Getting Real with "Réaliser"

In a previous lesson, we explored the words compte and compter, which are used in a wide variety of expressions beyond their most basic meanings (“account” and “to count,” respectively). One of these expressions is se rendre compte, which literally means “to give an account to oneself,” but which is best translated as “to realize”:

Et bien sûr nous allons aussi nous rendre compte que

And of course we'll also realize that

Metz est une ville riche par son patrimoine, son passé.

Metz is a rich city through its heritage, its past.

Captions 14-15, Lionel - à Metz
Play Caption

“To realize” also has a French cognate, réaliser. While réaliser can be used as a synonym of se rendre compte, it more often refers to realizing something in the sense of making something a reality, such as a goal or a dream:

C'est un rêve qui va être chaud à réaliser:

It's a dream that's going to be hard to realize:

c'est pouvoir voir Michael Jackson.

it's being able to see Michael Jackson.

Captions 26-27, Micro-Trottoirs - Un rêve récurrent?
Play Caption

While this sense of “to realize” is more of a formal and often technical term, réaliser is more commonly used as a synonym of faire (to make or to do). For example, “to realize a recipe” isn’t as common a phrase in English as réaliser une recette is in French:

Ben, pour réaliser, euh, la recette,

Well, to make, uh, this recipe,

ben on a besoin des... des homards.

well we need some... some lobsters.

Caption 29, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano - Médaillon de Homard
Play Caption

Margaux and Manon even use réaliser in their definition of faire:

"Faire" veut dire construire ou fabriquer

"Faire" means to build or make

ou réaliser quelque chose de concret, de matériel.

or achieve something concrete, material.

Caption 9, Margaux et Manon - Emplois du verbe faire
Play Caption

If you make the verb reflexive, it means "to become reality" or, in the case of wishes and dreams, "to come true":

Tous mes rêves se sont réalisés.
All my dreams came true.

Some other synonyms of réaliser are accomplir (to accomplish), exécuter (to execute, carry out), créer (to create), atteindre (to achieve), and achever (to finish, complete).

Réaliser is also an important verb in film terminology, meaning “to direct.” In fact, its noun form, réalisateur, specifically means “film director”:

Alors, c'est le réalisateur qui s'est battu pour elle.

So, it was the director who fought for her.

Caption 4, Le Journal - Marion Cotillard
Play Caption

You can also use the word cinéaste, or “filmmaker,” instead of réalisateur. A “cineaste” in English is either a filmmaker or a film buff (or both!).

Another noun form of réaliser is réalisation, which generally means “realization” or “fulfillment,” but can also mean “design” or “creation” in architectural parlance. As France contains a wealth of architectural treasures, you’ll come across this word a lot in Yabla travel videos:

La réalisation architecturale du parc a été confiée

The park's architectural design was assigned

en mille neuf cent quatre-vingt trois.

in nineteen eighty-three.

Caption 8, De nouvelles découvertes avec Marion - Le Parc de la Villette
Play Caption

Et à l'entrée, pour les amateurs d'architecture,

And at the entrance, for architecture enthusiasts,

il y a cette extraordinaire réalisation Le Corbusier.

there is this extraordinary Le Corbusier creation.

Captions 11-12, Voyage dans Paris - Le Treizième arrondissement de Paris
Play Caption

We hope you realize all of your dreams and goals, whether they’re as small as making a recipe or as large as constructing a building, or as fun as learning French with Yabla!

Topics Vocabulary