"I understand perfectly if she's a bit upset," he said of the set dresser he worked with on a movie in 2021.
He acknowledged on Tuesday that he sometimes had a potty mouth, telling the court: "I am capable of trash talk."
And he admitted that he was wrong to use heated language with the woman when they had an on-set argument about a painting.
"I don't have to talk like that, get angry like that, voila," he said in his gruff, deep voice so familiar to global cinemagoers.
The 76-year-old former Oscar nominee has denied sexual assault allegations filed by the 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant.
The women allege that he groped them during filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).
The actor faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($A129,000) if convicted.
Depardieu acknowledged he did "grab the hips" of the set dresser during their argument on set about whether a painting was good or bad art.
But he said his gesture had not been ill-intentioned and argued that she had not appeared offended, saying: "She didn't answer as if I was assaulting her."
He acknowledged that sometimes his behaviour was regarded as boorish.
"I've always been told I have a Russian nature, I don't know if it's because of the drinking or the vulgarity," he said.
But he said he was not a predator.
"I'm not touching the butts of women," he said.
Depardieu's trial is the highest-profile #MeToo case in the media industry to come before the courts in France.
Because of Depardieu's fame and impact on the French movie industry, his trial is seen as an important test of French willingness to confront sexual violence and hold influential men accountable.
The accusations against Depardieu, and his trial, have divided French actors.
Some have taken his side, and were expected to speak at the trial, while others have backed the plaintiffs.
