When you think of saying 'to run' in French, your first thought might be courir. And while courir is certainly the most common and versatile option, it's far from the only one! Just like in English, where you can 'run a business,' 'run for office,' or 'run into someone,' French offers a rich variety of verbs to express different nuances of running and related actions. Expanding your vocabulary beyond courir will make your French sound much more natural and precise. Let's explore 9 different ways to say 'to run' in French, covering everything from a quick jog to managing a project!

The standard 'to run' – courir

The standard "to run" – courir

Courir is the most basic and common verb for "to run" in French. It's a versatile verb you'll use frequently.

As an irregular -ir verb, its conjugation can be a bit tricky, but it's essential to learn. Here's its present tense conjugation:

je cours (I run)
tu cours (you run - singular informal)
il/elle/on court (he/she/one runs)
nous courons (we run)
vous courez (you run - plural/formal)
ils/elles courent (they run)

Its most straightforward use is to describe the physical act of running, whether for sport, exercise, or simply moving quickly on foot.

Courir can also mean "to hurry" or "to rush," often implying a sense of urgency or being short on time.

When followed by après, courir means "to run after" or "to chase," literally or figuratively. For example, courir après le temps (to chase time).

You'll find courir in various idiomatic expressions, such as courir un risque (to run a risk), courir les rues (to be common/widespread), or faire courir un bruit (to spread a rumor).

In compound tenses (like the passé composé), courir uses the auxiliary verb avoir. For instance, J'ai couru (I ran).

While courir covers all forms of running, if you specifically want to say "to jog," the common expression is faire du jogging.

💡 * Je cours tous les matins. (I run every morning.)

Elle court pour attraper le bus. (She's running to catch the bus.)

Ne cours pas après le chien ! (Don't run after the dog!)

Il n'aime pas courir de risques. (He doesn't like to run risks.)

Les enfants courent dans le jardin. (The children are running in the garden.)

To go for a jog – faire du jogging

Want to talk about going for a jog in French? The most common and direct way is to use the phrase faire du jogging.

Literally translating to "to do jogging," faire du jogging clearly conveys the act of running at a steady, gentle pace for exercise or pleasure. It's a straightforward anglicism adopted into French vocabulary.

This phrase employs the highly versatile verb faire (to do/to make) followed by du (a contraction of de le), a common construction when discussing engaging in sports or activities. For instance, you'd say faire du sport (to do sports) or faire du vélo (to go cycling).

Remember that faire is an irregular verb, so its conjugation changes depending on the subject. Key conjugations include: je fais (I do), tu fais (you do), il/elle fait (he/she does), nous faisons (we do), vous faites (you do), ils/elles font (they do).

Faire du jogging is widely understood and used in everyday French. It's perfect for describing your regular exercise routine or a casual run, whether you're talking about yourself or someone else.

While faire du jogging is specific to jogging, you might also hear courir (to run) for a more general sense of running (e.g., courir un marathon - to run a marathon). Another common anglicism, faire un footing, also means "to go for a run/jog," often implying a light, recreational run.

💡 * Je fais du jogging tous les matins pour rester en forme.

Elle aime faire du jogging dans le parc avec son chien.

Nous allons faire du jogging cet après-midi si le temps le permet.

Il a fait du jogging pendant une heure hier.

Faites-vous souvent du jogging le week-end?

To rush or hurry (often by running) – se précipiter

To rush or hurry (often by running) – se précipiter

Se précipiter is a versatile French pronominal verb that means "to rush," "to hurry," or "to dash."

As a verbe pronominal, it always requires a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) before the verb, reflecting the action back on the subject.

You'll often hear se précipiter used when someone is in a hurry to get somewhere, like for an appointment, to catch a train, or to respond to an urgent situation.

The verb carries a strong sense of urgency and often implies moving quickly, sometimes even running or scrambling, to reach a destination or complete a task.

Like many -er verbs, its conjugation is regular in most tenses, but remember to always include the reflexive pronoun. In the passé composé, it uses être as its auxiliary verb.

Use se précipiter when you want to convey a sense of urgent, often rapid, movement towards something or someone.

💡 *Il s'est précipité pour prendre le train. (He rushed to catch the train.)
*Elle se précipite toujours quand elle est en retard. (She always rushes when she's late.)
*Nous nous sommes précipités vers la sortie. (We rushed towards the exit.)
*Ne te précipite pas ! Prends ton temps. (Don't rush! Take your time.)
*Les enfants se sont précipités dans le jardin. (The children rushed into the garden.)

To run away or flee – s'enfuir

The verb s'enfuir in French means 'to run away', 'to flee', or 'to escape'. It typically implies a hasty departure, often motivated by fear, danger, or a desire to avoid something or someone.

S'enfuir is a reflexive verb, which means it is always used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that agrees with the subject. This structure emphasizes that the subject is performing the action on themselves.

Like all reflexive verbs, s'enfuir uses the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses (such as the passé composé). Remember to ensure past participle agreement with the subject. For example: Il s'est enfui. (He fled.) Elle s'est enfuie. (She fled.)

💡 * Il s'est enfui quand il a vu la police. (He ran away when he saw the police.)

Elle s'est enfuie de la maison. (She fled from the house.)

Nous nous sommes enfuis du danger. (We ran away from the danger.)

Les enfants se sont enfuis en riant. (The children ran away laughing.)

Ne t'enfuis pas de tes problèmes. (Don't run away from your problems.)

To run off or clear out – décamper

The French verb décamper literally means 'to decamp' or 'to strike camp,' but it's widely used in an informal sense to mean 'to clear out,' 'to run off,' or 'to bolt.'

This verb implies a rapid, often hurried, and sometimes forced departure. It suggests leaving a place quickly, often to avoid something or someone, or because one has been told to leave, carrying a sense of urgency or abruptness.

You'll typically hear décamper in situations where someone is making a swift exit, either voluntarily or under duress. It carries a slightly informal or even blunt tone, unlike simply partir (to leave).

Grammatically, décamper is a regular -er verb, making its conjugation straightforward. It's most commonly used intransitively in the sense of 'to clear out' or 'to run off.'

While its origin is military (breaking camp), its modern usage is firmly rooted in informal, everyday conversation. It's a vivid way to express a quick, unceremonious departure, often with a hint of being told off or avoiding trouble.

💡 * Il a décampé avant l'arrivée de la police. (He cleared out before the police arrived.)

Décampes d'ici tout de suite ! (Clear out of here right now! / Get out of here!)

Après la dispute, elle a décampé sans un mot. (After the argument, she ran off without a word.)

Les campeurs ont décampé à cause de l'orage. (The campers decamped/cleared out because of the storm.)

To sprint – faire un sprint

To express the action “to sprint” in French, the most common and idiomatic phrase you'll encounter is faire un sprint.

The noun un sprint (masculine) refers to a short, fast dash, just like in English. The verb faire means “to do” or “to make.” Therefore, faire un sprint literally translates to “to do a sprint,” effectively conveying “to sprint.”

This expression is widely used in athletic contexts, such as running races, cycling, or soccer. It also extends to everyday situations where someone needs to move very quickly over a short distance, like rushing for a train or reaching a goal quickly.

Since faire is an irregular verb, remember to conjugate it correctly according to the subject. For instance: Je fais un sprint (I sprint), Tu fais un sprint (You sprint), Nous faisons un sprint (We sprint).

💡 *Il a fait un sprint pour attraper le bus. (He sprinted to catch the bus.)
*Les coureurs doivent faire un sprint final. (The runners must do a final sprint.)
*Je dois faire un sprint pour finir ce travail avant la date limite. (I have to sprint to finish this work before the deadline.)
*Après le coup de sifflet, ils ont fait un sprint. (After the whistle, they sprinted.)

To make a quick dash – piquer un sprint

The French idiom piquer un sprint literally translates to “to prick a sprint” or “to sting a sprint.” This phrase is used to describe a sudden, quick burst of speed.

However, its actual meaning is to make a quick dash, run fast for a short distance, or sprint. It implies a sudden, energetic movement, often to catch something, escape something, or simply to move very quickly.

You'll often hear this expression in everyday spoken French, describing situations where someone needs to move rapidly, like a child running to catch a ball, or an athlete accelerating during a race.

💡 *Il a piqué un sprint pour ne pas rater le bus. (He made a quick dash so he wouldn't miss the bus.)
*Les enfants ont piqué un sprint dans le jardin. (The children made a quick dash in the garden.)
*Quand il a vu le chien, il a piqué un sprint. (When he saw the dog, he made a quick dash.)
*Elle a dû piquer un sprint pour arriver à l'heure au rendez-vous. (She had to make a quick dash to arrive on time for the appointment.)

To gallop (metaphorically for humans) – galoper

The verb galoper literally means 'to gallop,' primarily referring to a horse's fastest gait. It describes a swift, rhythmic movement.

When applied to humans, galoper takes on a metaphorical meaning, implying a sense of rushing, hurrying, or moving very quickly, often without much pause or reflection. It suggests a frantic pace.

This usage often conveys a feeling of being overwhelmed, having too much to do, or being in a constant state of hurried activity. It highlights a lack of calm or a pressured, fast-paced existence.

You might hear it used to describe someone 'galloping through' their tasks, 'galloping through' life, or simply 'galloping' from one place to another in a rush, emphasizing the speed and often the exhaustion involved.

💡 * Il galope toute la journée pour finir son travail. (He rushes all day to finish his work.)

Arrête de galoper comme ça, tu vas tomber! (Stop rushing like that, you're going to fall!)

Elle galope d'un rendez-vous à l'autre sans prendre de pause. (She rushes from one appointment to another without taking a break.)

Je ne peux plus galoper comme avant, je suis trop fatigué. (I can't rush around like before, I'm too tired.)

To dart or shoot off quickly – filer

The verb filer is a versatile French verb that, among its many meanings, is commonly used to express the idea of to dart off, to shoot off, or to leave quickly.

When used in this context, filer often implies a rapid, sometimes sudden, and often discreet departure. It conveys a sense of speed and immediacy, much like an object 'shooting off' or a person 'darting away'.

You'll frequently hear filer in everyday conversations. For instance, Il a filé sans dire un mot means He darted off without saying a word. A well-known idiom is filer à l'anglaise, which means to slip away unnoticed or to take French leave.

Filer is a regular -ER verb. In compound tenses like the passé composé, it is typically conjugated with the auxiliary verb avoir. For example: J'ai filé, Tu as filé, Il a filé.

💡 * Le chat a filé sous la table. (The cat darted under the table.)

Dès qu'il a vu la police, il a filé. (As soon as he saw the police, he shot off/left quickly.)

Elle a filé à l'anglaise de la fête. (She slipped away unnoticed from the party.)

Je dois filer, j'ai un rendez-vous. (I have to dart off, I have an appointment.)

Les enfants ont filé jouer dehors. (The children darted off to play outside.)

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

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to run' in French. However, the French language, like any other, is rich with nuances, including regionalisms, slang, and specific verbs for different kinds of running or movement that might not have been covered here.

To explore further, you can always do an online search for 'comment dire courir en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region to discover local expressions.

You might encounter various verbs that imply 'running' or rapid movement. Always make sure to check a word’s definition and observe its usage in context before incorporating it into your vocabulary.

As you immerse yourself in French media — reading books, watching films, or listening to podcasts — pay close attention to how native speakers describe movement. You'll likely discover subtle distinctions and new verbs for 'running' or moving quickly.

For a deeper dive into verbs related to running, movement, and their various nuances, the WordReference entry for courir is an excellent starting point, often providing synonyms and contextual examples.

I hope this article has helped you navigate the various ways to say 'to run' in French. To conclude, here’s a timeless thought on the importance of movement: 'Le mouvement, c'est la vie.' (Movement is life.)

9 ways to say "to run" in French