Published January 16, 2026 • 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.
📘 Lire meaning in French
Lire is an irregular French verb meaning “to read.” It is used when talking about reading in general — for example books, newspapers, articles, or texts out loud. For example, “Je lis le journal” (I read the newspaper). The related noun is la lecture (reading). for example, “J’aime faire de la lecture” (I like reading). 🔊 Listen to examples.
🎧 Lire pronunciation
The pronunciation of lire is /liʀ/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “leer.”
📝 Lire examples
Je lis un article sur le travail à distance.
I am reading an article about remote work.
Elle lit le texte à voix haute en classe.
She reads the text out loud in class.
Nous lisons dans le journal que les prix augmentent.
We read in the newspaper that prices are going up.
Elle apprend à lire à l’école primaire.
She is learning to read in elementary school.
In addition to the usage examples, true fluency comes from knowing the verb forms.
👉 See also: Lire conjugation chart »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- la lecture — reading
- le livre — book
- le journal — newspaper
- le texte — text
- lire à voix haute — to read out loud
- savoir lire — to be able to read
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner!
👉 Lire conjugation chart »
👉 Lecture (reading) »
🚀 Discover more on FrenchLearner
👉 Verb conjugations hub »
👉 French Word of the Day »
👉 French Vocabulary lists »
