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B1 verb #2,500 am häufigsten 6 Min. Lesezeit

collaborer

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At the A1 level, 'collaborer' might be a bit advanced, but you can understand it as 'travailler ensemble' (to work together). Think of it as 'co-work'. You use it simply: 'Je collabore avec mon ami' (I work with my friend). It is a regular verb, so it follows the same rules as 'parler' or 'habiter'. At this stage, just remember that it means more than one person is working on the same thing. You don't need to worry about the historical meaning yet. Focus on the 'avec' (with) part. For example: 'Nous collaborons pour l'école' (We work together for school). It's a useful word to know for basic descriptions of group activities.
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At the A2 level, you start to use 'collaborer' in more specific contexts, like at work or in a club. You should know that it's a formal way to say you are working with someone. You can use it to describe a project: 'On collabore sur un projet de voyage.' You should also start to notice the preposition 'à' for the task: 'Elle collabore à ce journal.' At this level, you can conjugate it in the present and the passé composé. It's a great word to use in a simple job interview or when talking about your hobbies if they involve other people, like a band or a sports team management committee.
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At the B1 level, you should be comfortable using 'collaborer' in professional and academic settings. You understand the nuance that it implies a shared responsibility and a common goal. You can use it with various prepositions: 'collaborer avec' (with someone), 'collaborer à' (on a project), and 'collaborer sur' (on a specific task). You are also becoming aware that it is a 'stronger' word than 'travailler ensemble'. It sounds more professional. You might start to see it in news articles or professional emails. You should also be able to use it in the subjunctive: 'Il faut que nous collaborions plus.' This level is where you really start to integrate it into your active professional vocabulary.
At the B2 level, you understand the subtle differences between 'collaborer', 'coopérer', and 's'associer'. You can use 'collaborer' to discuss complex topics like international relations, scientific research, or business mergers. You are aware of the historical connotation of 'la Collaboration' in France and can navigate around it or use it correctly in a historical discussion. You can use the word in more complex sentence structures, such as 'En collaborant avec eux, nous avons pu réduire les coûts.' You also recognize the noun 'collaboration' and the term 'collaborateur' (colleague/employee) and can use them naturally in a French office environment without hesitation.
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At the C1 level, you master the stylistic use of 'collaborer'. You can use it to express fine nuances in professional dynamics. You might use it in a critique of a book or a film: 'L'auteur a collaboré avec un illustrateur de renom pour créer cette ambiance.' You understand the legal implications of 'collaborer avec la justice'. You can use the word in high-level business negotiations or academic writing to describe multifaceted partnerships. Your use of prepositions is flawless, and you can switch between 'collaborer à' and 'collaborer sur' depending on the desired level of formality or the specific nature of the work being discussed.
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At the C2 level, you have a near-native grasp of 'collaborer'. You can use it in philosophical or sociopolitical debates. You understand the full weight of its historical etymology and how it has evolved in the French collective consciousness. You can use it ironically, metaphorically, or in highly technical legal and administrative contexts. You are sensitive to the rhythm of the sentence and might choose 'collaborer' over 'coopérer' for purely aesthetic or rhetorical reasons. You can discuss the 'économie collaborative' (sharing economy) and other modern derivatives with ease, analyzing the linguistic shifts that have made this verb so central to 21st-century French discourse.
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collaborer in 30 Sekunden

  • Collaborer means working together on a shared project or goal, emphasizing collective effort and synergy between different parties or individuals.
  • It is a regular -er verb, conjugated like 'parler', and is widely used in professional, artistic, and scientific contexts across the French-speaking world.
  • The verb typically requires prepositions: 'avec' for the person you work with and 'à' or 'sur' for the specific task or project involved.
  • While generally positive, it carries a historical weight in France related to WWII, so context is important when using the noun 'collaboration'.

The French verb collaborer is a cornerstone of professional and creative discourse. At its most fundamental level, it signifies the act of working jointly with others to achieve a common goal or produce a specific outcome. Derived from the Latin collaborare (from com- 'with' + laborare 'to work'), it emphasizes the collective effort over individual contribution. In a modern French context, it is used extensively in business, science, and the arts to describe partnerships that are more formal or structured than simply 'working together' (travailler ensemble).

Professional Context
Refers to two companies or departments working on a shared project.
Artistic Context
When two musicians or writers create a single work of art.
Scientific Context
Researchers from different universities sharing data and findings.

"Les deux laboratoires ont décidé de collaborer pour accélérer la recherche sur le vaccin."

— Example of scientific partnership

However, one must be aware of the historical weight this word carries in France. During World War II, the term 'collaboration' took on a dark meaning, referring to those who worked with the occupying Nazi forces. While the verb collaborer is perfectly safe to use in a modern business meeting, the noun collaborateur can sometimes evoke this historical trauma if used in a political or highly sensitive context, though in a modern office, a 'collaborateur' is simply a colleague or employee.

Il est essentiel de collaborer avec nos partenaires européens.

Elle a accepté de collaborer à cette nouvelle revue littéraire.

Synonym Nuance
Unlike 'coopérer', which implies helping, 'collaborer' implies a shared creation.

Nous devons collaborer étroitement pour réussir ce lancement.

In summary, to collaborate is to merge talents. It is a transitive indirect verb usually followed by 'avec' (with someone) or 'à' (on something). It suggests a level of equality and mutual benefit between the parties involved. Whether you are a student working on a group project or a CEO negotiating a merger, 'collaborer' is the verb that defines the synergy of collective human effort.

Using collaborer correctly requires attention to its prepositional structures. It is a regular -er verb, making its conjugation straightforward, but its syntax is specific. You generally collaborate with someone (avec) on a project (à or sur). For example, 'Je collabore avec Marie sur ce dossier' (I am collaborating with Marie on this file).

Preposition 'À'
Used for the object of the collaboration: 'Collaborer à une œuvre'.
Preposition 'Avec'
Used for the partner: 'Collaborer avec un concurrent'.
Preposition 'Sur'
Common in modern business for specific tasks: 'Collaborer sur un projet'.

Ils ont collaboré à la rédaction du rapport annuel.

In terms of register, 'collaborer' is slightly more formal than 'travailler ensemble'. You would use it in a CV, a cover letter, or a formal meeting. It implies a professional commitment. When conjugated in the passé composé, it uses the auxiliary 'avoir': 'Nous avons collaboré'. In the future tense, it follows the standard pattern: 'Nous collaborerons'.

Voulez-vous collaborer avec notre équipe de design ?

The verb is also frequently used in the infinitive form after verbs like 'vouloir', 'pouvoir', or 'devoir'. It is a versatile tool for expressing intent and necessity in collaborative environments. Remember that the stress falls on the final syllable '-er' in the infinitive, and the 'll' is pronounced as a single 'l' sound, not a 'y' sound as in 'fille'.

You will encounter collaborer in several distinct environments. In the corporate world, it is ubiquitous. Managers speak of 'collaborer en transverse' (collaborating across departments). In academic circles, researchers 'collaborent' on papers and experiments. In the media, you might hear about fashion brands 'collaborant' with celebrities for a 'capsule collection'.

"Cette marque de luxe a choisi de collaborer avec un artiste de rue."

News Reports
Often used regarding international cooperation between police forces or governments.
Job Interviews
Recruiters ask: 'Comment aimez-vous collaborer avec vos collègues ?'

Interestingly, you will also hear it in legal contexts. 'Collaborer avec la justice' means to cooperate with the authorities, often by providing information. This usage is common in crime dramas and news reports about legal investigations. Despite its formal tone, it is a word that every B1 learner should recognize because it appears in almost every professional email or LinkedIn post in France.

The most frequent mistake learners make is the preposition error. Many English speakers try to translate 'collaborate on' directly as 'collaborer sur' every time. While 'sur' is becoming more common in casual business French, 'à' remains the grammatically preferred preposition for a work or project. Another mistake is the confusion with 'travailler'. While all collaboration is work, not all work is collaboration. Use 'collaborer' only when there is a shared, interactive effort.

Incorrect: Je collabore le projet.
Correct: Je collabore au projet.

The 'LL' Pronunciation
Don't pronounce it like 'fille' (fee-yuh). It's 'ko-la-bo-ray'.
Historical Sensitivity
Avoid calling someone a 'vrai collaborateur' in a political debate unless you mean to insult them by implying they are a traitor.

Finally, watch out for the false friend aspect in certain contexts. While 'collaborate' in English is almost always positive, in French history books, 'la Collaboration' (with a capital C) refers specifically to the Vichy regime. If you are discussing history, be very precise with your phrasing to avoid unintended connotations.

To truly master collaborer, you must understand its neighbors. Coopérer is the closest synonym, but it often implies a more passive or helpful stance—helping someone else achieve their goal. S'associer suggests a more formal, often legal or financial, union. Contribuer means to give a part of one's effort to a larger whole, but doesn't necessarily imply working with others in real-time.

Travailler ensemble
The most common, neutral way to say 'work together'.
Épauler
To support or 'shoulder' someone in their work.
Participer
To take part in something, less intense than collaborating.

On peut coopérer sans forcément collaborer sur chaque détail.

In a professional setting, you might also hear mutualiser, which means to pool resources together. While 'collaborer' focuses on the human action, 'mutualiser' focuses on the assets (tools, money, data). Choosing the right word depends on whether you want to emphasize the relationship (collaborer), the help (coopérer), or the shared resources (mutualiser).

How Formal Is It?

Schwierigkeitsgrad

Wichtige Grammatik

Indirect transitive verbs

Prepositions with verbs

Regular -er verb conjugations

The use of 'avec' vs 'à'

Subjunctive mood for necessity

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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Je collabore avec mon frère.

I am collaborating with my brother.

Present tense, first person singular.

2

Nous collaborons pour le projet.

We are collaborating for the project.

Present tense, first person plural.

3

Tu collabores avec elle ?

Are you collaborating with her?

Interrogative form.

4

Ils collaborent bien ensemble.

They collaborate well together.

Adverb 'bien' placement.

5

Elle veut collaborer avec toi.

She wants to collaborate with you.

Infinitive after 'vouloir'.

6

Vous collaborez au dessin ?

Are you collaborating on the drawing?

Preposition 'au' (à + le).

7

On collabore pour la fête.

We are collaborating for the party.

Informal 'on' meaning 'we'.

8

Jean collabore avec Marie.

Jean is collaborating with Marie.

Subject-verb agreement.

1

J'ai collaboré avec lui l'année dernière.

I collaborated with him last year.

Passé composé with 'avoir'.

2

Nous allons collaborer sur ce dossier.

We are going to collaborate on this file.

Futur proche.

3

Elle a collaboré à la création du site.

She collaborated on the creation of the site.

Preposition 'à'.

4

Est-ce que vous collaborez souvent ?

Do you collaborate often?

Adverb 'souvent'.

5

Ils ne collaborent plus avec cette agence.

They no longer collaborate with this agency.

Negation 'ne... plus'.

6

Il est important de collaborer.

It is important to collaborate.

Impersonal expression 'Il est... de'.

7

Nous collaborions chaque lundi.

We used to collaborate every Monday.

Imparfait for habitual action.

8

Peux-tu collaborer avec mon équipe ?

Can you collaborate with my team?

Modal verb 'pouvoir'.

1

Nous devons collaborer pour résoudre ce problème.

We must collaborate to solve this problem.

Modal verb 'devoir'.

2

Il a accepté de collaborer à notre enquête.

He agreed to collaborate on our investigation.

Verb + de + infinitive.

3

Si nous collaborons, nous finirons plus vite.

If we collaborate, we will finish faster.

First conditional (si + present).

4

Elle collabore étroitement avec la direction.

She collaborates closely with management.

Adverb 'étroitement'.

5

C'est un plaisir de collaborer avec vous.

It is a pleasure to collaborate with you.

Formal expression.

6

Ils ont décidé de ne plus collaborer.

They decided to no longer collaborate.

Negation of infinitive.

7

Le but est de collaborer sur le long terme.

The goal is to collaborate in the long term.

Prepositional phrase 'sur le long terme'.

8

Avez-vous déjà collaboré avec un artiste ?

Have you ever collaborated with an artist?

Passé composé with 'déjà'.

1

Bien qu'ils soient concurrents, ils collaborent.

Although they are competitors, they collaborate.

Subjunctive after 'bien que'.

2

Le projet a échoué car ils n'ont pas su collaborer.

The project failed because they didn't know how to collaborate.

Savoir + infinitive in the negative.

3

Il est impératif que nous collaborions davantage.

It is imperative that we collaborate more.

Subjunctive mood.

4

En collaborant, nous mutualisons nos ressources.

By collaborating, we pool our resources.

Gérondif (en + participe présent).

5

Cette collaboration a porté ses fruits.

This collaboration has borne fruit.

Idiomatic expression with the noun form.

6

Ils collaborent à l'élaboration d'un nouveau traité.

They are collaborating on the drafting of a new treaty.

Complex noun phrase.

7

Il refuse de collaborer avec les autorités.

He refuses to collaborate with the authorities.

Refuser de + infinitive.

8

Nous aurions dû collaborer plus tôt.

We should have collaborated sooner.

Conditionnel passé.

1

L'entreprise cherche à collaborer avec des start-ups innovantes.

The company is seeking to collaborate with innovative start-ups.

Chercher à + infinitive.

2

Leur capacité à collaborer est leur plus grand atout.

Their ability to collaborate is their greatest asset.

Noun + à + infinitive.

3

Il s'agit de collaborer en toute transparence.

It's about collaborating in full transparency.

Fixed expression 'en toute transparence'.

4

Elle a su collaborer sans compromettre ses valeurs.

She managed to collaborate without compromising her values.

Sans + infinitive.

5

Le chercheur a collaboré à plusieurs publications majeures.

The researcher collaborated on several major publications.

Preposition 'à' for publications.

6

Il est rare de voir deux géants collaborer ainsi.

It is rare to see two giants collaborate like this.

Infinitive as object of 'voir'.

7

La réussite dépend de notre aptitude à collaborer.

Success depends on our aptitude to collaborate.

Dépendre de + noun phrase.

8

Ils ont été contraints de collaborer par nécessité.

They were forced to collaborate out of necessity.

Passive voice 'ont été contraints'.

1

L'œuvre témoigne d'une volonté farouche de collaborer.

The work bears witness to a fierce desire to collaborate.

Elevated vocabulary 'farouche'.

2

Collaborer n'est pas seulement agir, c'est co-penser.

Collaborating is not just acting, it is co-thinking.

Infinitive as subject.

3

Il a fallu collaborer pour transcender les clivages politiques.

It was necessary to collaborate to transcend political divides.

Transcender les clivages (high register).

4

Leur refus de collaborer a précipité la chute du régime.

Their refusal to collaborate precipitated the fall of the regime.

Historical/Political register.

5

On ne saurait collaborer sans une confiance mutuelle absolue.

One cannot collaborate without absolute mutual trust.

Formal 'on ne saurait' (cannot).

6

La synergie née de leur décision de collaborer fut immédiate.

The synergy born from their decision to collaborate was immediate.

Past participle 'née' as adjective.

7

Collaborer à l'échelle mondiale est le défi du siècle.

Collaborating on a global scale is the challenge of the century.

Adverbial phrase 'à l'échelle mondiale'.

8

Qu'ils collaborent ou non, le résultat sera le même.

Whether they collaborate or not, the result will be the same.

Subjunctive in a concessive clause.

Häufige Kollokationen

collaborer étroitement
collaborer activement
collaborer à un projet
collaborer avec la justice
collaborer sur un dossier
collaborer à une revue
collaborer avec un partenaire
collaborer bénévolement
collaborer régulièrement
collaborer à distance

Häufige Phrasen

En collaboration avec
Prêt à collaborer
Collaborer main dans la main
Une opportunité de collaborer
Collaborer pour le bien commun
Apprendre à collaborer
Collaborer à la réussite
Vouloir collaborer
Collaborer sur tous les fronts
Cesser de collaborer

Wird oft verwechselt mit

collaborer vs Coopérer

Coopérer is more about following rules or helping; collaborer is about creating together.

collaborer vs Travailler

Travailler is general; collaborer is specifically social/joint.

collaborer vs Contribuer

Contribuer can be done alone (giving money); collaborer requires a partner.

Redewendungen & Ausdrücke

"Mettre la main à la pâte (related: to help out)"
"Faire cause commune"
"Travailler de concert"
"Renvoyer l'ascenseur (reciprocal help)"
"Unir ses forces"
"Être sur la même longueur d'onde"
"Marcher main dans la main"
"Apporter sa pierre à l'édifice"
"Jouer collectif"
"Faire équipe"

Leicht verwechselbar

collaborer vs

collaborer vs

collaborer vs

collaborer vs

collaborer vs

Satzmuster

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So verwendest du es

nuance

Collaborer implies a deeper level of integration than just 'helping'.

modern trend

'Collaborer sur' is becoming standard in tech and startup circles.

Häufige Fehler
  • Using no preposition: 'Collaborer le projet' (Wrong) vs 'Collaborer au projet' (Right).
  • Pronouncing 'll' as 'y': It should be a hard 'L'.
  • Using it for simple tasks: Don't use it for 'collaborating on washing dishes'; use 'aider' or 'faire ensemble'.
  • Confusing with 'coopérer' in legal contexts: Both work, but 'collaborer avec la justice' is a specific phrase.
  • Using 'collaborateur' in a political sense without knowing the history.

Tipps

Preposition Choice

Use 'avec' for people and 'à' for the project name. This is the most common mistake for learners.

Historical Context

Be aware of the WWII context when reading history books. The word 'Collaboration' is very heavy there.

CV Usage

Use 'collaborer' to describe your teamwork experience. It sounds more proactive than 'travailler'.

Pronunciation

Make sure to pronounce every syllable: ko-la-bo-ray. Don't let the 'll' confuse you.

Word Family

Learn 'collaboratif' (adjective) to describe tools like Google Docs or Slack.

Formal Emails

End a proposal with 'Dans l'attente de collaborer avec vous' for a professional touch.

Media

Watch for this word in the credits of French films to see who worked with whom.

Networking

Use 'J'aimerais collaborer avec vous' when meeting potential business partners.

Vs Coopérer

Use 'collaborer' when you are building something new together from scratch.

Root Word

Remember 'Labor'. Collaboration is 'Together-Labor'.

Einprägen

Wortherkunft

Latin 'collaborare'

Kultureller Kontext

Using 'collaborer' in an email shows you value the other person's input.

Be careful with the noun 'collabo', which is a derogatory short form for WWII collaborators.

Im Alltag üben

Kontexte aus dem Alltag

Gesprächseinstiege

"Avez-vous déjà collaboré avec une équipe internationale ?"

"Sur quel type de projet préférez-vous collaborer ?"

"Est-il facile de collaborer avec votre patron ?"

"Comment peut-on mieux collaborer à distance ?"

"Avec quel artiste aimeriez-vous collaborer ?"

Tagebuch-Impulse

Décrivez une fois où vous avez dû collaborer avec quelqu'un de difficile.

Pourquoi est-il important de collaborer dans votre métier ?

Quels sont les avantages de collaborer sur un projet créatif ?

Imaginez une collaboration entre deux de vos marques préférées.

Comment la technologie aide-t-elle les gens à collaborer aujourd'hui ?

Häufig gestellte Fragen

10 Fragen

Usually yes, especially in professional contexts. However, in French history, it has a negative connotation related to WWII.

No, you must say 'collaborer à un projet' or 'collaborer sur un projet'.

'Collaborateur' is often used by managers to refer to their team members, while 'collègue' is used between people of the same rank.

It uses 'avoir'. For example: 'J'ai collaboré', 'Tu as collaboré'.

Yes, it is very common in professional, academic, and artistic French.

It's less common for playing a game, but common for the management or strategy of a team.

Always use 'avec' for a person.

Yes, but it is more formal and implies a more structured partnership.

Yes, 'collaborer avec la police' or 'collaborer avec la justice' is the standard term.

No, it is pronounced as a clear 'l' sound.

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