Skip to content

sourire

smile

verb noun soo-REER Less Common

Usage Note

Sourire works as both a verb ('to smile') and a masculine noun (un sourire, 'a smile'). The expression garder le sourire ('to keep smiling') is used to mean staying positive despite difficulty. As a verb it is intransitive and does not take a direct object.

Examples

"Elle lui sourit tendrement."

Natural Translation

She smiled at him tenderly.

Literal Translation

She to-him smiles tenderly

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