How French speakers read arithmetic out loud. Plus, moins, fois (casual) or multiplie par (formal), divise par, egale. Each operation with a worked example.
Updated May 2026
Symbol
French
Operation
Spoken example
Audio
+
plus
addition
deux plus trois egale cinq (2 + 3 = 5)
-
moins
soustraction
dix moins quatre egale six (10 - 4 = 6)
x
fois / multiplie par
multiplication
trois fois quatre egale douze (3 x 4 = 12)
/
divise par
division
quinze divise par trois egale cinq (15 / 3 = 5)
=
egale
equality
deux plus deux egale quatre (= 4)
^
a la puissance
exponent
deux a la puissance huit egale deux cent cinquante-six (2^8 = 256)
sqrt
racine carree
square root
racine carree de neuf egale trois (sqrt(9) = 3)
%
pour cent
percentage
dix pour cent de cinquante egale cinq (10% of 50 = 5)
Plus, spoken as deux plus trois egale cinq (2 + 3 = 5). The verb additionner means to add, but in spoken math the symbol is read as plus. Le signe plus is the formal name; egale (third-person singular present of egaler) is the standard read of the equals sign.
How do you say multiply in French?
Fois for casual speech, multiplie par for formal or written math. Trois fois quatre = 3 x 4. Trois multiplie par quatre is the longer form, used in textbooks and exam papers. Both are accepted.
How do you say divide in French?
Divise par. Quinze divise par trois = 15 / 3. The verb diviser conjugates to divise (third person singular present). The result-word is le quotient. The remainder is le reste. The dividend (number being divided) is le dividende, the divisor (number you divide by) is le diviseur.
What is the French word for equals?
Egale. From the verb egaler (to equal). Read as "deux plus deux egale quatre" (2 + 2 = 4). In writing the symbol is = with non-breaking spaces around it per the Imprimerie nationale style guide.
How do you say "to the power of" in French?
A la puissance. Deux a la puissance huit = 2^8 (read "two to the power of eight"). For squared and cubed there are shortcuts: au carre (squared), au cube (cubed). Cinq au carre = 5^2, deux au cube = 2^3.