Differences in meaning

Viv M.A1Kwiziq community member

Differences in meaning

Some references say the following meaning about the verbs:

-sortir = to bring out

-sentir = to do

-repartir: to answer back,

is this true?

Merci!

Asked 4 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Viv,

Verbs can have multiple meanings depending on the context, so your question cannot be answered without knowing it.

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/sortir

One of the best references in my experience is the link above.

I have set it for sortir initially but once you have reviewed that verb you can then enter each of the other verbs that you are querying. You will also be able to view the various synonyms and assess the alternative uses.

Bonne continuation.

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Also, several verbs change meaning when they are used transitively or intransitively:

Tu sors ce soir? -- Are you going out tonight? (intransitive)
Tu sors la poubelle? -- Are you taking out the trash? (transitive)

Others can be used with the prefix re- to mean "to do something again", whereas as a whole they can mean something else entirely.

Anne est parti  à Vienne aujourd'hui. Demain elle repart à Berlin. -- Anne left for Vienna today. Tomorrow she'll leave again to Berlin.
"Je l'ignore" repartit mon frère. -- "I don't know," replied my brother. (mostly in literary use)

Differences in meaning

Some references say the following meaning about the verbs:

-sortir = to bring out

-sentir = to do

-repartir: to answer back,

is this true?

Merci!

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