English to French Subtitles
Caption an English video, translate the captions into French and put them on screen. Burned-in captions export on the free plan at up to 720p with a small badge. Translating is a Pro feature, and downloading an SRT or VTT file needs a paid plan.
English to French Subtitles Features
EchoWave's English to French subtitles are used by creators, educators and brands who publish for French-speaking viewers in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada.
De l'anglais au français
French subtitles for English video, cue by cue
English to French subtitles are made in the editor in two stages: the speech is captioned in English, then the caption track is translated into French and every cue keeps the timing of its English original. The split between free and paid is simple. Without paying you can upload, caption, edit and export a video with the captions burned in (up to 720p, small badge). The Translate button is marked Pro, and caption file downloads need a paid plan. Need the reverse? Try French to English subtitles or the subtitle translator. Related: French subtitle generator.
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86
languages in the Translate list
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3
layouts when two languages share the screen
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176
caption style presets
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720p
top resolution of a free burned-in export
French-specific details
What to watch for in French captions
French looks different from English on screen: more letters, more accents and its own spacing rules.
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Spaces before ? ! : and ;
French typography puts a space before a question mark, exclamation mark, colon or semicolon, and inside guillemets. If a line break strands one of those marks at the start of the next line, reword the cue or move the break in the Edit tab.
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Accents on every letter case
French uses é, è, ê, à, ù, ç and the œ ligature, and capital letters keep their accents. Preview a cue with each, including an all-caps preset, to be sure the font draws them.
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Longer lines than English
French typically needs more characters than the English sentence. Cues keep the original timing, so read the French at normal speed and cut filler words where a line flashes by too fast.
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Tu or vous
Informal tu suits friends, kids and many creators, and vous suits customers, business and anything formal. The translation chooses one, so read for consistency and rewrite lines in the Edit tab where needed.
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Bilingual for learners
Keep English and French on screen together for a French-learning audience: stacked, original bottom with the translation on top, or one block. Show in video can also hide English for a clean French-only version.
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Burned in or as a file
Burned-in captions go with the video to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. A paid plan adds SRT and VTT downloads for a separate subtitle track.
How it works
How to add French subtitles to an English video
The path from English speech to French captions on screen.
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Open your English video
Add the file in the editor. An audio recording works too if you only need the captions.
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Write the English captions first
Choose Generate captions in Subtitles. The spoken language is detected on its own and the cues usually arrive in a minute or two. Correct brand names before translating.
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Translate the track to French
Open Translate, choose French from the popular chips, and press Translate to French (labelled Pro). The language appears in your Languages list when the job completes, and you can keep editing while it runs.
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Show French and export
Turn on French under Show in video, restyle the captions, and export. The free plan gives MP4 up to 720p with a small EchoWave badge and a short end card.
Who it's for
Who adds French subtitles to English videos
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Creators and vloggers
Add French captions to English Reels and Shorts to open a second audience in France, Quebec and Belgium.
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Language teachers
Pair English audio with French text for listening practice, and slow the clip down to follow the sentences.
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Brands and online shops
Launch videos and ads that start in English can carry French captions for the French-speaking market.
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Conference and event teams
Recorded talks and panels get French captions for attendees and members who prefer to follow in French.
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Nonprofits and public services
Guidance recorded in English reaches French-speaking communities in a language they read comfortably.
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Film and short-film makers
Draft French subtitles quickly for a festival cut, then correct idioms and dialogue by hand.
Give your English video French subtitles
Upload the video, generate captions, translate to French and export with the captions burned in. Translation is a Pro feature; burned-in export is free at up to 720p.
What people are saying about EchoWave
About the EchoWave team
EchoWave is a browser-based video and audio editor built by Lemon Vault LLC since 2018. The people who build the editor write these guides and test every step in the production app before publishing.
English to French Subtitles FAQ
How can I get French subtitles for an English video?
Upload the video, choose Generate captions in Subtitles, then open the Translate tab, tap French and press Translate to French. Switch French on under Show in video and export, and the sous-titres are burned into the picture.
Does translating to French cost anything?
The Translate button carries a Pro label, so plan on a paid plan for it. Uploading, captioning, editing and exporting with burned-in captions need no payment, at up to 720p with a small badge. Check the pricing page for plan details.
Why is a question mark alone at the start of a line?
French puts a space before ? ! : and ;, and a line break can fall on that space. Reword the cue so it breaks earlier, or move the break in the Edit tab. Short lines make this problem rarer.
Should French subtitles use tu or vous?
Pick by audience: tu for friendly, casual or youth content, vous for customers, business and formal talks. Read the translation once for consistency and edit any line that drifts to the other form.
Is this French for France, Quebec or Belgium?
The Translate list has one French entry, with no regional variants. Reading through for local vocabulary is up to you; Canadian audiences, for instance, may prefer courriel to e-mail, and you can change such words in the Edit tab.
Will accents and capital letters display correctly?
They will with any font that includes the French characters, including É, À, Ç and œ. Check one cue in the preview, and also in an all-caps preset, before you export a long video.
Can I download a French SRT or VTT file?
Only with a paid plan. In the language menu, Download .srt and Download .vtt are marked Pro, and a free account is sent to the upgrade screen. Burning the French captions into the video works on the free plan.
Can I show English and French at once?
Yes. Keep both languages on and choose stacked, original at the bottom with the translation on top, or one block. Choose Show only this language in the French row to make a French-only version.
French subtitles for your English video
Generate captions, translate them to French and burn them in. Translation needs a paid plan; exports up to 720p start free with a small badge.
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