French has two common verbs for “to mean”: vouloir dire and signifier. Both get used every day, but they don’t always work the same way. Vouloir dire is the everyday choice, used in speech and in writing alike. Signifier leans more formal and shows up more in writing, in academic talk, and when discussing signs, symbols, or official terms.

Vouloir dire

Vouloir dire means, word for word, “to want to say.” Despite that literal sense, it just means “to mean.” French speakers reach for it all the time, whether they’re asking what a word means or what a person means by something they said.

You can use it with a word, a phrase, a sentence, or a person as the subject.

• Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire? “What does that mean?”
• Que veux-tu dire par là? “What do you mean by that?”
• Ce mot veut dire “maison” en anglais. “This word means ‘house’ in English.”
• Je ne sais pas ce qu’il veut dire. “I don’t know what he means.”
• Cela veut dire que nous devons partir tôt. “That means we have to leave early.”

Note that vouloir dire can take a person as its subject, as in que veux-tu dire, “what do you mean.” This is one spot where it differs from signifier, which almost never takes a person as its subject.

Signifier

Signifier also means “to mean,” but it carries a more formal weight. You’ll find it in written French, in dictionaries, in legal or academic texts, and when talking about signs, symbols, gestures, or terms that stand for something else.

• Que signifie ce symbole? “What does this symbol mean?”
• Ce geste signifie le respect. “This gesture means respect.”
• Le mot “chien” signifie “dog” en anglais. “The word ‘chien’ means ‘dog’ in English.”
• Son silence signifiait un refus. “His silence meant a refusal.”
• Cette clause signifie que le contrat est nul. “This clause means that the contract is void.”

Signifier almost never takes a person as its subject. You would not say je signifie to mean “I mean.” For that, French sticks with vouloir dire or with other phrases covered below.

The main differences

• Vouloir dire is the everyday word. It works in speech, in writing, with words, sentences, or people as the subject.
• Signifier is more formal. It suits writing, official language, and cases where a sign, symbol, gesture, or term stands for something.
• Only vouloir dire takes a person as the one doing the meaning, as in tu veux dire, “you mean.”
• Both can describe what a word or phrase means, and here they often overlap and either one will do.

Take a case like a word in a dictionary. You could say either:

• Ce mot veut dire “grand.” “This word means ‘big.'”
• Ce mot signifie “grand.” “This word means ‘big.'”

Both are correct. The first sounds more like something you’d say out loud. The second sounds more like something you’d read in a book or a definition.

But when a person means something by their own words, only vouloir dire fits:

• Qu’est-ce que tu veux dire? “What do you mean?”

You would never say que signifies-tu for this. It simply isn’t used that way.

Other ways to say “to mean” or “to mean by”

French has a few more phrases that cover related ground.

Entendre par, “to mean by,” works much like vouloir dire par, though it sounds a touch more formal or literary.

• Qu’entendez-vous par “liberté”? “What do you mean by ‘freedom’?”

Vouloir en venir, roughly “to be getting at,” fits when someone is talking around a point and you want to know their real point.

• Où veux-tu en venir? “What are you getting at?”

Sous-entendre, “to imply” or “to hint at,” fits when the meaning is not stated outright but hinted at.

• Qu’est-ce que tu sous-entends? “What are you implying?”

These last two aren’t strict matches for “to mean,” but they cover ground close enough that they’re worth knowing when you’re trying to work out what someone means.

Summary

• Vouloir dire is the common, everyday verb for “to mean.” It can take a word, a sentence, or a person as its subject.
• Signifier is more formal and fits written French, official terms, and signs or symbols. It rarely takes a person as its subject.
• For words and set phrases, either verb usually works.
• To ask what a person means by their own words, use vouloir dire, not signifier.
• Entendre par offers a more formal way to ask “what do you mean by,” while vouloir en venir and sous-entendre cover related ground: getting at a point, or hinting at something without saying it outright.