thrust, like an animal pouncing or a person lunging.

This verb is very commonly used to describe the sharp, sudden movements of animals. Think of a cat pouncing on a toy (le chat bondit), a frog leaping off a lily pad, or a deer springing across a field. Bondir perfectly illustrates this kind of instinctive, powerful action.

Bondir is also used for people, often to convey a strong emotional reaction. You can bondir de joie (jump for joy), bondir de colère (jump up in anger), or bondir de son siège (spring from one's seat) in surprise.

Fortunately, bondir is a regular -ir verb, following the same conjugation pattern as verbs like finir. This makes it relatively easy to use. For example: je bondis, tu bondis, il/elle bondit, nous bondissons, vous bondissez, ils/elles bondissent.

💡 * Le chat a bondi sur la souris. (The cat pounced on the mouse.)

• En entendant la bonne nouvelle, elle a bondi de joie. (Hearing the good news, she jumped for joy.)
• Le voleur a bondi par-dessus la barrière. (The thief leaped over the fence.)
• Le public a bondi sur ses pieds pour applaudir. (The audience jumped to its feet to applaud.)

The 'jump' of surprise – sursauter

When a sudden noise makes you jolt or a surprise makes you flinch, the specific French verb for that involuntary 'jump' is sursauter.

Sursauter translates directly to 'to jump,' 'to start,' or 'to be startled.' It perfectly captures the sudden, quick physical reaction to something unexpected, like a loud noise or a sudden movement.

Sursauter is an intransitive verb, meaning it doesn't take a direct object. You don't 'jump something'; you simply jump. The cause of the jump is often explained using the construction faire sursauter quelqu'un (to make someone jump) or with a preposition like de (e.g., sursauter de peur - to jump from fear).

For learners, sursauter is a friendly verb because it's a regular -er verb. It follows the standard conjugation patterns, making it easy to use in any tense. For example, in the present tense: je sursaute, tu sursautes, il/elle/on sursaute.

It's important not to confuse sursauter with sauter. While sauter also means 'to jump,' it refers to a deliberate, intentional action, like jumping for joy (sauter de joie) or jumping over an obstacle. Sursauter is always an involuntary reaction.

💡 * Le bruit de la porte qui claque m'a fait sursauter.

• J'ai sursauté en voyant une araignée sur mon bureau.
• Ne crie pas comme ça, tu vas me faire sursauter !
• Il sursaute au moindre bruit quand il regarde un film d'horreur.

The 'hop' or 'skip' – sautiller

The 'hop' or 'skip' – sautiller

Sautiller is the French verb for 'to hop,' 'to skip,' or 'to bounce along.' It describes a series of small, light, and often quick jumps, conveying a sense of lightness and joy.

This verb is most often used to describe the cheerful movement of children, small animals (like birds or rabbits), or someone expressing excitement. It's less about athletic jumping and more about a light, springy motion.

While sauter is the general verb for 'to jump,' sautiller is more specific. You would sauter over a large obstacle, but you would sautiller down the sidewalk when you're in a good mood. Think of it as a repetitive, gentle bounce rather than a single, powerful leap.

💡 * L'enfant sautillait de joie dans le parc. (The child was hopping with joy in the park.)

• Les oiseaux sautillent sur la branche. (The birds are hopping on the branch.)
• Elle marchait en sautillant sur le chemin du retour. (She walked with a skip in her step on the way home.)
• Le petit chien sautillait autour de son maître. (The little dog was bouncing around its owner.)

The 'jump over' an obstacle – franchir

To 'jump over' or 'cross' an obstacle – franchir.

Franchir is a French verb that signifies crossing a threshold, overcoming an obstacle, or passing a specific point. It conveys the idea of successfully moving past a barrier, which can be either physical or metaphorical.

In a literal sense, franchir is used for actions like crossing a border (franchir la frontière), a river (franchir une rivière), or a finish line (franchir la ligne d'arrivée). It emphasizes the action of getting over or through a physical demarcation.

Figuratively, franchir is powerful for describing the overcoming of challenges or the reaching of milestones. Common expressions include franchir un cap (to pass a milestone/turning point) and franchir les obstacles (to overcome obstacles).

While a verb like traverser also means 'to cross,' franchir often implies a greater sense of difficulty, effort, or achievement. You traverse a street, but you franchis a mountain range, highlighting the challenge involved.

Use franchir when you want to express not just crossing something, but clearing it. It's the perfect verb for conveying a sense of accomplishment in surmounting a barrier.

💡 * L'alpiniste a réussi à franchir la crevasse. (The mountaineer managed to cross the crevasse.)

• En acceptant ce nouveau poste, j'ai franchi un cap important dans ma carrière. (By accepting this new position, I've passed a major milestone in my career.)
• Il est interdit de franchir la ligne jaune. (It is forbidden to cross the yellow line.)
• Avec détermination, elle a franchi tous les obstacles. (With determination, she overcame all the obstacles.)

The playful 'frolic' or 'gambol' – gambader

The French verb gambader is the perfect equivalent for the English words "to frolic," "to gambol," or "to skip about." It describes a light, joyful, and carefree type of movement, full of energy and happiness.

Gambader is most often used to describe the playful actions of young children and animals. Think of lambs hopping in a field, puppies chasing each other, or kids running around a playground. It beautifully captures a sense of youthful innocence and unrestrained joy.

Unlike the neutral verb for running, courir, gambader is packed with positive emotion. It implies that the subject isn't just moving, but is doing so with a feeling of glee and lightheartedness. It’s the physical manifestation of a happy mood.

For learners, the good news is that gambader is a regular -er verb, making it easy to conjugate. It follows the same pattern as common verbs like parler or chanter. For example: je gambade, tu gambades, il/elle/on gambade, nous gambadons, vous gambadez, ils/elles gambadent.

💡 * Les agneaux gambadent dans le pré au printemps. (The lambs frolic in the meadow in the spring.)

• Regarde les enfants gambader dans le jardin ! (Look at the children gamboling in the garden!)
• Le jeune chien gambadait joyeusement vers son maître. (The young dog frolicked joyfully towards its owner.)
• Elle se sentait si libre qu'elle a commencé à gambader sur le chemin. (She felt so free that she started to skip along the path.)

The 'running jump' or 'launch' – s'élancer

The verb s'élancer describes the action of launching oneself forward, taking a running jump, or surging ahead. It conveys a sense of momentum and purpose, often used for athletes, animals, or anyone moving forward with sudden energy.

It's important to note that s'élancer is a pronominal (or reflexive) verb. This means it always requires a reflexive pronoun that agrees with the subject: je m'élance, tu t'élances, il/elle s'élance, etc. In compound tenses like the passé composé, it is conjugated with the auxiliary verb être.

Beyond its literal meaning of physical movement, s'élancer can also be used figuratively. For example, someone can s'élancer dans un débat (launch into a debate) or s'élancer dans une nouvelle carrière (launch into a new career), implying a bold or enthusiastic start.

💡 * L'athlète s'est élancé par-dessus la haie. (The athlete launched himself over the hurdle.)

• Le chat s'élança sur la souris. (The cat pounced on the mouse.)
• Après quelques hésitations, il s'est élancé dans son discours. (After some hesitation, he launched into his speech.)
• La fusée s'élance vers le ciel. (The rocket launches towards the sky.)

The 'dive' into water – piquer une tête

The 'dive' into water – piquer une tête

Literally, piquer une tête translates to 'to sting/poke a head.' However, this common idiomatic expression is the French equivalent of 'to take a dip' or 'to go for a quick swim.' It conveys the idea of a brief, refreshing plunge into water.

This is a very common, informal phrase you'll hear in France during the summer. It's perfect for suggesting a spontaneous swim at the beach, in a lake, or in a swimming pool to cool off.

To use this expression, you simply conjugate the verb piquer according to the subject and tense. For example: 'Je vais piquer une tête' (I'm going to take a dip) or 'Nous avons piqué une tête' (We took a dip).

💡 * Il fait si chaud, je vais piquer une tête dans la piscine.

• Ça te dit de piquer une tête avant de dîner ?
• On a trouvé une petite crique et on a piqué une tête.
• Allez, on pique une tête pour se rafraîchir !

The 'jump' with impatience or excitement – trépigner

The French verb trépigner doesn't mean to 'jump' in the sense of leaping into the air. Instead, it translates more accurately to 'to stamp one's feet' or 'to fidget impatiently'. It describes the physical action of rapidly moving your feet on the spot, often driven by a strong emotion.

The most common use of trépigner is to express impatience or frustration. You will often see it in the construction trépigner d'impatience. Imagine a child waiting for a toy or an adult stuck in a long queue; this verb perfectly captures that restless, foot-tapping energy.

While often linked to negative feelings, trépigner can also convey positive excitement and eagerness. A person might trépigner de joie (stamp with joy) or trépigner d'enthousiasme (fidget with enthusiasm) when anticipating a wonderful event, like a concert or a reunion.

Good news for learners! Trépigner is a regular -er verb. This means it follows the standard, predictable conjugation pattern of verbs like parler (to speak) or chanter (to sing), making it easy to incorporate into your vocabulary.

💡 * L'enfant trépignait d'impatience en attendant son dessert. (The child was stamping his feet with impatience while waiting for his dessert.)

• Les chevaux trépignent dans leur box avant la course. (The horses are stamping impatiently in their stalls before the race.)
• Elle trépignait de joie à l'idée de partir en vacances. (She was jumping with joy at the thought of going on vacation.)
• Arrête de trépigner, le bus va arriver ! (Stop fidgeting, the bus is going to arrive!)

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

Are there other ways to say “to jump” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “to jump” in French. But the French language is full of dynamic action verbs, including other terms for jumping that might be used in specific contexts, sports, or even regional slang!

For further exploration, you can do an online search for “synonymes du verbe sauter” to uncover even more nuanced options.

When you find a new verb, always check its definition and conjugation. Pay close attention to the context to understand when and how it's used before you try it in a conversation.

Keep your ears and eyes open as you watch French films, read books, or listen to French music. You’ll begin to notice all the different, vivid ways native speakers describe the action of jumping.

If you’re looking for more verbs related to movement and action, the Larousse or WordReference entries for sauter are fantastic places to start your search!

I hope this guide has helped you leap forward in your French studies! The most important thing is to be brave and try using new words. As the French proverb says, Il faut sauter le pas. (You have to take the plunge.)