100 French Verbs Face-Off (Part 2)

[C] to change | This verb underwent its own transformation - from Latin "cambiare" (to exchange), originally a banking term. "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" - the more things change, the more they stay the same, a phrase coined by French journalist Alphonse Karr.

[D] to import | Has dual personality: meaning both "to import goods" and "to matter" (as in "peu importe" - it doesn't matter). This semantic split happened when trade terminology met philosophy.

[A] to use | Borrowed from Latin "utilis" (useful) in the 14th century to replace the older "user." French bureaucracy loves this verb - everything must be "bien utilisé" (properly used).

[B] to follow | Irregular conjugation because it comes from Latin "sequi." Instagram would be "Instasuivre" in French - though they kept the English term for marketing appeal.

[C] to carry | This chameleon verb means to carry, wear, or bear. "Prêt-à-porter" (ready-to-wear) revolutionized fashion by making designer clothes accessible beyond haute couture.

[D] to pass | With over 30 different meanings depending on context, it's the Swiss Army knife of French verbs. "Passer un examen" means to take an exam, not to pass it successfully.

[A] to know | Differs from "savoir" - connaître is knowing people/places (experiential), savoir is knowing facts/how to do things (intellectual). This distinction doesn't exist in English, causing endless confusion.

[B] to go out | Can mean going out socially or physically exiting. Young Parisians distinction between "sortir" (going out) and "SORTIR sortir" (really going out) shows how repetition creates emphasis.

[C] to prevent | From Latin "impedicare" (to entangle the feet), originally describing how trapped animals couldn't move. The phrase "empêcheur de tourner en rond" means party pooper, literally "preventer of going in circles."

[D] to succeed | Adding "à" changes everything: "réussir quelque chose" (succeed at something) vs "réussir à faire" (manage to do). French students obsess over "réussir le bac."

[A] to defend | Paradoxically means both "to defend" and "to forbid" - context determines which. "Défense de fumer" (no smoking) uses the prohibition meaning, seen on signs everywhere.

[B] to exist | Philosophical favorite since Descartes' "Je pense, donc je suis" (I think, therefore I am). Though technically, Descartes wrote it in Latin first: "Cogito, ergo sum."

[C] to work | From Latin "tripaliare" (to torture with a tripalium device), work was literally viewed as torture. Modern French maintains this pessimistic view with "métro, boulot, dodo" (subway, work, sleep).

[D] to risk | The French phrase "qui ne risque rien n'a rien" (nothing ventured, nothing gained) predates its English equivalent by centuries, showing French acceptance of calculated risk.

[A] to secure | Means to assure, insure, ensure, and secure - four English words for one French verb. "Je t'assure" is the French equivalent of "I swear" or "trust me, bro."

[B] to put | Highly irregular, appearing in dozens of expressions. "Mettre les pieds dans le plat" (put feet in the dish) means to put your foot in your mouth - both cultures use food metaphors for social gaffes.

[C] to become | Conjugated with être, marking it as a verb of transformation. Simone de Beauvoir's "On ne naît pas femme, on le devient" (One isn't born a woman, one becomes one) uses this verb philosophically.

[D] to go | The most irregular French verb, combining three different Latin verbs (vadere, ire, ambulare) into one Frankenstein creation. "Ça va?" might be the most spoken French phrase worldwide.

[A] to occupy | Gained political weight during WWII (L'Occupation), forever changing its connotations. "Occupé" on bathroom doors is less historically loaded.

[B] to see | Differs from "regarder" (to look/watch) - voir is passive, regarder is active. "Voir la vie en rose" (see life through rose-colored glasses) inspired Édith Piaf's famous song.

[C] to represent | In French theater, "représentation" means performance, reminding us that all representation is, in a sense, performance. Politicians "représentent le peuple" - make of that what you will.

[D] to arrive | Can mean both arriving and happening ("Qu'est-ce qui arrive?" - What's happening?). Uses être in compound tenses because it's a verb of movement.

[A] to produce | Shares its irregular pattern with conduire, traduire, and other -uire verbs. French wine producers insist their terroir "produit" unique flavors - a concept with no English equivalent.

[B] to add | From Latin "adjuxtare" (to bring near), it originally meant physically moving objects together. French recipes always "ajoutez" ingredients with more poetry than English "add."

[A] to return | More nuanced than English "return" - implies coming back to a starting point. "Revenons à nos moutons" (let's return to our sheep) means getting back on topic.

[D] to find | "Se trouver" means to be located or to find oneself (physically or existentially). The French are always finding themselves, philosophically speaking.

[A] to hold | Irregular verb with Latin roots in "tenere." "Tenir à quelqu'un" (to care about someone) shows how holding becomes emotional attachment in language.

[B] to look for | Unlike English, doesn't need "for" - the preposition is built in. "Chercher la petite bête" (looking for the little beast) means nitpicking.

[A] to serve | The reflexive "se servir de" means to use something, showing how serving and using interconnect. French waiters ask "Vous désirez?" not "Comment puis-je vous servir?"

[D] to have to | Expresses obligation, probability, and debt - three concepts united by duty. "Je dois y aller" could mean I have to go, I should go, or I probably will go - context is king.