Reading is a fundamental skill in any language, and French is no exception! You might think "lire" is the only way to say "to read" in French, but just like in English, there are many nuances and specific verbs to express different kinds of reading.Mastering these will not only make your French sound more natural but also allow you to express yourself with greater precision. Let's dive into 9 different ways to say "to read" in French and understand when to use each one!

The general 'to read' – lire

Lire is the most common and versatile French verb for 'to read'.

Lire is an irregular verb from the 3rd group and is typically transitive, meaning it usually takes a direct object.

Here's how lire is conjugated in the present tense: Je lis (I read), Tu lis (You read), Il/Elle/On lit (He/She/One reads), Nous lisons (We read), Vous lisez (You (plural/formal) read), Ils/Elles lisent (They read).

You'll use lire to talk about reading almost anything: books (un livre), newspapers (un journal), magazines (un magazine), emails (un e-mail), or even fortunes (les lignes de la main).

The past participle of lire is lu. It's used with the auxiliary verb avoir to form compound tenses like the passé composé. For example: J'ai lu ce roman (I read this novel).

To tell someone to read, you'd use the imperative form: Lis ! (Read! - informal singular), Lisez ! (Read! - formal singular/plural), Lisons ! (Let's read!).

Lire can also be used figuratively, for instance, to 'read' someone's mind (lire dans les pensées de quelqu'un) or to 'read' between the lines (lire entre les lignes).

Unlike some other concepts, lire is quite unique in its meaning for 'to read'. There aren't other common French verbs that directly translate to 'to read' with a significantly different nuance, making lire your go-to verb.

Mastering the conjugation and usage of lire is essential for anyone learning French, as reading is a fundamental part of language acquisition and communication.

💡 * Je lis un livre chaque soir avant de dormir. (I read a book every evening before sleeping.)

As-tu lu le journal aujourd'hui ? (Did you read the newspaper today?)

Nous lisons souvent des articles en ligne. (We often read articles online.)

Elle a lu toutes les instructions attentivement. (She read all the instructions carefully.)

Lisez ce paragraphe à voix haute. (Read this paragraph aloud.)

To 'skim' or 'read through quickly' – parcourir

The verb parcourir is a versatile French verb that generally means 'to skim,' 'to read through quickly,' or 'to browse.' However, its meaning can extend beyond reading to also signify 'to travel through' or 'to cover' a distance.

When applied to text, parcourir suggests a less intensive reading than lire. You might parcourir un livre (skim a book), parcourir un article (read an article quickly), or parcourir un site web (browse a website). It implies a quick overview rather than deep comprehension.

Beyond reading, parcourir is also used to describe moving through or covering a certain space or distance. For example, you can parcourir la ville (travel through the city) or parcourir une longue distance (cover a long distance). It emphasizes the act of traversing.

Parcourir is an irregular verb, belonging to the same family as courir (to run). This means its conjugation follows a similar pattern to courir, but with the prefix 'par-'. For instance, in the present tense, it's je parcours, tu parcours, il/elle/on parcourt, nous parcourons, vous parcourez, ils/elles parcourent.

It's important to distinguish parcourir from verbs like lire (to read, with more focus on understanding) or voyager (to travel, often implying a destination or a longer journey). Parcourir often implies a less focused action, whether it's quickly scanning text or moving across an area without a specific end point in mind.

Its dual nature makes parcourir a powerful verb for describing both intellectual exploration (of texts) and physical movement (of space). Understanding its nuances allows for more precise and natural French expression.

💡 * Je parcours les pages de ce magazine. (I'm skimming through the pages of this magazine.)

Il a parcouru le monde entier. (He has traveled all over the world.)

Nous avons parcouru trois kilomètres à pied. (We covered three kilometers on foot.)

Elle parcourt son e-mail avant de répondre. (She quickly reads her email before replying.)

Le coureur a parcouru la piste en un temps record. (The runner covered the track in record time.)

To 'devour' (a book) – dévorer

To 'devour' (a book) – dévorer

The French verb dévorer literally means 'to devour' or 'to gobble up.' You might hear it used when talking about someone eating something very quickly and eagerly, like a hungry child dévorant a piece of cake.

However, dévorer is also very commonly used in a figurative sense, especially when referring to reading. When you say you are dévorant un livre, it means you are 'devouring a book' in the sense of reading it very quickly and with great enthusiasm.

This usage implies that the book is so captivating and interesting that you can't put it down. You're absorbed in it, reading page after page without interruption, much like someone consumed by hunger.

Dévorer is a regular -er verb, meaning its conjugations follow the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er in French. For instance, in the present tense: je dévore, tu dévores, il/elle/on dévore, etc.

While most frequently associated with books, dévorer can also be used metaphorically for other things consumed with intense passion or speed, such as dévorer des yeux (to eye greedily/to feast one's eyes on) or dévorer la route (to eat up the road, referring to driving fast).

💡 * J'ai dévoré ce roman en une seule nuit. (I devoured this novel in a single night.)* Les enfants ont dévoré les gâteaux. (The children devoured the cakes.)* Elle adore dévorer des livres d'aventure. (She loves to devour adventure books.)* Il dévore chaque article de ce magazine. (He devours every article in this magazine.)* Les flammes ont dévoré la vieille grange. (The flames devoured the old barn.)

To 'leaf through' or 'flip through pages' – feuilleter

The verb feuilleter translates to 'to leaf through', 'to flip through pages', or 'to skim' a book, magazine, or document.

It implies a quick, often casual action of turning pages, without necessarily reading every word in detail. Think of browsing or glancing through content rather than a thorough read.

Feuilleter is a regular -ER verb, meaning its conjugation follows standard patterns for verbs ending in -er. For example, in the present tense, it conjugates like parler.

💡 *J'aime feuilleter des magazines le dimanche matin. (I like to leaf through magazines on Sunday mornings.)
*Il a feuilleté le livre avant de l'acheter. (He flipped through the book before buying it.)
*Elle feuillette ses notes avant l'examen. (She's skimming her notes before the exam.)
*Nous avons feuilleté l'album photo. (We leafed through the photo album.)

To 'decipher' or 'make out' (difficult text) – déchiffrer

The verb déchiffrer in French primarily means 'to decipher' or 'to make out,' especially when referring to something difficult to read or understand.

This verb is specifically used when the text, handwriting, or symbols are unclear, illegible, or complex, requiring effort to comprehend. It implies an active process of interpretation.

While often applied to written language, déchiffrer can also refer to making sense of a musical score, a code, or even a mysterious message or obscure data.

It's similar to, but subtly different from, décrypter ('to decrypt'), which more specifically implies breaking a secret code. Déchiffrer focuses more on the act of reading and understanding something difficult, even if it's not inherently secret.

Déchiffrer is a regular -ER verb, making its conjugation straightforward. For example, in the present tense: je déchiffre, tu déchiffres, il/elle/on déchiffre, etc.

Use déchiffrer when you need to express the effort of understanding something that isn't immediately clear, be it messy handwriting, an ancient script, or complex instructions.

💡 * J'ai eu du mal à déchiffrer son écriture illisible. (I had trouble making out his illegible handwriting.)

Les historiens essaient de déchiffrer le manuscrit ancien. (Historians are trying to decipher the ancient manuscript.)

Il a passé des heures à déchiffrer la partition complexe. (He spent hours deciphering the complex score.)

Pouvez-vous m'aider à déchiffrer ce message codé ? (Can you help me decipher this coded message?)

Il faut déchiffrer les données pour comprendre le rapport. (We need to decipher the data to understand the report.)

To 're-read' – relire

The French verb relire directly translates to 'to re-read' in English. It's a compound verb that clearly expresses the action of reading something again.

Understanding relire is straightforward once you recognize its components: the prefix re- signifies 'again' or 'back,' and lire means 'to read.' This makes its meaning immediately apparent and easy to remember.

Good news for learners! Relire conjugates exactly like its root verb, lire (to read). This means if you know how to conjugate lire, you already know how to conjugate relire across all tenses and moods.

You'll use relire in many everyday situations. Common uses include proofreading a document (relire un texte), reviewing notes for an exam (relire ses notes), or simply reading a favorite book again (relire un livre).

Often, the act of relire implies a deeper engagement with the text, aiming for better comprehension, catching errors, or simply savoring the content a second (or third) time. It's about revisiting for a specific purpose.

💡 *Je dois relire mon essai avant de le rendre. (I need to re-read my essay before submitting it.)
*As-tu déjà relu ce chapitre ? (Have you already re-read this chapter?)
*Nous relisons toujours les instructions attentivement. (We always re-read the instructions carefully.)
*Elle aime relire ses vieux romans. (She likes to re-read her old novels.)

To 'scrutinize' or 'read meticulously' – éplucher

When you want to express the idea of scrutinizing or reading meticulously in French, the verb to use is éplucher.

While its primary, literal meaning is 'to peel' (like peeling an apple or potatoes), éplucher takes on a figurative sense when applied to documents, texts, or information, implying a detailed and thorough examination.

This verb perfectly conveys the action of going through something with a fine-tooth comb, looking for every detail, error, or piece of relevant information. It's stronger than just lire (to read) and implies a critical, in-depth analysis.

💡 *J'ai dû éplucher tous les documents avant de prendre une décision. (I had to scrutinize all the documents before making a decision.)
*Les journalistes ont épluché les comptes de l'entreprise. (The journalists meticulously examined the company's accounts.)
*Elle passe des heures à éplucher les petites annonces pour trouver le bon appartement. (She spends hours poring over classified ads to find the right apartment.)
*Le détective a épluché chaque indice pour résoudre l'affaire. (The detective scrutinized every clue to solve the case.)

To 'consult' or 'refer to' (documents) – compulser

To 'consult' or 'refer to' (documents) – compulser

The French verb compulser means 'to consult' or 'to refer to,' but it carries a specific nuance: it implies a thorough, often meticulous examination of documents, files, or records.

You'll typically encounter compulser in contexts where someone is carefully going through official papers, archives, legal documents, or a large volume of written material. It suggests a more active and detailed review than simply consulter.

While consulter can be used for any kind of consultation (e.g., a doctor, a website), compulser is reserved for written materials and often implies a formal or administrative setting. Think of a librarian compulsing old manuscripts or a lawyer compulsing case files.

💡 * Il a compulsé les archives pour trouver l'information. (He consulted the archives to find the information.)

L'historien a compulsé des centaines de manuscrits. (The historian consulted hundreds of manuscripts.)

Vous devrez compulser le dossier avant la réunion. (You will need to refer to the file before the meeting.)

Elle a compulsé tous les documents pertinents pour son rapport. (She thoroughly reviewed all the relevant documents for her report.)

To 'read aloud' – lire à voix haute

To say “to read aloud” in French, the most common and direct phrase you’ll use is lire à voix haute.

This phrase literally translates to “to read in a loud voice.” It combines the verb lire (to read) with the adverbial phrase à voix haute (aloud, or in a loud voice). This construction is very straightforward.

You'll use lire à voix haute in various contexts, such as when someone is reading a story to children, practicing pronunciation, or performing a public reading. It specifically implies that the act of reading is being done audibly for others to hear, or for one's own auditory feedback.

Unlike some English phrases that might have multiple French equivalents, lire à voix haute is quite specific and doesn't have many common direct synonyms for the exact action of 'reading aloud'. While you could use réciter for 'to recite', it implies memorization rather than simply reading from a text.

Since lire is the main verb in this phrase, you'll conjugate it according to the subject and tense. For example, Je lis à voix haute (I read aloud), Tu lis à voix haute (You read aloud), Il/Elle lit à voix haute (He/She reads aloud), Nous lisons à voix haute (We read aloud), etc.

💡 *L'enseignant a demandé aux élèves de lire le poème à voix haute. (The teacher asked the students to read the poem aloud.)
*J'aime lire des histoires à voix haute à mes enfants avant de dormir. (I like to read stories aloud to my children before bed.)
*Elle lit le script à voix haute pour pratiquer sa prononciation. (She reads the script aloud to practice her pronunciation.)
*Pour bien comprendre, il faut parfois lire le texte à voix haute. (To understand well, sometimes you have to read the text aloud.)
*Pouvez-vous lire ce paragraphe à voix haute, s'il vous plaît? (Can you read this paragraph aloud, please?)

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

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to read' in French, primarily focusing on lire. However, French, like any rich language, offers a spectrum of verbs and expressions to describe different kinds of reading, from skimming to deciphering, or even reading someone's mind.

You can also do an online search for "comment dire lire en ___" followed by a specific Francophone country or region to discover local idioms or preferences.

You might find some interesting alternatives or specific uses for lire and its synonyms. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you incorporate it into your vocabulary.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different verbs and phrases used to talk about the act of reading in various contexts.

And if you’re looking for more nuanced ways to talk about reading, or words related to literature and comprehension in French, the WordReference entry for lire is an excellent place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful in expanding your French vocabulary around the simple act of reading. As the French author Marcel Proust once said: "La lecture est une amitié." (Reading is a friendship.)

9 ways to say "to read" in French