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How to Say ‘I pressed the button.’ in French

J'ai appuyé sur le bouton.

zhay ay ah-pwee-YAY sur luh boo-TOHN

[zhay ay ah-pwee-YAY sur luh boo-TOHN]

💬 Usage Tip: In French you press "on" something: appuyer sur. Reuse it with J'ai appuyé sur l'interrupteur "I pressed the switch".

Phrase Breakdown

J'ai appuyé

zhay ay ah-pwee-YAY

I pressed

Passé composé of 'appuyer'. Say 'jé-a-pwi-yé'. The 'uy' is a quick 'wee' sound.

Example

J'ai appuyé deux fois.

I pressed twice.

Words in this phrase

J'

[zhay]

I

Pronoun used by the speaker to refer to himself or herself.

Example

J'aime les bonbons.

I like candies.

ai

[ay]

have

Form of 'avoir' used with past participles to make the past tense.

Example

J'ai beaucoup appris grâce à notre discussion.

I learned a lot thanks to our discussion.

appuyé

[ah-pwee-YAY]

pressed

Past participle of 'appuyer', to push or press.

Example

Il a appuyé sur la sonnette.

He pressed the doorbell.

sur le bouton.

sur luh boo-TOHN

the button.

'Appuyer sur' means 'to press'. Make 'sur' with rounded lips. 'Bouton' is 'boo-ton' with a nasal end.

Example

Appuyez sur le bouton vert.

Press the green button.

Words in this phrase

sur

[sur]

On

Indicates position in relation to a surface.

Example

Nous avançons sur ce chemin en ton absence.

We proceed on this path in your absence.

le

[luh]

the

Used as a function word to indicate a noun and to mark the noun as definite.

Example

Le chat noir.

The black cat.

bouton

[boo-TOHN]

button

A small part you press to operate a device.

Example

Appuyez sur le bouton vert.

Press the green button.

Related guides

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Babbel vs Pimsleur: Reading Your Way In or Listening Your Way In?Babbel vs Pimsleur: short structured lessons on screen versus 30-minute audio lessons you answer out loud. Which gets you speaking, and which fits your day.

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