Translation
to kill
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Word origin
From Latin tutari ('to watch over, to protect'); the sense shifted in Vulgar Latin through 'to extinguish (a fire)' to 'to put out, to kill'.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- tutari
Other proposed origins
- Most often traced to Latin tutari ('to protect'), via a sense 'to extinguish, to put out'. (tutari)
- Some accounts derive it from Vulgar Latin tuditare ('to strike repeatedly'), from tundere ('to beat'). (tuditare)
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular -er conjugation. Pronouns: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles.
Indicative
| Person | Present | Imperfect | Past historic | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | tue | tuais | tuai | tuerai | tuerais |
| tu | tues | tuais | tuas | tueras | tuerais |
| il/elle | tue | tuait | tua | tuera | tuerait |
| nous | tuons | tuions | tuâmes | tuerons | tuerions |
| vous | tuez | tuiez | tuâtes | tuerez | tueriez |
| ils/elles | tuent | tuaient | tuèrent | tueront | tueraient |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| je | tue | tuasse |
| tu | tues | tuasses |
| il/elle | tue | tuât |
| nous | tuions | tuassions |
| vous | tuiez | tuassiez |
| ils/elles | tuent | tuassent |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tu | tue |
| nous | tuons |
| vous | tuez |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- tuant
- Past participle
- tué · tuée · tués · tuées
Examples
.
The cat kills a mouse in the garden.
.
The cold kills plants in winter.
.
The heat of this extreme summer killed many plants in the garden.
, .
Working so much without resting will eventually kill you if you carry on.
.
This long bus ride kills me every morning.
est un verbe du premier groupe au sens littéral (to kill) et figuré. Se tuer à la tâche (to work oneself to death, to work incredibly hard) est une expression hyperbolique très courante pour exprimer un effort extrême. Tuer le temps (to kill time) est un calque de l'anglais bien intégré en français.
Ça me tue (it kills me, it drives me crazy) exprime la frustration ou l'exaspération dans un registre familier. Tuer dans l'œuf (to nip in the bud, to kill at birth) désigne l'élimination précoce d'une idée ou d'un problème. Au passif, être tué (to be killed) est la construction standard dans les reportages.
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French · Free printables
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Free printable study downloads for the French word "tuer" (to kill): 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 week (no card)This word is taught in chapter 4, lesson 2: tuer, sûr, vie and 7 more words.