Skip to content

cultiver

to cultivate, to grow

verb kool-tee-VEH Rare

Origin: Latin cultivare

Also means

to develop, to foster

Usage Note

Cultiver covers both farming (cultiver la terre, to work the land) and figurative growth (cultiver une amitié, to nurture a friendship). The reflexive se cultiver means to broaden one's mind or education, a usage common in everyday French conversation.

Examples

"Ils cultivent des légumes dans leur jardin."

Natural Translation

They grow vegetables in their garden.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic