/ʁa.te/
Translation
to miss, to fail, to mess up
Word origin
From the noun rat, in the old expression prendre un rat, said of a firearm that failed to go off. The sense widened from a gun misfiring to any attempt that comes to nothing. Why a misfire was called a rat is not settled.
- Origin
- French
- Root
- rat
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular -er conjugation. Pronouns: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles.
Indicative
| Person | Present | Imperfect | Past historic | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | rate | ratais | ratai | raterai | raterais |
| tu | rates | ratais | ratas | rateras | raterais |
| il/elle | rate | ratait | rata | ratera | raterait |
| nous | ratons | rations | ratâmes | raterons | raterions |
| vous | ratez | ratiez | ratâtes | raterez | rateriez |
| ils/elles | ratent | rataient | ratèrent | rateront | rateraient |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| je | rate | ratasse |
| tu | rates | ratasses |
| il/elle | rate | ratât |
| nous | rations | ratassions |
| vous | ratiez | ratassiez |
| ils/elles | ratent | ratassent |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tu | rate |
| nous | ratons |
| vous | ratez |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- ratant
- Past participle
- raté · ratée · ratés · ratées
Examples
J' .
I missed my train by fifteen minutes.
.
She failed her driving test for the second time.
, c' .
Do not miss the start of the film, it is the best part.
.
My cake is a complete disaster.
.
We never miss a chance to see each other.
Where this fits
Used in
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rater: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "rater" (to miss, to fail, to mess up): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 18.