French · Emotions & Descriptions
"Hope" in French: espoir
l'espoir
Hope as a noun in French is l'espoir, masculine. Say garder espoir to keep hope, and plein d'espoir for hopeful. The verb to hope is espérer.
Tough news
Il faut garder l'espoir malgré tout.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce espoir
Say it
les-pwahr
/l‿ɛs.pwaʁ/
les-pwahr. Elision on l'; oi like wa; soft final r.
"Hope" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| l'espoir | hope Noun. | Noun. |
| garder espoir | to keep hope Encouragement. | Encouragement. |
| plein d'espoir | full of hope Feeling. | Feeling. |
| un espoir | a hope / a chance Indefinite. | Indefinite. |
How to use espoir in real life
- 1Tough news
Il faut garder l'espoir malgré tout.
We have to keep hope despite everything.
L'espoir.
- 2Sports fans
Il reste un espoir de qualification.
There's still a hope of qualifying.
Un espoir.
- 3Personal pep talk
Je suis plein d'espoir pour demain.
I'm full of hope for tomorrow.
Plein d'espoir.
Mistakes English speakers make with espoir
Incorrect: La espoir.
Correct: L'espoir.
Masculine with elision: l'espoir.
Incorrect: J'espoir que…
Correct: J'espère que…
The verb is espérer; espoir is the noun.
Good to know
L'espoir fait vivre is a classic saying. News and sports commentary use un espoir for a slim chance. Don't confuse the noun with j'espère.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Waiting for exam results
ChatPal
Tu gardes l'espoir pour la note ?
Are you keeping hope for the grade?
You
Oui, l'espoir est encore là.
Yes, hope is still there.
ChatPal
Moi aussi j'ai de l'espoir pour toi.
I have hope for you too.
You
Merci, ça me tient.
Thanks—that keeps me going.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Hope" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Hope" in French
How do you say hope (noun) in French?
L'espoir.
How do I say to hope?
Espérer—j'espère que…
What does garder espoir mean?
To keep hope.
Is espoir masculine?
Yes.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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