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French Verbs Designed to Confuse You Quiz
This quiz has a collection of French verbs which might not mean what you think they do. Can you match them to their correct English definition? This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author Lupus
A matching quiz
by rossian.
Estimated time: 3 mins.
(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right
side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.
Questions
Choices
1. Attendre
To work
2. Blesser
To watch
3. Réaliser
To summarise
4. Travailler
To wait for
5. Supplier
To insult
6. Résumer
To shoot
7. Tirer
To fulfil
8. Injurier
To wound or injure
9. Regarder
To warn
10. Avertir
To plead
Select each answer
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Attendre
Answer: To wait for
"Attendre" means to wait for someone or something to occur - "J'attends mes enfants" means "I am waiting for my children", for example.
To attend, in the sense of going somewhere, would be "aller à", meaning go to.
2. Blesser
Answer: To wound or injure
In French, "blesser" has nothing to do with being blessed, by a priest or anyone else. The French meaning is to hurt somebody, with the word coming from an early German word meaning to bruise. "Blesser" can also be used figuratively, as in hurting someone's feelings.
If you want to be blessed, you need the word "bénir". In English, we use the word benison to mean a blessing, from the same root.
3. Réaliser
Answer: To fulfil
"Réaliser" means to reach your goal or achieve your aims. The English word realise means to fully understand or grasp the meaning of something.
In French, "comprender" is similar to the English realisation as it means to understand.
4. Travailler
Answer: To work
"Travailler" in French refers to working, although it is derived from the same root as the English "travail" which is more related to torment. Maybe for some of us working is equivalent to torture, but normally it's not quite that bad.
It certainly shouldn't be confused with the English word relating to travel, despite looking similar. In French, you need to say "voyager", which is related to the English voyage.
5. Supplier
Answer: To plead
If you saw the word "supplier" in English, you'd immediately think of someone who provides you with goods. In French, "supplier" means to plead or beg for, deriving from the Latin word "supplico", meaning to kneel or request.
English also has similar words, with supplicant, meaning someone who begs, coming from the same root.
6. Résumer
Answer: To summarise
"Résumer" does not mean to start again, which is what it looks like to an English speaker. In French, it means to summarise or sum up. Some of us might recognise it in the sense of a curriculum vitae, or resumé, giving details of achievements when applying for a new job.
"Pour reprendre" is the expression you need for resuming in French.
7. Tirer
Answer: To shoot
"Tirer" can be translated as "shoot" in the sense of firing a gun. It can also be used to refer to hauling or dragging something along.
It has nothing to do with the English word "tired" or being exhausted. in French that would be "fatiguer", which is more recognisable to English speakers as meaning the same as being fatigued.
8. Injurier
Answer: To insult
Although it looks similar to the English word injure, in French "injurier" means to abuse or insult somebody, not to cause them physical damage. You may well hurt their feelings, though.
Of course, as already covered earlier in the quiz, the French word meaning to injure is itself misleading as it is "blesser".
9. Regarder
Answer: To watch
"Regarder" can also be translated as to see, perceive and notice. In English, we use the word regard more specifically to refer to thoughts or thoughtfulness.
We can also hold someone in high regard, meaning to esteem. In French, this sense would translate as "estimer", so is much more readily understood.
10. Avertir
Answer: To warn
The word is derived from Latin and means to turn away. English uses avert, but in a different way. It still means to turn away, but is used to mean looking away or prevent, while the French use it to issue a warning to take care.
In French "éviter" is the verb to use if you want to avert something.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
My first group of adoptees have matured and found their place in life, so this list includes the next generation. These have been revised and updated from quizzes originally written by members who are no longer around.