When you first learn French, you probably come across the verb envoyer for 'to send'. It's a great, all-purpose verb, but French, like any rich language, has a variety of words to express this simple action with more nuance and precision.

Whether you're sending an email, mailing a package, launching a rocket, or even just blowing a kiss, there's a specific verb that fits the situation perfectly.

Let's dive into nine different ways to say 'to send' in French to make your language skills more dynamic and precise!

The standard 'to send' – envoyer

The most common and direct way to say 'to send' in French is with the verb envoyer. It is a versatile verb that covers most English uses of 'to send' or 'to mail'.

Envoyer can be used for both physical and digital items. You can use it to talk about sending a letter (envoyer une lettre), a package (envoyer un colis), or an email (envoyer un e-mail or envoyer un courriel).

While envoyer is a regular -er verb, it has an important spelling change to be aware of. For most subjects in the present tense, the 'y' changes to an 'i'. This is a common pattern for verbs ending in -oyer.

Here is the present tense conjugation, showing the spelling change:

• j'envoie (I send)
• tu envoies (you send)
• il/elle/on envoie (he/she/one sends)
• nous envoyons (we send - the 'y' remains)
• vous envoyez (you send - the 'y' remains)
• ils/elles envoient (they send)

To build a sentence, you typically state who sends, the verb, what is sent, and finally, the recipient using the preposition à. The structure is: [Subject] + envoyer + [thing] + à + [person].

Envoyer is also part of many common phrases. For instance, envoyer un texto means 'to send a text message'. In slang, envoyer balader quelqu'un means 'to tell someone to get lost' or 'to blow someone off'.

💡 * Je vais envoyer une carte postale à ma grand-mère.

• Peux-tu m'envoyer le document par e-mail ?
• Ils ont envoyé des fleurs pour son anniversaire.
• Nous envoyons notre candidature pour le poste.
• Le professeur envoie les devoirs chaque vendredi.

The 'to ship' or 'to dispatch' – expédier

The 'to ship' or 'to dispatch' – expédier

The French verb expédier is the most precise term for 'to ship,' 'to dispatch,' or 'to send off.' It specifically refers to the formal process of sending goods, packages, or official mail through a postal or delivery service.

You'll most commonly encounter expédier in contexts related to e-commerce, logistics, and business administration. It implies a formal, official act of sending, often with tracking or documentation involved. For instance, an online retailer expédie a product to a customer.

While envoyer (to send) is a more general and common verb, expédier carries a more professional and logistical connotation. You would envoyer a casual email to a friend, but a company would expédier a parcel to a client.

Interestingly, expédier also has a common figurative meaning: 'to wrap something up quickly,' 'to rush through,' or 'to deal with something hastily.' This usage often implies a lack of thoroughness or care, as if you are just trying to get a task 'dispatched' and out of the way.

💡 * Le vendeur a expédié mon colis hier.

• Nous devons expédier toutes les commandes avant midi.
• Il a expédié la réunion en seulement quinze minutes.
• J'ai expédié ma lettre de démission par courrier recommandé.

The 'to mail' or 'to post' – poster

The French verb poster is the direct equivalent of 'to mail' or 'to post' a letter or package. It's a key verb for everyday tasks related to the postal service and, more recently, for online activity.

Primarily, poster refers to the physical act of putting something into a mailbox or taking it to the post office to be sent. For example, you would poster une lettre (mail a letter) or poster un colis (mail a package).

Reflecting its English counterpart, poster has also taken on the meaning of 'to post' something online. You can poster une photo on Instagram or poster un message on a forum. The context almost always makes the meaning clear.

Good news for learners! Poster is a regular -er verb, which means it follows the standard, predictable conjugation pattern. For example, in the present tense: je poste, tu postes, il/elle poste, etc.

While poster means 'to mail/post', the verb envoyer means 'to send'. Envoyer is more general and can be used for emails, text messages, or even sending a person on an errand. You use poster specifically for items going through the postal system or for online content.

💡 * J'ai posté ta carte d'anniversaire ce matin. (I posted your birthday card this morning.)

• N'oublie pas de poster le colis avant 17h. (Don't forget to mail the package before 5 PM.)
• Elle aime poster des photos de ses vacances sur Facebook. (She likes to post photos of her vacation on Facebook.)
• Il a posté un commentaire intéressant sur l'article. (He posted an interesting comment on the article.)

The 'to transmit' information – transmettre

The verb for 'to transmit' information – transmettre

Transmettre is a versatile French verb that means 'to transmit,' 'to pass on,' 'to convey,' or 'to forward.' It's used when talking about passing something from one person or entity to another, whether it's information, knowledge, a disease, or a message.

As an irregular -re verb, transmettre follows the same conjugation pattern as mettre (to put). Key forms include je transmets (I transmit), nous transmettons (we transmit), and the past participle transmis, which is used with the auxiliary verb avoir.

You can use transmettre in various contexts, such as to transmettre un message (pass on a message), transmettre des connaissances (pass on knowledge), or in a medical context, to transmettre une maladie (transmit a disease).

💡 * Le professeur transmet sa passion pour l'histoire à ses élèves. (The teacher transmits his passion for history to his students.)

• Veuillez transmettre ce document à votre manager. (Please forward this document to your manager.)
• La grippe se transmet par contact direct. (The flu is transmitted by direct contact.)
• Elle m'a transmis les coordonnées de son ami. (She passed on her friend's contact details to me.)

The formal 'to have something delivered' – faire parvenir

When you need to express the idea of sending or delivering something in a formal context, the French phrase faire parvenir is the perfect choice.

Faire parvenir literally translates to 'to make arrive' and is used to mean 'to send,' 'to forward,' or 'to ensure something is delivered.' It carries a more official and formal tone than the common verb envoyer (to send).

This expression is almost exclusively used in professional, administrative, or business contexts. It adds a layer of formality and seriousness to the action of sending something.

The structure is faire parvenir quelque chose à quelqu'un (to send something to someone). It is a causative construction, which emphasizes that you are causing the item to arrive at its destination.

Use faire parvenir in formal written communication, such as emails to a company, official applications, or legal correspondence, to sound professional and precise.

💡 * Veuillez nous faire parvenir le contrat signé dès que possible. (Please send us the signed contract as soon as possible.)

• Je vous fais parvenir ci-joint les documents demandés. (I am sending you the requested documents attached.)
• Il faut faire parvenir votre candidature au service des ressources humaines. (You must send your application to the human resources department.)

The 'to address' or 'to direct' – adresser

The French verb adresser primarily means "to address" or "to direct." It's a versatile verb that covers everything from the literal act of putting an address on a letter to the more formal act of speaking to a person or group.

The most common and literal meaning of adresser is related to mail. When you adresse une lettre, you are writing the destination address on it. This extends to directing anything towards a specific recipient, such as adresser des félicitations (to send congratulations) or adresser une demande (to submit a request).

The reflexive form, s'adresser à quelqu'un, is crucial. It means "to address someone" or "to speak to someone," but carries a more formal tone than the simple parler à (to talk to). It implies a direct, purposeful communication, like a citizen addressing an official or a speaker addressing an audience.

Remember the nuance: use parler à for a casual chat with a friend, but use s'adresser à when you need to formally speak to a person in authority or a specific group to ask a question or make a statement. The choice of verb signals the level of formality.

💡 J'ai bien adressé le colis à votre bureau.
Le PDG s'adressera aux employés demain matin.
À qui dois-je m'adresser pour une réclamation ?
Elle m'a adressé un regard sévère.

The 'to dispatch' with urgency – dépêcher

The verb dépêcher primarily means 'to dispatch' or 'to send out,' but it carries a strong sense of urgency and haste. It's often used in situations where speed is critical, such as sending for help or delivering an important message. Think of it as a more intense version of envoyer (to send).

More commonly, you will encounter the reflexive form, se dépêcher, which translates to 'to hurry' or 'to rush.' This is a very frequent expression in everyday French. When you tell someone to Dépêche-toi !, you're telling them to 'Hurry up!'

The key difference lies in the action's target. You dépêcher someone or something (dispatching them), but you se dépêcher yourself (making yourself hurry). The non-reflexive form is more formal, while the reflexive form is used constantly in daily conversation.

💡 * On a dépêché une ambulance sur les lieux de l'accident. (An ambulance was dispatched to the scene of the accident.)

• Dépêche-toi, le train part dans cinq minutes ! (Hurry up, the train leaves in five minutes!)
• Il faut se dépêcher si nous voulons arriver à l'heure. (We must hurry if we want to arrive on time.)
• Le général a dépêché son meilleur soldat en reconnaissance. (The general dispatched his best soldier on a reconnaissance mission.)

The 'to launch' or 'to send out' – lancer

The verb lancer is the primary French equivalent for 'to launch,' 'to throw,' or 'to send out.' Its meaning is very broad, covering both the physical act of throwing something and the figurative act of starting an initiative.

In its most literal sense, lancer refers to propelling an object with force. You can use it for sports, like lancer un ballon (to throw a ball), or for more significant actions, such as lancer une fusée (to launch a rocket).

Lancer is extremely common in the business world and for projects. It's used to describe the initiation of a new product, service, or campaign. For instance, lancer un nouveau produit means 'to launch a new product,' and lancer une invitation means 'to send out an invitation.'

The reflexive form, se lancer, translates to 'to get into,' 'to embark on,' or 'to take the plunge.' It implies starting a significant new activity or venture, often with a degree of risk or commitment, like se lancer en affaires (to go into business).

💡 * La NASA va lancer une nouvelle mission vers Mars.

• Elle a lancé un regard noir à son adversaire.
• Nous allons lancer une campagne de marketing la semaine prochaine.
• Après des années d'hésitation, il a décidé de se lancer et d'ouvrir son propre restaurant.

The Verb for 'to emit' or 'to issue': émettre

The French verb émettre is a versatile verb that translates to "to emit," "to issue," or "to broadcast." It is derived from the common verb mettre (to put/place), with the prefix é- (meaning "out"). So, you can literally think of it as "to put out."

Émettre is an irregular verb, but its conjugation is simple if you already know the verb mettre, as it follows the exact same pattern. For example, in the present tense: j'émets, tu émets, il/elle émet, nous émettons, vous émettez, ils/elles émettent. Its passé composé is formed using the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle émis.

One of the most common uses of émettre is for physical emissions. This can refer to a device emitting light or sound, a factory emitting pollutants, or a volcano emitting ash. It covers anything that is physically sent out or released into the environment.

In more abstract, formal, or business contexts, émettre means "to issue." This includes issuing an opinion (émettre un avis), a warning (émettre un avertissement), a financial stock (émettre des actions), or an invoice (émettre une facture). It is also the standard verb for broadcasting a radio or television program.

💡 * La radio a émis un avertissement de tempête. (The radio issued a storm warning.)

• Cette usine émet trop de gaz à effet de serre. (This factory emits too many greenhouse gases.)
• Le juge a émis un jugement en faveur du plaignant. (The judge issued a judgment in favor of the plaintiff.)
• La société va émettre de nouvelles actions pour financer son expansion. (The company will issue new shares to finance its expansion.)

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

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

Our guide covers the most essential verbs for 'to send' in French, like envoyer and expédier. However, French is a rich language with many other terms, including specific jargon for different industries, evolving slang, and subtle variations you'll pick up over time.

To deepen your understanding, try searching online for specific contexts, like “comment dire 'to send an email' en français” or “comment dire 'to forward a message'.” This will reveal more specialized vocabulary.

You might discover interesting synonyms for envoyer this way. Remember to always check a word’s definition and observe its use in context. For example, the verb you use for sending a package might be different from the one for sending your best wishes.

As you read French emails, watch French-language shows, or listen to native speakers, pay close attention to the verbs they use for sending things. This is the best way to grasp the subtle differences and sound more natural.

And if you're looking for more examples or related expressions, online dictionaries are a fantastic resource. The Larousse or WordReference entries for envoyer are great starting points to explore its many uses.

I hope this guide has helped clarify the different ways to say 'to send' in French. Mastering these verbs is a key step in becoming a more precise and effective communicator, whether you're sending a postcard or an important email. Bonne continuation! (Happy continuation!)