Home › French › Glossary › to turn on (a light)
French vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "to turn on (a light)" in French?
allumer
In French, "to turn on (a light)" is allumer.
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free French learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
ah-loo-MAY. Three syllables with stress on the final syllable.
Grammar notes
A regular ER verb. Forms: j'allume, tu allumes, il/elle allume, nous allumons, vous allumez, ils/elles allument.
Example sentence
Il allume la lampe.
He turns on the light.
Test your French knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember allumer
Allumer captures the sense of lighting up - the double 'l' suggests the brightness of a lit flame or bulb.
Related words
- clear up nettoyer
- close fermer
- enter entrer
- get off descendre
- get up se lever
- make faire
- sleep dormir
- think penser
- work travailler
Browse all French words in the glossary.
Questions about allumer
How do you say "to turn on (a light)" in French?
In French, "to turn on (a light)" is allumer. It is a noun.
How is allumer written in French?
allumer is written using the standard French script.
How is allumer used in a sentence?
Use allumer as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: Il allume la lampe. (He turns on the light.).
Where can I practice French words for free?
You can play free French minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the French glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"To turn on (a light)" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the French language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town