100 French Verbs Face-Off (Part 3)

[A] to belong | Literally "to hold to," it conjugates like tenir. The French Constitution begins "La souveraineté appartient au peuple" - sovereignty belongs to the people, though implementation varies.

[B] to put down | Also means "to pose" for photos and "to ask" questions. French models "posent," intellectuals "posent des questions," and workers "posent leurs outils" (put down tools/strike).

[C] to leave | Unlike "laisser" (leave something), partir is about departing. "Partir c'est mourir un peu" (to leave is to die a little) captures French melodrama about goodbyes.

[D] to learn | Conjugates like prendre. Can mean to learn or to teach someone something ("apprendre quelque chose à quelqu'un"). This dual meaning reflects learning as exchange.

[A] to give | Appears in countless idioms. "Donner sa langue au chat" (give your tongue to the cat) means to give up guessing - cats apparently collect human tongues in French folklore.

[B] to have to | Impersonal verb existing only in third person singular ("il faut"). No subject pronoun needed - the universe itself demands action. Very French in its fatalistic certainty.

[C] to wait | Unlike English, doesn't need "for" - it's built in. "Attendre un enfant" (expecting a child) shows how waiting became synonymous with pregnancy.

[D] to ask | Can mean to ask for something or ask a question. "Se demander" means to wonder - literally asking oneself, showing how internal dialogue shapes thought.

[A] to write | Irregular past participle "écrit" appears on French doors meaning "push/pull." The French reverence for written word extends even to door instructions.

[B] to lose | "Perdre le nord" (lose the north) means to lose one's bearings. Before compasses, "north" meant orientation itself - linguistic fossil from navigation history.

[C] to act | Forms the basis of "réagir" (react). "Il s'agit de" (it's about/concerning) is impersonal - the subject acts itself, very philosophical for everyday grammar.

[D] to refuse | The French right to refuse is culturally enshrined. "Droit de refus" appears in labor laws, ensuring workers can refuse unsafe conditions.

[A] to put back | Multi-purpose verb: return, hand over, postpone, or recover. "Se remettre" means to recover from illness or breakup - putting yourself back together.

[A] to be able | No infinitive form needed after it. "Sauve qui peut!" (save who can) means "every man for himself" - grammar reflecting panic where articles disappear.

[C] to pull | Means pull, shoot, draw, or print. "Tirer les vers du nez" (pull worms from the nose) means extracting information - disturbing imagery for interrogation.

[D] to create | The acute accent on the first 'e' is essential - without it, you get "creer" which isn't a word. French accents aren't decorative; they're functional.

[A] to know | Irregular verb for knowing facts/skills. "Savoir-vivre" (knowing how to live) encapsulates French social sophistication - there's an art to existing properly.

[B] to suggest | "L'homme propose, Dieu dispose" (man proposes, God disposes) shows French fatalism - we suggest, fate decides. Still used when plans fall through.

[C] to prepare | French dinner preparation is "mise en place" - everything in its place before cooking begins. This methodical approach extends beyond cuisine to life philosophy.

[D] to try | The 'y' changes to 'i' before silent endings. "L'essayer c'est l'adopter" (to try it is to adopt it) is marketing speak that entered everyday language.

[A] to open | Past participle "ouvert" is irregular. "Ouvrir son cœur" (open one's heart) shows how physical opening became emotional metaphor across cultures.

[B] to call back | The double 'p' affects pronunciation. "Se rappeler" (to remember) literally means to call back to oneself - memory as self-summoning.

[C] to obtain | More formal than "avoir" or "recevoir." Conjugates like tenir. French bureaucracy loves this verb - everything must be officially "obtenu."

[D] to consider | The accent changes in conjugation (considère). "Tout bien considéré" (all things considered) is French hedging at its finest.

[A] to like | Covers both like and love - context determines intensity. "Je t'aime" means "I love you," but "j'aime le chocolat" just means you like chocolate, not that you're romantically involved with it.

[B] to do | Most versatile French verb with hundreds of expressions. "Faire la grasse matinée" (do the fat morning) means sleeping in - only the French would call morning sleep "fat."

[C] to meet | Implies first meeting or chance encounter, unlike "retrouver" (meet again). Dating apps translate "match" as "rencontre" - digital age meeting still uses analog vocabulary.

[D] to accept | Latin root "accipere" (to receive). "Accepter son sort" (accept one's fate) shows French philosophical resignation - very different from American optimism.

[A] to think | "Je pense, donc je suis" made it famous. "Pensée" means both thought and pansy flower - French romanticism links thinking with delicate flowers.

[B] to win | Means to win, earn, or reach. "Gagner sa vie" (win one's life) means to earn a living - life itself must be won, not just lived.

[C] to count | Also means "to matter" or "to intend." "Compter sur" means to count on someone. French counting includes "soixante-dix" (60+10) for 70 - arithmetic built into numbers.

[D] to come | Irregular and essential. "Venir de" + infinitive creates recent past. "Je viens de manger" (I just ate) - literally "I come from eating."

[A] to want | "Vouloir c'est pouvoir" (to want is to be able) - French motivational speaking. Though Molière noted "Je veux bien" (I want well) means "okay," not strong desire.

[B] to say | Irregular conjugation from Latin "dicere." "C'est-à-dire" (that is to say) is French clarification technique - always explaining what was just said.

[C] to reach | Conjugates like other -eindre verbs (peindre, éteindre). "Atteindre son but" (reach one's goal) - the French prefer arrival metaphors over American "achieving."

[D] to show | From Latin "monstrare" (also source of "monster" - something shown as warning). "Montrer patte blanche" (show white paw) means proving you belong.

[A] to return | Also means "to make" (render) + adjective. "Rendre visite" (return a visit) doesn't mean reciprocating - just visiting. French logic is mysterious.

[B] to live | "Vivre sa vie" (live one's life) emphasizes living authentically. "Savoir-vivre" mentioned earlier shows living itself requires knowledge in French culture.

[C] to answer | Takes "à" before objects. "Répondre de" means to answer for/be responsible. The French distinction between responding and being responsible is grammatical.

[D] to believe | "Voir c'est croire" (seeing is believing) exists in both languages. But French adds "Il faut le voir pour le croire" - adding necessity to skepticism.