Animal actions in French vocabulary, featuring common verbs and phrases to describe what animals do in everyday life.

In this lesson, we will explore common French verbs and phrases used to describe actions performed by animals. Understanding these action words will help you talk about animal behavior more naturally and build your French vocabulary.

Common Animal Actions

Here are some of the most common actions that animals perform, along with example sentences to see them in context.

French Verb	English Verb	French Example	English Example
marcher	to walk	L’éléphant marche lentement.	The elephant walks slowly.
courir	to run	Le lapin court vite.	The rabbit runs fast.
sauter	to jump	La grenouille saute loin.	The frog jumps far.
voler	to fly	L’oiseau vole haut.	The bird flies high.
nager	to swim	Le poisson nage dans l’eau.	The fish swims in the water.
grimper	to climb	Le singe grimpe aux arbres.	The monkey climbs trees.
dormir	to sleep	Le chat dort toute la journée.	The cat sleeps all day.
manger	to eat	Le chien mange sa nourriture.	The dog eats its food.
boire	to drink	La vache boit de l’eau.	The cow drinks water.
miauler	to meow	Le chat miaule la nuit.	The cat meows at night.

More Specific Animal Actions

Animals can do many unique things depending on their species. Here are some more specialized actions.

French Verb	English Verb	French Example	English Example
rugir	to roar	Le lion rugit dans la savane.	The lion roars in the savannah.
siffler	to whistle	L’oiseau siffle le matin.	The bird whistles in the morning.
griffer	to scratch	Le chat peut griffer fort.	The cat can scratch hard.
se cacher	to hide	Le caméléon se cache dans les feuilles.	The chameleon hides in the leaves.
bâiller	to yawn	Le singe bâille quand il est fatigué.	The monkey yawns when it’s tired.
creuser	to dig	Le chien creuse un trou.	The dog digs a hole.
tisser	to weave	L’araignée tisse sa toile.	The spider weaves its web.
bondir	to leap	Le kangourou bondit haut.	The kangaroo leaps high.
chevaucher	to ride	Les dauphins semblent chevaucher les vagues.	Dolphins seem to ride the waves.
miauler	to meow	Le chat miaule pour avoir faim.	The cat meows to ask for food.

El perro ____ un agujero.

What is the French verb for 'to dig'?

griffer

creuser

bondir

chevaucher

creuser

'Creuser' means 'to dig' in French. 'Griffer' is 'to scratch', 'bondir' is 'to leap', and 'chevaucher' is 'to ride'.

Reflexive Animal Actions

Some animal actions in French use reflexive verbs to describe what the animal does to itself.

French Verb	English Verb	French Example	English Example
se laver	to wash oneself	Le chat se lave avec sa langue.	The cat washes itself with its tongue.
se gratter	to scratch oneself	Le chien se gratte derrière l’oreille.	The dog scratches itself behind the ear.
se cacher	to hide oneself	Le lapin se cache sous un buisson.	The rabbit hides under a bush.
se reposer	to rest	L’ours se repose dans sa caverne.	The bear rests in its cave.
se déplacer	to move oneself	Le serpent se déplace en rampant.	The snake moves by slithering.
se lever	to get up	L’aigle se lève tôt le matin.	The eagle gets up early in the morning.
se blottir	to snuggle	Le chiot se blottit contre sa mère.	The puppy snuggles against its mother.
se faufiler	to sneak	Le chat se faufile silencieusement.	The cat sneaks quietly.
se toiletter	to groom oneself	Le cheval se toilette avant la course.	The horse grooms itself before the race.
s’envoler	to fly away	Le pigeon s’envole rapidement.	The pigeon flies away quickly.

Comparing Animal and Human Actions

Some animal actions are similar to human actions. Here are common verbs used for both, with animal-specific context.

French Verb	English Verb	French Example	English Example
dormir	to sleep	Le bébé dort, et le chat aussi.	The baby sleeps, and so does the cat.
manger	to eat	L’enfant mange, et le chien aussi.	The child eats, and so does the dog.
boire	to drink	Je bois de l’eau, le cheval aussi.	I drink water, and so does the horse.
se laver	to wash oneself	Je me lave les mains, le chat se lave le visage.	I wash my hands, the cat washes its face.
courir	to run	L’homme court, et le lapin aussi.	The man runs, and so does the rabbit.
grimper	to climb	L’enfant grimpe, le singe aussi.	The child climbs, and so does the monkey.
s’étirer	to stretch	Le joggeur s’étire, le chat aussi.	The jogger stretches, and so does the cat.
écouter	to listen	Je t’écoute, l’éléphant aussi.	I listen to you, and so does the elephant.
sauter	to jump	Le garçon saute, la grenouille aussi.	The boy jumps, and so does the frog.
pleurer	to cry	Le bébé pleure, certains animaux font aussi des sons tristes.	The baby cries, some animals also make sad sounds.

Describing Animal Behavior

Use these verbs and phrases to describe more general animal behavior or moods.

French Phrase	English Phrase	French Example	English Example
faire du bruit	to make noise	Les oiseaux font du bruit au matin.	The birds make noise in the morning.
jouer	to play	Les chiens aiment jouer dans le parc.	Dogs love to play in the park.
être calme	to be calm	Le poisson est calme dans son aquarium.	The fish is calm in its aquarium.
être agressif	to be aggressive	Le chien est agressif envers les inconnus.	The dog is aggressive towards strangers.
se déplacer en groupe	to move in a group	Les dauphins se déplacent en groupe.	Dolphins move in groups.
surveiller	to watch / keep an eye on	La chatte surveille ses petits.	The cat watches over her kittens.
bondir sur	to pounce on	Le chat bondit sur la souris.	The cat pounces on the mouse.
se sentir	to feel	L’oiseau se sent en sécurité dans son nid.	The bird feels safe in its nest.
émettre un son	to make a sound	Le hibou émet un son la nuit.	The owl makes a sound at night.
creuser un trou	to dig a hole	Le blaireau creuse un long trou.	The badger digs a long hole.

Understanding these animal action verbs will help you describe what animals are doing around you in French. Keep practicing by observing animals and using these verbs in your own sentences!

Los pájaros ____ por la mañana.

What does the phrase 'faire du bruit' mean?

to be quiet

to make noise

to sing

to sleep

to make noise

'Faire du bruit' means 'to make noise'. It describes animals (and people) being loud or noisy.

Flashcards (1 of 50)

English Verb: to walk
English Example: The elephant walks slowly.

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Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025