The French verb franchir means “to cross,” “to overcome,” or “to break through.” It is often used in both literal and figurative contexts and appears frequently in formal and journalistic French. It is a regular verb of the second group, conjugated like finir, choisir or réussir.

Etymology

Franchir comes from the Old French franchir (12th century), meaning “to set free.” It derives from the adjective franc, which originally meant “free” rather than “French.” This, in turn, comes from the Late Latin francus, referring to the Germanic tribe of the Franks. The original idea behind franchir was to remove restrictions or obstacles, which later evolved to include the idea of crossing or passing through something.

Core meanings

1. To cross or pass over a physical boundary

Examples:

• Il a franchi la frontière sans être vu.
  He crossed the border without being seen.
• Les coureurs ont franchi la ligne d’arrivée.
  The runners crossed the finish line.
• Le voleur a franchi la barrière et s’est enfui.
  The thief got over the barrier and ran away.

2. To overcome or surmount an obstacle or difficulty

Examples:

• Elle a franchi tous les obstacles pour réussir dans sa carrière.
  She overcame all the obstacles to succeed in her career.
• Il faut franchir ses peurs pour avancer dans la vie.
  You have to overcome your fears to move forward in life.
• Franchir une étape importante dans un projet.
  To reach an important milestone in a project.

3. To exceed or pass a threshold

Examples:

• La température a franchi les 40 degrés.
  The temperature went over 40 degrees.
• L’entreprise a franchi le cap des 10 millions d’euros de chiffre d’affaires.
  The company crossed the 10-million-euro turnover mark.
• Le taux de chômage a franchi un seuil critique.
  The unemployment rate has passed a critical threshold.

4. To break through or penetrate

Examples:

• Les troupes ont franchi les lignes ennemies.
  The troops broke through enemy lines.
• Le missile a franchi la couche supérieure de l’atmosphère.
  The missile passed through the upper layer of the atmosphere.
• Il a franchi la porte sans dire un mot.
  He stepped through the door without saying a word.

Register and stylistic notes

Franchir is often slightly formal or neutral in tone. In everyday French, verbs like passer, traverser, or dépasser may be used instead in casual conversation. However, franchir is preferred when a sense of difficulty, formality or achievement is intended.

Conjugation example (present tense)

• je franchis
• tu franchis
• il/elle franchit
• nous franchissons
• vous franchissez
• ils/elles franchissent

Example in context:

• Nous franchissons une période difficile, mais nous allons y arriver.
  We are going through a difficult time, but we will get through it.