The first time I had to describe a graph in a French business class, I stared at the screen and said, very confidently, ce graphique est… going up /sə ɡʁa.fik ɛ ɡɔ.ɪŋ ʊp/ — yes, I panicked into English in front of twenty perfectly silent French students. Then I mispronounced pourcentage /puʁ.sɑ̃.taʒ/ — percentage — so badly that my professor repeated it slowly, like I was a confused but lovable farm animal. Which, to be fair, I was.
The good news is that once you know a small set of verbs, adjectives, and sentence frames, describing graphs in French becomes surprisingly mechanical. You don’t need fancy statistics. You need a few solid phrases you can reuse in every presentation, exam, or polite torture session involving PowerPoint.
Quick Primer
In French, when you décris un graphique /de.kʁi œ̃ ɡʁa.fik/ — describe a graph — you usually:
- Say what the graph shows.
- Say when (time period).
- Describe the main trend (up, down, stable).
- Add one or two details (biggest number, smallest number, comparison).
A simple, safe pattern:
ce graphique montre l’évolution des ventes entre 2018 et 2022.
/sə ɡʁa.fik mɔ̃tʁ le.vɔ.ly.sjɔ̃ de vɑ̃t ɑ̃tʁ də mil diz.hɥit e də mil vɛ̃.tə dø/
This graph shows the change in sales between 2018 and 2022.
Now let’s give you enough vocabulary to sound calm and competent, even if the graph itself looks like the heartbeat of a stressed squirrel.
Main Section 1: Core Vocabulary For Graphs And Charts
Here are the essential nouns you’ll meet in school, university, or the office.
| French | IPA | English |
| un graphique | /œ̃ ɡʁa.fik/ | a graph |
| un diagramme | /œ̃ dja.ɡʁam/ | a diagram |
| un tableau | /œ̃ ta.blo/ | a table (data table) |
| une courbe | /yn kuʁb/ | a curve, line (on a graph) |
| un histogramme | /œ̃ is.tɔ.ɡʁam/ | a bar chart |
| un camembert | /œ̃ ka.mɑ̃.bɛʁ/ | a pie chart (informal, literally “camembert”) |
| les données | /le dɔ.ne/ | the data |
| l’axe horizontal | /laks ɔ.ʁi.zɔ̃.tal/ | the horizontal axis |
| l’axe vertical | /laks vɛʁ.ti.kal/ | the vertical axis |
| la légende | /la le.ʒɑ̃d/ | the legend / key |
| le titre | /lə titʁ/ | the title |
| une valeur | /yn va.lœʁ/ | a value |
| un pourcentage | /œ̃ puʁ.sɑ̃.taʒ/ | a percentage |
| une moyenne | /yn mwa.jɛn/ | an average |
| un pic | /œ̃ pik/ | a peak |
| un creux | /œ̃ kʁø/ | a low point, dip |
A useful starter sentence:
ce graphique présente les données de 2020 à 2024.
/sə ɡʁa.fik pʁe.zɑ̃t le dɔ.ne də də mil vɛ̃t a də mil vɛ̃t katʁ/
This graph presents the data from 2020 to 2024.
Main Section 2: Phrases To Start Describing A Graph
Instead of freezing and mumbling “so… here… graph…”, you can memorize a few standard openers.
| French | IPA | English |
| ce graphique montre… | /sə ɡʁa.fik mɔ̃tʁ/ | this graph shows… |
| ce graphique présente… | /sə ɡʁa.fik pʁe.zɑ̃t/ | this graph presents… |
| ce tableau résume… | /sə ta.blo ʁe.zy.m/ | this table summarizes… |
| ce diagramme illustre… | /sə dja.ɡʁam i.lystʁ/ | this diagram illustrates… |
| on peut voir que… | /ɔ̃ pø vwaʁ kə/ | we can see that… |
| d’après ce graphique… | /da.pʁɛ sə ɡʁa.fik/ | according to this graph… |
Example:
d’après ce graphique, les ventes augmentent chaque année.
/da.pʁɛ sə ɡʁa.fik le vɑ̃t zoɡ.mɑ̃t ʃak a.ne/
According to this graph, sales increase every year.
Main Section 3: Describing Trends (Up, Down, Stable)
This is the heart of graph-speak: verbs and adjectives for movement.
Verbs For Trends
| French | IPA | English |
| augmenter | /oɡ.mɑ̃.te/ | to increase |
| progresser | /pʁɔ.ɡʁe.se/ | to progress, to grow |
| grimper | /ɡʁɛ̃.pe/ | to climb (informal) |
| diminuer | /di.mi.nɥe/ | to decrease |
| baisser | /bɛ.se/ | to go down |
| chuter | /ʃy.te/ | to fall, drop |
| rester stable | /ʁɛs.te stab.l/ | to stay stable |
| stagner | /sta.ɡne/ | to stagnate |
Sample sentences:
les ventes augmentent régulièrement.
/le vɑ̃t zoɡ.mɑ̃t ʁe.ɡyl.jɛʁ.mɑ̃/
Sales increase regularly.
le nombre de clients a diminué en 2023.
/lə nɔ̃bʁ də kli.jɑ̃ a di.mi.nɥe ɑ̃ də mil vɛ̃.tʁwa/
The number of clients decreased in 2023.
le chiffre reste stable.
/lə ʃifʁ ʁɛst stab.l/
The figure remains stable.
Adjectives And Nouns For Trends
| French | IPA | English |
| en hausse | /ɑ̃ os/ | on the rise |
| en augmentation | /ɑ̃ nɔɡ.mɑ̃.ta.sjɔ̃/ | increasing |
| en baisse | /ɑ̃ bɛs/ | decreasing |
| en chute | /ɑ̃ ʃyt/ | falling |
| une forte hausse | /yn fɔʁt os/ | a strong rise |
| une légère baisse | /yn le.ʒɛʁ bɛs/ | a slight decrease |
Example:
le chiffre d’affaires est en légère hausse.
/lə ʃifʁ da.fɛʁ ɛ ɑ̃ le.ʒɛʁ os/
Turnover is slightly up.
Main Section 4: Talking About Percentages And Proportions
This is where French learners often start sweating. Take a breath. You mostly need a few words for “most, half, a few, almost”.
| French | IPA | English |
| la majorité | /la ma.ʒɔ.ʁi.te/ | the majority |
| la minorité | /la mi.nɔ.ʁi.te/ | the minority |
| la moitié | /la mwa.tje/ | half |
| un quart | /œ̃ kaʁ/ | a quarter |
| un tiers | /œ̃ tjɛʁ/ | a third |
| la plupart | /la ply.paʁ/ | most |
| quelques | /kɛl.kə/ | a few |
| environ | /ɑ̃.vi.ʁɔ̃/ | about / around |
| plus de 50 % | /plys də sɛ̃.kɑ̃t puʁ sɑ̃/ | more than 50% |
| moins de 10 % | /mwɛ̃ də dis puʁ sɑ̃/ | less than 10% |
Typical sentences:
la majorité des personnes préfère le café.
/la ma.ʒɔ.ʁi.te de pɛʁ.sɔn pʁe.fɛʁ lə ka.fe/
The majority of people prefer coffee.
environ 30 % des étudiants viennent de l’étranger.
/ɑ̃.vi.ʁɔ̃ tʁɑ̃t puʁ sɑ̃ de ze.ty.djɑ̃ vjɛn də le.tʁɑ̃.ʒe/
Around 30% of the students come from abroad.
la moitié des réponses sont positives.
/la mwa.tje de ʁe.pɔ̃ sɔ̃ pɔ.zi.tiv/
Half of the answers are positive.
Main Section 5: Comparing Elements On A Graph
Graphs love comparisons. French does too.
Basic Comparison Structures
| French | IPA | English |
| plus… que | /plys kə/ | more… than |
| moins… que | /mwɛ̃ kə/ | less… than |
| autant… que | /o.tɑ̃ kə/ | as much… as |
| plus élevé que | /plyz‿ɛl.ve kə/ | higher than |
| inférieur à | /ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ a/ | lower than |
Example sentences:
les ventes de 2024 sont plus élevées que celles de 2023.
/le vɑ̃t də də mil vɛ̃t katʁ sɔ̃ ply.ze.lvɛ kə sɛl də də mil vɛ̃t.tʁwa/
Sales in 2024 are higher than those in 2023.
le pourcentage de clients fidèles est inférieur à 20 %.
/lə puʁ.sɑ̃.taʒ də kli.jɑ̃ fi.dɛl ɛ ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ a vɛ̃ puʁ sɑ̃/
The percentage of loyal customers is lower than 20%.
Describing Biggest And Smallest Values
| French | IPA | English |
| le plus haut niveau | /lə ply zo ni.vo/ | the highest level |
| le niveau le plus bas | /lə ni.vo lə ply ba/ | the lowest level |
| le maximum | /lə mak.si.mɔm/ | the maximum |
| le minimum | /lə mi.ni.mɔm/ | the minimum |
Example:
le niveau le plus bas est atteint en 2021.
/lə ni.vo lə ply ba ɛ ta.tɛ̃ ɑ̃ də mil vɛ̃t‿ɛ̃/
The lowest level is reached in 2021.
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes
- Comma vs dot
In French numbers, 3,5 means three point five and 3.5 looks strange.
3,5 % /tʁwa pɔ̃ sɛ̃k puʁ sɑ̃/ — 3.5%. - pour cent vs pourcentage
Use pour cent /puʁ sɑ̃/ with numbers: 20 %.
Use pourcentage /puʁ.sɑ̃.taʒ/ as a noun:
le pourcentage d’erreur est faible.
/lə puʁ.sɑ̃.taʒ d‿e.ʁœʁ ɛ fɛbl/
The error percentage is low. - nombre vs numéro
nombre /nɔ̃bʁ/ = quantity (nombre d’étudiants).
numéro /ny.me.ʁo/ = a specific number or code (numéro de téléphone). - In speech, many French speakers skip ne:
les ventes n’augmentent pas → les ventes augmentent pas.
/le vɑ̃t zoɡ.mɑ̃t pa/
That’s fine in conversation, not in formal writing. - Don’t translate “the graph goes up” literally as le graphique va en haut. Use les ventes augmentent or la courbe est en hausse.
Regional Notes
In France, un graphique and un diagramme are both common; un camembert for a pie chart is informal but very widely understood.
In Québec, you may hear une charte /yn ʃaʁt/ — a chart — in business or government contexts. The rest of the vocabulary (axe, pourcentage, augmenter, diminuer) is largely the same. Also note that the comma for decimals (3,5) is used across the Francophone world.
Mini Dialogues
Dialogue 1
tu peux décrire ce graphique ?
/ty pø de.kʁiʁ sə ɡʁa.fik/
Can you describe this graph?
oui, il montre l’évolution des ventes entre janvier et juin.
/wi il mɔ̃tʁ le.vɔ.ly.sjɔ̃ de vɑ̃t ɑ̃tʁ ʒɑ̃.vje e ʒɥɛ̃/
Yes, it shows the change in sales between January and June.
les ventes augmentent légèrement au printemps.
/le vɑ̃t zoɡ.mɑ̃t le.ʒɛʁ.mɑ̃ o pʁɛ̃.tɑ̃/
Sales increase slightly in spring.
Dialogue 2
qu’est-ce qu’on voit sur ce camembert ?
/kɛs kɔ̃ vwa syʁ sə ka.mɑ̃.bɛʁ/
What do we see on this pie chart?
la majorité des clients choisit le forfait standard.
/la ma.ʒɔ.ʁi.te de kli.jɑ̃ ʃwa.zi lə fɔʁ.fɛ stɑ̃.daʁ/
The majority of customers choose the standard plan.
seulement 10 % prennent l’offre premium.
/sœl.mɑ̃ dis puʁ sɑ̃ pʁɛn lɔfʁ pʁe.mjɔm/
Only 10% take the premium offer.
Dialogue 3
les chiffres de 2024 sont bons ?
/le ʃifʁ də də mil vɛ̃t katʁ sɔ̃ bɔ̃/
Are the 2024 figures good?
oui, ils sont plus élevés que l’année dernière et le nombre de clients fidèles augmente.
/wi il sɔ̃ ply.ze.lvɛ kə la.ne dɛʁ.njɛʁ e lə nɔ̃bʁ də kli.jɑ̃ fi.dɛl zoɡ.mɑ̃t/
Yes, they’re higher than last year and the number of loyal customers is increasing.
Quick Reference
| French | IPA | English |
| ce graphique montre… | /sə ɡʁa.fik mɔ̃tʁ/ | this graph shows… |
| ce tableau résume… | /sə ta.blo ʁe.zy.m/ | this table summarizes… |
| on peut voir que… | /ɔ̃ pø vwaʁ kə/ | we can see that… |
| les données | /le dɔ.ne/ | the data |
| l’axe horizontal | /laks ɔ.ʁi.zɔ̃.tal/ | horizontal axis |
| l’axe vertical | /laks vɛʁ.ti.kal/ | vertical axis |
| les ventes augmentent | /le vɑ̃t zoɡ.mɑ̃t/ | sales are increasing |
| les ventes diminuent | /le vɑ̃t di.mi.nɥ/ | sales are decreasing |
| le chiffre reste stable | /lə ʃifʁ ʁɛst stab.l/ | the figure remains stable |
| en hausse / en baisse | /ɑ̃ os/ – /ɑ̃ bɛs/ | rising / falling |
| la majorité / la minorité | /la ma.ʒɔ.ʁi.te/ – /la mi.nɔ.ʁi.te/ | majority / minority |
| la moitié | /la mwa.tje/ | half |
| plus de 50 % | /plys də sɛ̃.kɑ̃t puʁ sɑ̃/ | more than 50% |
| moins de 10 % | /mwɛ̃ də dis puʁ sɑ̃/ | less than 10% |
| ce n’est pas très clair | /sə nɛ pa tʁɛ klɛʁ/ | it’s not very clear |
| en moyenne | /ɑ̃ mwa.jɛn/ | on average |
| le niveau le plus haut | /lə ni.vo lə ply zo/ | the highest level |
| le niveau le plus bas | /lə ni.vo lə ply ba/ | the lowest level |
| environ 30 % | /ɑ̃.vi.ʁɔ̃ tʁɑ̃t puʁ sɑ̃/ | around 30% |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- Take any simple graph (even one from your textbook). Say out loud: ce graphique montre… + the topic.
- Describe the trend with one verb: augmente, diminue, or reste stable.
- Add one percentage sentence: la majorité…, environ 30 %….
- Make one comparison: plus élevé que… or moins que….
- Finish with a summary line: en résumé, les ventes sont en hausse / en baisse / stables.
Conclusion
Once you have a pocketful of phrases like ce graphique montre… and les ventes augmentent légèrement, graphs stop being scary pictures covered in numbers and start acting like quiet French colleagues who just need you to introduce them politely. With a bit of practice, you’ll describe curves, peaks, and plunges without panicking, and your next French presentation will look much more “data professional” and much less “yak staring at a spreadsheet”.
