Published August 14, 2025 • Updated April 1, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
📘 Parler meaning
Parler is one of the most common French verbs and means “to speak” or “to talk.” It is used for speaking a language and having conversations. You’ll often see it in patterns like parler français (to speak French), parler à quelqu’un (to speak to someone), and parler de quelque chose (to talk about something). Examples: Je parle français (I speak French), elle parle à son ami (she’s talking to her friend) and nous parlons de ce film (we’re talking about that movie). 🔊 Listen to examples.
🎧 Parler pronunciation
The pronunciation of parler is /paʁ.le/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “par-lay.”
📝 Parler examples
Je parle un peu espagnol, mais pas très bien.
I speak a little Spanish, but not very well.
Il parle à son professeur après le cours.
He talks to his teacher after class.
J’ai parlé avec les voisins ce matin.
I spoke with the neighbors this morning.
Parle plus lentement, je ne comprends pas.
Speak more slowly, I don’t understand.
Elle aime parler de ses enfants.
She likes to talk about her children.
👉 See also: Parler conjugation chart »
❓ Want to feel more confident in French?
🎯 À Moi Paris — This is my top recommendation for online French courses, and it pairs wonderfully with my daily lessons. Camille Chevalier teaches with engaging audio stories that she records at three speeds. Her specialty is helping students with pronunciation and bridging the gap between textbook French and real spoken French as you hear it on the streets of Paris.
👉 Explore À Moi Paris »
👉 Read my review »
🎧 French Verb Drills — Having trouble with French verb conjugations? Camille’s audio drills break everything down step by step so you can finally lock in the patterns and speak with confidence.
If you purchase the courses, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
💬 Related words & expressions
- bavarder – to chat, to talk casually
- discuter – to discuss, to talk about something
- s’exprimer – to express oneself
- laisser parler quelqu’un – to let someone speak
- parler à cœur ouvert – to speak openly, from the heart
- parler de la pluie et du beau temps – to make small talk
- parler à tort et à travers – to speak without thinking
👉 See also: Parler français comme une vache espagnole – to speak French poorly.
📚 Related lessons
👉 Parler conjugation chart »
👉 Regular ER verbs »
👉 Regular verbs »
🚀 Discover more on FrenchLearner
👉 Verb conjugations hub »
👉 French Word of the Day »
👉 French Vocabulary lists »
