French word

chanter

Pronunciation

IPA/ʃɑ̃te/

Meaning

  • verbsing

Example

Je chante une chanson.

I sing a song.

Illustration for chanter (sing)

More examples

Elle chante bien sous la douche.

She sings nicely in the shower.

Core concept

A voice shapes a flowing line of notes into a melody, whether from a person or a bird.

Common phrases

  • chanter une chanson

    sing a song

  • chanter bien

    sing nicely

Similar words

fredonner: To hum a melody with the mouth closed or without clear lyrics.
chantonner: To softly murmur fragments of a song's lyrics.

Definition in French

Émettre avec la voix une mélodie ou un air, que ce soit pour chanter une chanson ou simplement produire un chant; le verbe s'applique aussi au chant d'animaux comme les oiseaux.

Word origin

French chanter comes from Latin cantare, a form of canere, meaning 'to sing', through Old French.

Usage tips

  • In the present tense, je chante has a silent final e, while the infinitive chanter ends with an 'ay' sound.

Other meanings

  • chirpverb
  • humverb

Opposites

  • se tairekeep quietverb

Related words

  • chanteursingernoun
  • chanteusefemale singernoun
  • chantantlivelyadjective

Word lists with this word