Many English verbs ending in -ate have close French matches ending in -er. This is one of the most useful links between English and French verbs. In many cases the words come from the same Latin root, but French usually kept a simpler verb ending while English later developed -ate forms.

Examples such as operate → opérer and celebrate → célébrer show the pattern well.

This pattern is useful for reading and guessing meaning, but it is not a fixed rule. Some words follow it closely, while others change in spelling or use a different French verb altogether.

The basic pattern

The most common pattern is:

• English -ate → French -er

Examples:

• operate → opérer
• celebrate → célébrer
• decorate → décorer
• hesitate → hésiter
• separate → séparer
• illustrate → illustrer
• formulate → formuler
• circulate → circuler
• demonstrate → démontrer
• imitate → imiter

Examples:

• Nous allons célébrer demain. “We are going to celebrate tomorrow.”
• Le chirurgien va opérer le patient. “The surgeon is going to operate on the patient.”
• Elle hésite avant de répondre. “She hesitates before answering.”

Words that stay very close

Many pairs differ only at the end.

Examples:

English	French
decorate	décorer
imitate	imiter
formulate	formuler
circulate	circuler
separate	séparer
illustrate	illustrer

Examples:

• Nous devons formuler une réponse. “We must formulate a response.”
• Les voitures circulent rapidement ici. “Cars move quickly here.”
• Il essaie d’imiter son frère. “He is trying to imitate his brother.”

Words with accent changes

Many French verbs add accents.

Examples:

• operate → opérer
• celebrate → célébrer
• demonstrate → démontrer
• regulate → réguler
• separate → séparer

Examples:

• Le médecin va opérer demain. “The doctor will operate tomorrow.”
• Ils veulent démontrer leur théorie. “They want to demonstrate their theory.”
• Le gouvernement tente de réguler le marché. “The government is trying to regulate the market.”

The accents usually reflect older sound patterns and French spelling rules.

Cases where French uses a different verb

Some English -ate verbs do not simply become -er verbs with similar spelling.

Examples:

• create → créer
• educate → éduquer
• translate → traduire
• graduate → obtenir son diplôme
• appreciate → apprécier

Examples:

• Elle veut créer une entreprise. “She wants to create a company.”
• Les parents doivent éduquer leurs enfants. “Parents must educate their children.”
• Je peux traduire ce texte. “I can translate this text.”

You cannot safely remove -ate and add -er in every case.

Cases where meaning shifts

Some close-looking pairs have moved apart in use.

Graduate → obtenir son diplôme

English graduate can be a verb.

French often uses an expression instead of a single matching verb.

Examples:

• Elle a obtenu son diplôme l’année dernière. “She graduated last year.”

French also has gradué, but it often means graded, measured, or marked with units.

Examples:

• Un récipient gradué. “A graduated container.”

Regulate → régler and réguler

French can use different verbs depending on meaning.

• régler often means adjust, set, settle
• réguler often means regulate in a wider sense

Examples:

• Je dois régler l’horloge. “I need to set the clock.”
• L’État cherche à réguler le secteur. “The state is trying to regulate the sector.”

Larger word families

Learning word families often helps more than learning single words.

English noun	English verb	French noun	French verb
operation	operate	opération	opérer
celebration	celebrate	célébration	célébrer
imitation	imitate	imitation	imiter
formulation	formulate	formulation	formuler
demonstration	demonstrate	démonstration	démontrer

Once you know one member of the family, others often become easier to recognise.

Useful examples in full sentences

• Nous allons célébrer notre anniversaire demain. “We are going to celebrate our anniversary tomorrow.”
• Le médecin doit opérer immédiatement. “The doctor must operate immediately.”
• Ils cherchent à séparer les deux groupes. “They are trying to separate the two groups.”
• Cette expérience peut démontrer notre idée. “This experiment can demonstrate our idea.”
• Les voitures circulent dans toutes les directions. “Cars are moving in every direction.”
• Elle hésite avant chaque décision importante. “She hesitates before every important decision.”

Related patterns

The English -ate → French -er pattern belongs to a larger group of useful English and French links.

Examples:

• English -fy → French -fier
• English -ty → French -té
• English -ity → French -ité
• English -ncy → French -nce
• English -ous → French -eux

Examples:

• simplify → simplifier
• liberty → liberté
• activity → activité
• frequency → fréquence
• dangerous → dangereux

These patterns help with guessing meaning, but they work best as guides rather than fixed rules.

Summary

• Many English verbs ending in -ate have French matches ending in -er.
• Common examples include operate → opérer and celebrate → célébrer.
• Many words remain close in spelling and meaning.
• Some French verbs add accent marks.
• Some words use very different French verbs, such as graduate → obtenir son diplôme.
• Learning word families often gives more help than learning isolated words.