Atteindre vs. réaliser vs. accomplir
The French verbs 'atteindre', 'réaliser', and 'accomplir' can all be translated into English as actions related to achieving, reaching, or fulfilling goals. However, they each have nuances that are appropriate for different contexts.
Atteindre
'Atteindre' refers to the act of reaching or achieving a specific goal, objective, or level, often implying a sense of difficulty or effort to get there.
Il a enfin atteint son objectif de perdre 10 kilos.
(He finally reached his goal of losing 10 kilos.)
Elle espère atteindre le sommet de la montagne avant midi.
(She hopes to reach the summit of the mountain before noon.)
Cette entreprise vise à atteindre un chiffre d'affaires de un million d'euros.
(This company aims to achieve a turnover of one million euros.)
Réaliser
'Réaliser' is often used in the context of realizing a project or a dream, suggesting not only to achieve something, but also to make it happen.
Il a réalisé son rêve de devenir pilote.
(He realized his dream of becoming a pilot.)
Après des années de travail, ils ont finalement réalisé leur projet ambitieux.
(After years of work, they finally realized their ambitious project.)
Elle réalise enfin l'importance de prendre soin de sa santé.
(She finally realizes the importance of taking care of her health.)
Accomplir
'Accomplir' refers to fulfilling duties or tasks, completing something thoroughly or satisfactorily.
Il a accompli toutes les tâches assignées avec succès.
(He successfully accomplished all the assigned tasks.)
Elle s'est sentie fier d'avoir accompli tant de travail en une journée.
(She felt proud to have accomplished so much work in one day.)
L'équipe a accompli un exploit remarquable en remportant le championnat.
(The team accomplished an outstanding feat by winning the championship.)
Summary
'Atteindre', 'réaliser', and 'accomplir' all have the sense of achieving something, but are used differently depending on the context: 'atteindre' means reaching a goal or level, often with effort; 'réaliser' means turning dreams or projects into reality; while 'accomplir' means satisfactorily completing tasks or duties.