Re - French Prefix

Re - French Prefix - French

Tagged in : French

Prefix: re-

Type of prefix: verbal*

The French prefix re- can be added to hundreds if not thousands of verbs to make new verbs. Depending on the first letter of the word it's added to, re- has a few variations, and it also has some different meanings.

Re- and its variants

Re-
In general, re- is added to verbs that begin with a consonant or h aspiré:

remarier - to remarry
(added to marier - to marry)

rehausser - to heighten
(added to hausser - to raise)

Res-
Re- often changes to res- in front of a verb starting with s:

ressortir - to go out again
(added to sortir - to go out)

ressembler - to resemble
(added to sembler - to seem)

Ré- and r-
In front of a vowel or h muet, re- either takes on an accent (this is particularly common for Latin-based words) or contracts to r-. For some verbs, both spellings exist.

réapparaître - to reappear
(added to apparaître - to appear)

réélire - to re-elect
(added to élire - to elect)

rentrer - to return home
(added to entrer - to enter)

rhabiller - to dress again
(added to habiller - to dress)

récrire, réécrire - to rewrite
(added to écrire - to write)

Meanings of re- (and its variants)

1. To redo, to do again

rouvrir - to reopen
(added to ouvrir - to open)

ressaisir - to seize again
(added to saisir - to seize)

2. To go back to a previous location, condition, or state of being

revenir - to come back
(added to venir - to come)

réhabituer - to reaccustom (someone to something)
(added to habituer - to accustom [someone to something])

3. To emphasize or reinforce a verb.

redoubler - to increase, redouble
(added to doubler - to double)

remercier - to thank
(added to mercier (archaic) - to thank

Note Because the prefix re- has more than one possible meaning, some verbs do too:

rappeler - to call back, to call again, to recall
(added to appeler - to call)

renvoyer - to send back, to send again
(added to envoyer - to send)

By Rekha, On - 2010-02-16

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