In this article, we will explore how to say “attack” in French. Understanding different ways to express the same idea in another language is important for improving communication. Whether you’re a beginner or just want to expand your French vocabulary, learning how to use the word “attack” in various contexts can be very helpful. It can also make your conversations sound more natural.
We will cover several ways to say “attack” in French, and look at some examples to help you understand when to use them. By the end, you’ll be able to use these expressions confidently, whether you’re talking about sports, history, or a simple discussion. Let’s dive in and learn how to say “attack” in French!
Ways to Say “Attack” in French
In French, there are several ways to say “attack,” depending on the context. Here are some of the most common phrases and their meanings:
1. Attaquer (ah-tah-kay)
Applicable for: General use
Meaning: This is the most common verb used for “to attack.” It can be used in various contexts, such as physical, verbal, or strategic attacks.
In a Sentence:
- “Le chien a attaqué le voleur.” (The dog attacked the thief.)
- “Il a attaqué son adversaire lors du match.” (He attacked his opponent during the match.)
2. Assaillir (ah-sah-yee)
Applicable for: Formal or intense situations
Meaning: This verb is used when something or someone is attacked suddenly and violently. It is more formal than “attaquer.”
In a Sentence:
- “Les soldats ont assailli la ville pendant la nuit.” (The soldiers attacked the city during the night.)
- “Un vent fort assaille la côte.” (A strong wind is attacking the coast.)
3. Frapper (frah-pay)
Applicable for: Physical attacks
Meaning: This verb means “to strike” or “to hit.” It is often used when describing physical attacks.
In a Sentence:
- “Il a frappé son ami accidentellement.” (He accidentally attacked his friend.)
- “L’ennemi a frappé fort.” (The enemy struck hard.)
4. Agressé (ah-greh-say)
Applicable for: Violent physical or verbal attack
Meaning: This is often used to describe an assault or an attack that is aggressive in nature. It can also refer to verbal aggression.
In a Sentence:
- “Elle a été agressée dans la rue.” (She was attacked on the street.)
- “Il a été agressé par des commentaires méchants.” (He was attacked by nasty comments.)
5. Attaque (ah-tahk)
Applicable for: Noun use (an attack)
Meaning: This is the noun form of “attack,” referring to the act of attacking or the actual attack.
In a Sentence:
- “L’attaque a eu lieu à minuit.” (The attack took place at midnight.)
- “L’attaque a été repoussée.” (The attack was repelled.)
6. Offensive (oh-fahn-see-vuh)
Applicable for: Military or strategic attack
Meaning: This term is used for a large-scale or organized attack, often in a military context.
In a Sentence:
- “L’offensive a commencé à l’aube.” (The offensive began at dawn.)
- “Les troupes ont lancé une offensive contre l’ennemi.” (The troops launched an attack against the enemy.)
7. Invader (een-vah-day)
Applicable for: To attack in a way that involves invasion
Meaning: This verb means “to invade,” and it’s used in contexts where an attack involves taking over territory.
In a Sentence:
- “Les barbares ont envahi la ville.” (The barbarians invaded the city.)
- “Le pays a été envahi par des forces étrangères.” (The country was invaded by foreign forces.)
8. Déclencher (day-klahn-shay)
Applicable for: To trigger or start an attack
Meaning: This verb means “to trigger” or “to set off,” and it is often used when an attack is started by an event or action.
In a Sentence:
- “Le soldat a déclenché l’attaque.” (The soldier triggered the attack.)
- “Un incident a déclenché une série d’attaques.” (An incident triggered a series of attacks.)
9. S’attaquer (sah-tah-kay)
Applicable for: To attack someone or something
Meaning: This is the reflexive form of “attaquer,” used when talking about attacking someone specifically.
In a Sentence:
- “Il s’attaque toujours aux plus faibles.” (He always attacks the weaker ones.)
- “Elle s’attaque à des problèmes complexes.” (She tackles complex problems.)
10. Bombarder (bohm-bahr-day)
Applicable for: To bomb or to attack with bombs
Meaning: This verb refers to a specific kind of attack, usually involving bombs or aerial attacks.
In a Sentence:
- “Les avions ont bombardé la ville.” (The planes bombarded the city.)
- “La ville a été bombardée pendant des jours.” (The city was bombarded for days.)
- Se jeter sur (suh juh-tay soor)
Applicable for: Physical or sudden attacks
Meaning: To leap or jump onto someone in an attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Il s’est jeté sur son adversaire.” (He attacked his opponent.)
- “Le lion s’est jeté sur la proie.” (The lion attacked its prey.)
- Pillager (pee-lah-zhay)
Applicable for: To loot or attack for goods
Meaning: Used when an attack is for stealing or looting.
In a Sentence:
- “Les pirates ont pillé le village.” (The pirates attacked the village and looted it.)
- “Les envahisseurs ont pillé la ville.” (The invaders looted the city.)
- S’acharner contre (sah-shar-nay kohn-truh)
Applicable for: Persistent attacks
Meaning: To relentlessly attack or pursue something.
In a Sentence:
- “Il s’acharne contre ses ennemis.” (He relentlessly attacks his enemies.)
- “Elle s’acharne à prouver sa théorie.” (She relentlessly attacks her theory.)
- Fouler (foo-lay)
Applicable for: To crush or trample
Meaning: To trample or step on in a way that feels like an attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Les soldats ont foulé le champ de bataille.” (The soldiers trampled the battlefield.)
- “Elle a foulé ses rêves.” (She crushed his dreams.)
- Se frayer un chemin vers (suh fray-ay uh shuh-mahn vairs)
Applicable for: To attack a path
Meaning: To force one’s way toward something, often used figuratively for attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Ils se sont frayés un chemin vers la sortie.” (They attacked their way to the exit.)
- “Il s’est frayé un chemin à travers la foule.” (He fought his way through the crowd.)
- Torcher (tor-shay)
Applicable for: A harsh, fast attack
Meaning: A harsh, quick attack often in a verbal or physical sense.
In a Sentence:
- “Il a torché son adversaire dans le match.” (He attacked his opponent in the match.)
- “Elle l’a torché avec ses paroles.” (She verbally attacked him.)
- Mener une offensive (muh-neh oon off-an-siv)
Applicable for: Leading an attack
Meaning: To lead or carry out an offensive attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Ils ont mené une offensive contre le fort.” (They led an attack against the fort.)
- “L’armée a mené une offensive massive.” (The army led a massive attack.)
- Faire une charge (fair oon sharzh)
Applicable for: A direct attack, often in battle or sports
Meaning: To charge or rush in an attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Les cavaliers ont fait une charge contre l’ennemi.” (The cavalry made a charge against the enemy.)
- “Ils ont fait une charge pour prendre le but.” (They charged to take the goal.)
- Se défendre contre (suh deh-fahr kohn-truh)
Applicable for: Defending against an attack
Meaning: To defend oneself against an attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Il se défend contre toutes les critiques.” (He defends himself against all the criticism.)
- “Elle se défend contre l’attaque des ennemis.” (She defends herself against the enemy’s attack.)
- Subir un assaut (soo-beer uh ah-soh)
Applicable for: To suffer an assault
Meaning: To endure or be attacked, typically in a violent way.
In a Sentence:
- “La ville a subi un assaut pendant la guerre.” (The city suffered an assault during the war.)
- “Les citoyens ont subi un assaut de la police.” (The citizens endured an assault by the police.)
- Se précipiter sur (suh pray-see-pee-tay soor)
Applicable for: A fast, sudden attack
Meaning: To rush towards someone or something in an attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Il s’est précipité sur son ennemi.” (He rushed toward his enemy.)
- “Ils se sont précipités sur le trésor.” (They rushed to attack the treasure.)
- S’emparer de (sahm-pah-ray duh)
Applicable for: To take over, often violently
Meaning: To seize or take control by force, usually referring to an attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Les ennemis se sont emparés de la ville.” (The enemies attacked and took over the city.)
- “Ils se sont emparés du territoire.” (They seized the territory.)
- Réaliser une attaque surprise (ray-ah-lee-zay oon ah-tak soor-preez)
Applicable for: To carry out a surprise attack
Meaning: To execute an unexpected or surprise attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Ils ont réalisé une attaque surprise sur la base ennemie.” (They carried out a surprise attack on the enemy base.)
- “L’armée a réalisé une attaque surprise lors de la bataille.” (The army launched a surprise attack during the battle.)
- Se lancer à l’assaut (suh lan-say ah lah-soh)
Applicable for: To launch an attack
Meaning: To begin an assault or attack.
In a Sentence:
- “Les soldats se sont lancés à l’assaut du château.” (The soldiers launched an attack on the castle.)
- “Ils se sont lancés à l’assaut du sommet.” (They launched an attack on the summit.)
- Avoir l’intention d’attaquer (ah-vwar lan-tehn-syon dah-tah-kay)
Applicable for: To intend to attack
Meaning: To have the intention of attacking someone or something.
In a Sentence:
- “Il a l’intention d’attaquer son adversaire en cours.” (He intends to attack his opponent in class.)
- “L’armée a l’intention d’attaquer demain.” (The army plans to attack tomorrow.)
Other Ways to Say “Attack” in French
Here are 15 additional ways to say “attack” in French, including their pronunciations, meanings, and examples. This list provides more variety for different situations where you might want to describe an attack.
Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
Bousculer | boo-skoo-lay | To shove or push violently | “Il m’a bousculé dans la rue.” (He pushed me in the street.) “Elle l’a bousculé pour prendre sa place.” (She shoved him to take his place.) |
S’acharner | sah-shar-nay | To relentlessly attack or persist | “Les enfants se sont acharnés à résoudre le problème.” (The children relentlessly attacked the problem.) “Il s’acharne sur son adversaire.” (He is relentlessly attacking his opponent.) |
Démolir | day-moh-leer | To demolish or destroy violently | “Le bulldozer a démoli le vieux bâtiment.” (The bulldozer demolished the old building.) “Il a démoli sa propre voiture.” (He destroyed his own car.) |
Écraser | ay-krah-zay | To crush or squash, used in physical attacks | “Il a écrasé la boîte sous ses pieds.” (He crushed the box under his feet.) “Les tanks ont écrasé la résistance.” (The tanks crushed the resistance.) |
Attenter | ah-tahn-tay | To attempt an attack or harm | “Ils ont attenté à sa vie.” (They attempted to harm his life.) “Il a tenté d’attenter à son honneur.” (He tried to attack his honor.) |
Mettre à mal | meh-truh ah mahl | To put someone in difficulty, to attack someone’s position | “L’attaque a mis à mal notre stratégie.” (The attack put our strategy in difficulty.) “Cette situation met à mal ses convictions.” (This situation attacks his beliefs.) |
Rugir | roo-zheer | To roar, used figuratively for attacking loudly | “Le lion rugit avant d’attaquer.” (The lion roars before attacking.) “Il a rugi de colère contre l’injustice.” (He roared in anger against the injustice.) |
Percer | pair-say | To pierce, to make an attack through something | “L’arme a percé l’armure.” (The weapon pierced the armor.) “L’attaque a percé la défense de l’ennemi.” (The attack pierced the enemy’s defense.) |
Éperonner | ay-peh-roh-nay | To prod or spur someone to action or attack | “Les chevaux ont été éperonnés pour charger.” (The horses were spurred to charge.) “Il a éperonné son équipe à l’attaque.” (He spurred his team to attack.) |
Dévorer | day-voh-ray | To devour, used figuratively for attacking with great intensity | “L’ours a dévoré sa proie.” (The bear devoured its prey.) “Il a dévoré son adversaire dans le débat.” (He devoured his opponent in the debate.) |
Prendre d’assaut | prawn-druh dah-soh | To storm, used for attacking in a forceful way | “Les manifestants ont pris d’assaut le bâtiment.” (The protesters stormed the building.) “Les soldats ont pris d’assaut la ville.” (The soldiers stormed the city.) |
Ravager | rah-vah-zhay | To ravage or devastate violently | “L’ouragan a ravagé la ville.” (The hurricane ravaged the city.) “Cette maladie a ravagé la population.” (This disease ravaged the population.) |
Saccager | sah-kah-zhay | To sack or ransack, typically used for violent plundering | “Les voleurs ont saccagé la maison.” (The thieves ransacked the house.) “La guerre a saccagé le pays.” (The war ravaged the country.) |
Injurier | an-joo-ree-ay | To verbally attack or insult | “Il l’a injurié pendant la réunion.” (He verbally attacked him during the meeting.) “Elle a injurié son collègue sans raison.” (She insulted her colleague for no reason.) |
Tenter une offensive | tahn-tay oon oh-fahn-see-vuh | To attempt an offensive, used in military contexts | “Les forces ont tenté une offensive surprise.” (The forces attempted a surprise attack.) “Ils ont tenté une offensive pour reprendre le terrain.” (They attempted an offensive to take back the ground.) |
Response to “Attack” in French
When someone says “attack” in French, there are various ways you can respond, depending on the context. Whether you’re discussing an incident, reacting to a sports situation, or talking about a dangerous event, it’s important to know how to react appropriately in French. Below are some common responses and examples to help you understand how to react when someone talks about an “attack.”
1. C’est horrible !
Pronunciation: seh oh-ree-bluh
Meaning: “That’s horrible!”
In a Sentence:
- “Ils ont attaqué la ville.” (They attacked the city.)
- “C’est horrible !” (That’s horrible!)
2. Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ?
Pronunciation: kes kee seh pah-say
Meaning: “What happened?”
In a Sentence:
- “Un groupe a attaqué l’hôtel.” (A group attacked the hotel.)
- “Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ?” (What happened?)
3. Je ne peux pas y croire !
Pronunciation: zhuh nuh puh pah ee kwwah-reh
Meaning: “I can’t believe it!”
In a Sentence:
- “Il a attaqué son ami sans raison.” (He attacked his friend for no reason.)
- “Je ne peux pas y croire !” (I can’t believe it!)
4. Ça va ? Tu es blessé ?
Pronunciation: sah vah ? too eh bluh-say ?
Meaning: “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
In a Sentence:
- “Il m’a attaqué pendant la promenade.” (He attacked me during the walk.)
- “Ça va ? Tu es blessé ?” (Are you okay? Are you hurt?)
5. Pourquoi a-t-il fait ça ?
Pronunciation: poor-kwa ah-teel fay sah
Meaning: “Why did he do that?”
In a Sentence:
- “Il a attaqué sans raison.” (He attacked without reason.)
- “Pourquoi a-t-il fait ça ?” (Why did he do that?)
6. C’était une attaque terrible !
Pronunciation: seh-tey oon ah-tahk tay-ree-bluh
Meaning: “That was a terrible attack!”
In a Sentence:
- “L’attaque a duré toute la nuit.” (The attack lasted all night.)
- “C’était une attaque terrible !” (That was a terrible attack!)
7. On doit prévenir la police !
Pronunciation: on dwah pray-ve-neer lah poh-lees
Meaning: “We need to call the police!”
In a Sentence:
- “Il a été attaqué dans la rue.” (He was attacked in the street.)
- “On doit prévenir la police !” (We need to call the police!)
8. Espérons qu’il n’y ait pas de blessés.
Pronunciation: es-peh-rohn kee nee eh pah duh bluh-say
Meaning: “Let’s hope there are no injuries.”
In a Sentence:
- “Les attaquants étaient violents.” (The attackers were violent.)
- “Espérons qu’il n’y ait pas de blessés.” (Let’s hope there are no injuries.)
9. Qui a fait ça ?
Pronunciation: kee ah fay sah ?
Meaning: “Who did that?”
In a Sentence:
- “Ils ont attaqué le bâtiment.” (They attacked the building.)
- “Qui a fait ça ?” (Who did that?)
10. Il faut agir vite !
Pronunciation: eel fo ah-zheer veet
Meaning: “We need to act quickly!”
In a Sentence:
- “L’attaque se propage rapidement.” (The attack is spreading quickly.)
- “Il faut agir vite !” (We need to act quickly!)
Exercise to Practice “Attack” in French
Now it’s time to practice what you’ve learned! Below are 12 fill-in-the-blank sentences in French, using the various ways to say “attack” that we’ve discussed. Fill in the blanks with the correct term from the list above. After the exercise, you’ll find the answers and their meanings.
Fill-in-the-Blank Sentences
- Le général a _______ les positions ennemies avant l’aube.
- Le voleur a _______ la victime dans la rue.
- Cette équipe a _______ l’adversaire dès le début du match.
- Ils ont _______ la ville avec des bombardements aériens.
- Les manifestants ont _______ le bâtiment pour exprimer leur colère.
- Il a _______ la porte d’entrée pour entrer dans la maison.
- Les policiers ont _______ les agresseurs immédiatement après l’attaque.
- L’ouragan a _______ toute la région, causant des dégâts importants.
- Après l’attaque, il a demandé : “Qui a _______ ce crime ?”.
- Le vent a _______ la côte, détruisant tout sur son passage.
- Les soldats ont _______ les défenseurs sans relâche.
- Il a _______ la situation pendant des heures sans trouver de solution.
Answers and Meanings
- déclenché (triggered)
Meaning: The general triggered the attack on enemy positions before dawn. - attaqué (attacked)
Meaning: The thief attacked the victim in the street. - attaqué (attacked)
Meaning: This team attacked the opponent from the start of the match. - bombardé (bombarded)
Meaning: They bombarded the city with aerial attacks. - pris d’assaut (stormed)
Meaning: The protesters stormed the building to express their anger. - percé (pierced)
Meaning: He pierced the front door to enter the house. - interpellé (interrogated/arrested)
Meaning: The police arrested the attackers immediately after the assault. - ravagé (ravaged)
Meaning: The hurricane ravaged the entire region, causing significant damage. - commis (committed)
Meaning: After the attack, he asked, “Who committed this crime?” - assailli (assaulted)
Meaning: The wind assaulted the coast, destroying everything in its path. - s’acharné (relentlessly attacked)
Meaning: The soldiers relentlessly attacked the defenders. - s’acharné (persisted)
Meaning: He persistently attacked the situation for hours without finding a solution.
Conclusion
Learning how to say “attack” in French is a useful skill that can help you better understand and engage in conversations about different situations. From physical confrontations to military strategies, there are many ways to describe an “attack” in French, each fitting different contexts. Whether you’re talking about sports, historical events, or even daily occurrences, knowing a variety of terms allows you to be more precise and expressive.
By practicing the different ways to say “attack” and using them in sentences, you can feel more confident in speaking French and understanding its subtleties. Keep practicing these phrases in real-life situations, and soon you’ll find that you can communicate with ease about any “attack” that comes your way!