Vocabulaire : Speaking
Dans cet article, tu trouveras l’ensemble du vocabulaire autour du thème « Speaking ».
Cet article te sera très très utile pour tes versions et thèmes cette année et pour les concours.
English Verb | Translation | Explanation/reformulation |
1. Façon de parler / articuler | ||
Utter | Prononcer / dire | = use of the voice |
Whisper | Chuchoter / murmurer | = can be secret or affectionate or both |
Murmur | murmurer | |
Mumble | Marmonner / bafouiller / dire entre les dents | = to speak indistinctly |
Drawl | Parler d’une voix traînante | = to speak slowly and not very clearly |
Slur one’s words | Manger ses mots / mal articuler | = to speak indistinctly, often after alcohol |
Rattle off one’s words | Débiter / énumérer | = to speak very quickly and effortlessly |
Stammer | Bégayer / balbutier
| = to speak shyly, repeating words or syllables |
Stutter | ||
Lisp / Have a lisp | Parler avec un cheveu sur la langue / zozoter | = people who lisp can’t say ‘s/z’ properly |
Babble | Babiller / gaziller (bébé) Bredouiller (adulte) | = to speak too quickly and in a confused way |
Gabble | = the same as ‘babble’, but not for babies | |
Prattle | Jacasser / blablater / papoter / bredouiller | = to talk rapidly about uninteresting subjects |
Jabber | ||
Gibber | Dire n’importe quoi[1] | = to talk rubbish |
Quaver | Chevroter / trembler | = to speak in an unsteady voice |
Have a lilt | Parler de manière chantante | = to speak in a singing/singsong way |
2. Conversation | ||
Discuss | Débattre / discuter | = neutral (not like « contester ») |
State | Déclarer / affirmer | = idea of clarity and precision |
Argue | soutenir | = implies conviction, defending a cause !! to argue with sbdy = se disputer |
Debate | Débattre / discuter | = often a formal, public discussion |
Remark | Faire remarquer | = to call attention to something |
Comment on/upon | Commenter | |
Chat | Bavarder / Tchatter (net) | = to talk in a light and easy way |
Chatter | Bavarder / papoter | = to chat + idea of rapid, incessant talk |
Make small talk[2] | Causer de tout et de rien Bavarder / papoter | = to talk about unimportant things |
Natter | ||
Gossip | Cancaner / se raconter des potins | = to talk about the private affairs of others, often unkind[3] |
Blab | Vendre la mèche | = to disclose a secret |
Blurt sthg out | Laisser échapper / lâcher | = to say a secret without thinking |
3. Attitude | ||
Mutter | Marmonner / grommeler / ronchonner | = to complain in a low voice, often speaking to oneself |
Grumble | Rouspéter / ronchonner | = to complain in a bad-tempered way |
Growl | Grogner / bougonner | = to speak in a low and angry voice |
Bark | aboyer | = to shout at sbdy / to give orders aggressively |
Snarl | Grogner / gronder | = to speak in an unpleasant tone of voice, out of bad temper or aggressiveness |
Snort | Pouffer de rire / pousser un grognement de mépris | = to speak while making a noise with one’s nose |
Yap | Japper / jacasser / caqueter | = to talk endlessly, in an annoying way |
Rave | Délirer (péjoratif) s’extasier sur | = to talk in an excited, uncontrolled way |
Ramble on | Divaguer / blablater / blablater | = to go/talk on and on for ages in a disordered, boring way |
Drone on | ||
Talk drivel | Raconter des balivernes | = to talk nonsense |
4. Cris | ||
Cry | Appeler / crier | = to call out in a loud voice |
Cry out | S’écrier / crier | |
Shout | Crier / hurler | = to cry but implies words not just sounds |
Yell | Crier / hurler | = to cry / cry out (un peu familier) |
Scream | Crier / hurler | = very shrill, piercing sound |
Shriek | Crier / hurler | = even more piercing ! |
Screech | Pousser un cri strident | = to shriek in a prolonged way |
Squeal | Couiner / pousser un cri aigu | = to cry out in a shrill way, like a pig (can be out of excitement or pain/fear) |
Yelp | Crier / Japper (chien) | = to give a short cry of fear or pain |
Roar | Hurler / rugir / Gronder / tonner / crier | = to shout sthg in a loud, angry voice |
Thunder | ||
Howl | Hurler | = to produce long, loud cries of anger, pain or unhappiness, like a wolf[4] |
Wail | Gémir / Brailler / Pleurer | = to cry out of grief (long and drawn-out[5]) |
Bawl | ||
Bellow | brailler | = to shout in a deep, hollow[6] voice |
Cheer | Pousser des cris d’encouragament | = to make sounds of encouragement or approval |
Whoop | Crier de joie | = to make sounds of triumph |
II Ways of looking
[1] Gibberish (Unc) = charabia
[2] Un joli synonyme de « small talk » = « tittle-tattle »
[3] The only verb grammatically considered as « feminine » in English (apart from the phrasal verbs « to shop for hours » and « to ring your friend as soon as you get home after spending the day with them », « to go to the toilet together in bars and restaurants for no apparent reason »)
[4] A wolf = loup
[5] Drawn-out = qui n’en finit pas / laborieux
[6] Hollow = creux
