The verb montrer is probably the first word you learned for "to show" in French, and it's a great, all-purpose verb. But what if you want to say you're demonstrating something, pointing out a detail, or revealing a secret?

The French language, rich in nuance, offers a variety of verbs to express these specific shades of meaning. Learning these alternatives will not only expand your vocabulary but also make your French sound more precise and natural.

Let's dive into nine different ways to say "to show" and see how you can bring more color to your conversations!

2. The standard 'to show' – Montrer

The most direct and widely used verb for 'to show' in French is montrer. It's the equivalent of physically presenting or pointing something out for someone to see. If you need a reliable, all-purpose verb for 'to show', this is it.

The key structure to remember is montrer quelque chose à quelqu'un (to show something to someone). The person being shown something is the indirect object. For example, Je montre mon passeport à l'agent means 'I show my passport to the agent'. With pronouns, this becomes Je lui montre mon passeport ('I show him/her my passport').

Beyond the literal sense, montrer is also used figuratively to mean 'to exhibit' or 'to display' a quality, emotion, or intention. You can montrer du courage (show courage), montrer de l'intérêt (show interest), or montrer le bon exemple (set a good example).

A major advantage for learners is that montrer is a regular -er verb. It conjugates just like common verbs such as parler (to speak). For the present tense, it follows the pattern: je montre, tu montres, il/elle montre, nous montrons, vous montrez, ils/elles montrent.

Don't confuse montrer with démontrer. While both can be translated as 'to show', démontrer specifically means 'to demonstrate' or 'to prove' through logic or evidence, as in démontrer un théorème (to prove a theorem).

💡 * Montre-moi la photo que tu as prise.

• Le professeur a montré la bonne réponse au tableau.
• Il a montré beaucoup de détermination pour réussir.
• Pouvez-vous me montrer le chemin vers la gare, s'il vous plaît ?
• Elle n'aime pas montrer ses émotions en public.

The 'to present' or 'to introduce' – Présenter

In French, the verb présenter is a versatile and essential regular '-er' verb. It primarily translates to both “to present” and “to introduce,” and understanding the context is key to using it correctly.

One of the most common uses of présenter is for introducing people. The structure is présenter quelqu'un à quelqu'un (to introduce someone to someone). For example, you would say, « Je te présente mon ami, Paul. » (I introduce my friend, Paul, to you.)

The verb also means “to present” in the sense of showing or offering something, like a document, a project, or an idea. For instance, « L'architecte présente les plans de la nouvelle maison. » (The architect presents the plans for the new house.)

When used reflexively as se présenter, the meaning changes. It can mean “to introduce oneself” (« Bonjour, je me présente, je suis le nouveau directeur. » - Hello, I introduce myself, I am the new director). It can also mean “to show up,” “to appear,” or “to arise,” as in « Une occasion s'est présentée. » (An opportunity arose.)

Présenter is also used in more formal or specific contexts, such as presenting one's resignation (présenter sa démission), offering condolences (présenter ses condoléances), or even hosting a TV show (présenter le journal télévisé).

💡 * Je vais vous présenter ma famille.

• L'élève doit présenter son exposé demain.
• Permettez-moi de me présenter : je m'appelle Hélène.
• Il a présenté sa démission ce matin.
• Le candidat a bien présenté ses arguments lors du débat.

The 'to demonstrate' or 'to prove' – Démontrer

The French verb démontrer is a precise and common verb that directly translates to 'to demonstrate,' 'to show,' or 'to prove.' It is used in contexts that require showing evidence, providing a logical argument, or giving a practical exhibition.

The most frequent use of démontrer is 'to demonstrate' in the sense of showing how something works. This is common for product demonstrations, instructional guides, or scientific experiments where a process is shown. For example, Le chef démontre la technique pour couper les légumes. (The chef demonstrates the technique for cutting vegetables.)

In a more formal or intellectual context, démontrer means 'to prove.' It implies using facts, evidence, or a logical sequence to establish that something is true. You'll often see this verb in scientific papers, mathematical proofs, or legal arguments.

As a regular -er verb, conjugating démontrer is straightforward. It is a transitive verb, typically followed by a direct object (démontrer quelque chose) or a subordinate clause introduced by que (démontrer que...).

While démontrer and prouver can both mean 'to prove,' démontrer often emphasizes the process of showing the proof, step-by-step. Prouver is more about simply establishing the final fact. You démontrer a theorem by showing the steps, but you prouver someone's guilt with a final piece of evidence.

💡 * Le scientifique a démontré sa théorie avec des données claires.

• Pouvez-vous me démontrer comment utiliser ce logiciel ?
• Les faits démontrent qu'il avait raison depuis le début.
• Elle a démontré un grand courage face à l'adversité.

The 'to indicate' or 'to point out' – Indiquer

Indiquer is the direct French equivalent of 'to indicate.' It's a versatile verb used when you want 'to show,' 'to point out,' or 'to give information' about something.

You'll frequently encounter indiquer in contexts like asking for or giving directions, pointing to a specific item or location, or when a sign or data provides information. For example, a road sign indicates the speed limit.

The verb indiquer is a regular -er verb, which means its conjugation follows a predictable pattern. The common structure is indiquer quelque chose à quelqu'un (to indicate something to someone). The preposition à is used to introduce the person receiving the information.

💡 * Pourriez-vous m'indiquer le chemin pour la tour Eiffel ? (Could you show me the way to the Eiffel Tower?)

• Le guide a indiqué les monuments importants sur la carte. (The guide pointed out the important monuments on the map.)
• Ce panneau indique un danger. (This sign indicates a danger.)
• Je lui ai indiqué l'heure de notre rendez-vous. (I told him/her the time of our meeting.)

The 'to exhibit' or 'to display' – Exposer

The French verb exposer primarily translates to 'to exhibit,' 'to display,' or 'to show.' It's a versatile word used in various contexts, from art galleries to everyday situations.

Its most common use is in the context of art or commerce. A museum expose des peintures (exhibits paintings), and a shop expose des produits en vitrine (displays products in the window).

Exposer also means 'to expose' in the sense of revealing or laying bare something that was hidden. For example, a journalist can exposer un scandale (expose a scandal) or exposer les faits (lay out the facts).

A crucial meaning is to expose someone or something to a risk or danger. You can exposer sa peau au soleil (expose your skin to the sun). The reflexive form, s'exposer à, means 'to expose oneself to,' as in s'exposer à un danger (to expose oneself to danger).

Exposer is a regular -er verb, making its conjugation straightforward. The key to mastering it is understanding the context to grasp which of its main meanings is being used.

💡 * Le musée du Louvre expose la Joconde. (The Louvre Museum exhibits the Mona Lisa.)

• Le vendeur expose les plus beaux fruits à l'entrée du magasin. (The vendor displays the most beautiful fruits at the store entrance.)
• Cet article expose les risques liés au tabagisme. (This article exposes the risks associated with smoking.)
• Ne t'expose pas au soleil sans crème solaire ! (Don't expose yourself to the sun without sunscreen!)
• Il a exposé son plan à toute l'équipe. (He laid out his plan to the whole team.)

The 'to make see' or 'to let see' – Faire voir

The French expression faire voir literally translates to 'to make see.' In practice, it's a common causative construction used to mean 'to show' or 'to let see.' It's a versatile phrase you'll hear frequently in everyday conversation when someone wants to see something or is offering to show something.

The structure is simple: the verb faire is conjugated according to the subject and tense, while voir remains in the infinitive. The person being shown something is indicated with an indirect object pronoun (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur) placed before faire. For example, Il **me** fait voir son nouveau téléphone (He shows me his new phone).

One of the most frequent uses of faire voir is in the imperative form to mean 'Let me see!' or 'Show me!' In this context, it's often shortened to just Fais voir !. This is a direct but common way to ask someone to show you what they have or what they're looking at.

While faire voir is very common, the verb montrer (to show) is a direct and often more standard synonym. For example, Montre-moi tes dessins and Fais-moi voir tes dessins both mean 'Show me your drawings.' Montrer can sometimes feel slightly more formal or neutral, but both are used extensively in spoken French.

💡 * Fais voir ce que tu as acheté ! (Let me see what you bought!)

• Je vais te faire voir la photo. (I'm going to show you the photo.)
• Il nous a fait voir sa nouvelle voiture. (He showed us his new car.)
• Fais voir... Ah oui, je comprends maintenant. (Let me see... Ah yes, I understand now.)

1. The Verb for 'to reveal': Révéler

The French verb révéler is the direct equivalent of 'to reveal' or 'to unveil.' It is primarily used when talking about making something known that was previously secret, hidden, or unknown.

You can use révéler in various contexts, such as disclosing information (révéler un secret), uncovering facts (révéler la vérité), or even in a more figurative sense, like when a photo develops and reveals an image (la photo révèle le paysage).

Révéler is a regular -er verb, which means it follows the standard conjugation pattern for this group. For instance, in the passé composé, it uses the auxiliary verb avoir: J'ai révélé mon plan (I revealed my plan).

💡 * L'enquête a révélé des faits surprenants. (The investigation revealed surprising facts.)

• Il a refusé de révéler ses sources au journaliste. (He refused to reveal his sources to the journalist.)
• Le photographe a révélé le talent caché du modèle. (The photographer revealed the model's hidden talent.)
• Elle a finalement révélé la vérité à ses parents. (She finally revealed the truth to her parents.)

The 'to manifest' or 'to express' (feelings) – Manifester

The verb manifester is a versatile French verb that translates to 'to show,' 'to express,' or 'to manifest.' It's used to describe the action of making something, like a feeling or an opinion, clearly visible or known.

Its most common usage is for expressing feelings, opinions, or intentions in a deliberate way. You can manifester de la joie (show joy) or manifester son désaccord (express disagreement). It's slightly more formal than the verb montrer (to show).

Crucially, manifester also means 'to demonstrate' or 'to protest,' particularly in a political or social context. This is an extremely common usage in news and daily conversation in France. The related noun, une manifestation (or the colloquial une manif), means 'a protest' or 'a demonstration'.

💡 * Il a manifesté sa joie en apprenant la nouvelle. (He showed his joy upon hearing the news.)

• Elle a clairement manifesté son intention de rester. (She clearly expressed her intention to stay.)
• Les étudiants vont manifester demain contre la hausse des frais de scolarité. (The students are going to demonstrate tomorrow against the tuition fee increase.)
• Les agriculteurs manifestent pour obtenir de meilleures conditions. (The farmers are protesting to get better conditions.)

1. The Verb for 'To Display' or 'To Post': Afficher

The French verb afficher is a versatile and common verb that translates to 'to display,' 'to show,' or 'to post.' Its core meaning revolves around making something visible to an audience, whether on a physical surface or a digital screen.

You will encounter afficher in many contexts. A shop might afficher its prices, a train station affiche departure times, and a website affiche information. In a modern context, it's also very frequently used to mean 'to post' something online, such as a comment or a photo on social media.

One of the best things about afficher is that it's a regular -er verb. This means it follows the standard conjugation pattern, making it easy to learn and use in different tenses. For example, in the present tense: j'affiche, tu affiches, il/elle/on affiche, nous affichons, vous affichez, ils/elles affichent.

While both can mean 'to show,' afficher implies a more public, official, or impersonal display. You would use montrer to show a friend a photo in your wallet, but a gallery would afficher a painting on its wall. Afficher is for broadcasting information, while montrer is for presenting it to someone specific.

💡 * Le magasin doit afficher les prix de tous les articles.

• Mon ordinateur n'arrête pas d'afficher des messages d'erreur.
• Elle a affiché sa joie sur son visage toute la journée.
• Les résultats de l'examen seront affichés sur le panneau demain.

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

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

Our list features the most common ways to say “to show” in French, from the directness of montrer to the subtlety of indiquer. However, French is a language full of nuance, and there are always more specific, idiomatic, or even slang terms to discover.

You can also do an online search for “synonyme de montrer” followed by a specific context, like “un sentiment” (a feeling) or “un document” (a document), to find more precise verbs.

When you encounter a new synonym, always try to see it used in context. Understanding the situation in which a word is used is just as important as knowing its definition, especially with verbs that have similar meanings.

Pay attention as you watch, read, and listen to French media. You'll start to notice how native speakers choose different verbs to show things, and this will help you develop a more natural instinct for the language.

For a deeper dive into the various meanings and related expressions, the WordReference entry for montrer is an excellent resource. The user forums often contain detailed discussions about specific use cases.

I hope this article has helped show you the way. To conclude, here is a fitting French proverb that emphasizes the importance of showing over telling: Les actes en disent plus long que les mots. (Actions speak louder than words.)