I like the colour but I'm not sure about the shape

ʃuə
1. adjective
2. adverb - sureness
- sure-footed
- as sure as
- be sure to
- be/feel sure of oneself
- for sure
- make sure
- sure enough

I ʃʊr, ʃʊə(r), ʃɔː(r)
II
[ʃʊǝ(r)] ADJ (compar surer) (superl surest) (esp US) * (=certainly) (emphatic)
I [ʃʊr, ʃʊə(r), ʃɔː(r)]
II

غَيْر \ another: a different one: We’ll go there another time. If this hat does not fit, try another. besides: as well as: I have two brothers besides John.. other: (in comparisons) different: He likes French cigarettes and won’t smoke any other kind. This side is dry; the other side is wet. I can’t do it now; I have other things to do. short of: less than; other than: Nothing short of a new government will save the country. un-: giving an opposite sense: ‘Unlikely’ means ‘not likely’. \ See Also آخر (آخَر)‏ \ غَيْرُ أَجْوَف \ solid: not hollow: without holes: a solid rubber ball. \ See Also صلب (صُلْب)‏ \ غَيْرُ أَكيد \ faint: (of thoughts and feelings) weak; uncertain: I haven’t the faintest idea where she is. uncertain: not certain doubtful; undecided; changeable: I’m uncertain what time he’s coming. Our holiday plans are still uncertain, we haven’t decided where to go. The weather is uncertain - it may rain soon. \ See Also ضعيف (ضَعِيف)، غير مؤكّد \ غَيْرُ أمْلَس \ rough: not smooth: a rough road; a rough surface. \ غَيْرُ آمن \ insecure: not safe; not supported or able to support other things: Be careful of that door - the lock is very insecure. \ غَيْرُ أُمِّيّ \ literate: able to read and write. \ غَيْرَ أنَّ \ but: yet: He came but she did not. I need food but I have no money to buy any. She is thin but strong. only: but: She wanted to buy it, only she had no money. \ غَيْرُ أهل للثّقة \ suspect: not trustworthy; possibly the cause of trouble: a rather suspect character. \ غَيْرُ بالِغ \ immature: not fully formed or developed. \ غَيْرُ بهيج \ dull: (of weather or colour) not clean or bright; cloudy: a dull day; a dull blue. \ غَيْرُ جاهز للعَمَل \ out of training: not in good condition. \ غَيْرُ جَمِيل \ plain: (of people) not good-looking: He was a nice boy, but rather plain and not very clever. \ غَيْرُ جَمِيل \ homely: (of people, faces, etc.) not goodlooking. \ See Also جذاب (جذّاب)‏ \ غَيْرُ حادّ \ dull: (of the senses) not sharp: a dull pain. \ غَيْرُ حَذِر \ unwary: (esp. as a noun with the) careless; not looking out for danger or deceit: ‘Easy’ questions in an exam are often a trap for the unwary (or for unwary people). \ غَيْرُ حقيقي \ unreal: imaginary; not related to facts. \ غَيْرُ دقيق \ rough: not carefully made; not properly finished; not exact: a rough drawing; a rough guess. \ غَيْرُ ذلك \ else: other (together with the first one); besides: Who else came? Did you look anywhere else, or only under the bed?, other (instead of the first one); instead Let’s talk about something else. Peter was ill, so someone else came. If there’s no coffee, what else can I drink?. otherwise: differently: I thought it was true, but they thought otherwise. \ غَيْرُ رَسْمِيّ \ informal: without ceremony or special dress: The prince paid an informal visit to the town. private: not official; not concerning one’s work; concerning one’s home and family: In his private life, the actor is rather quiet, although in the play he is loud and angry. \ غَيْرُ سَارّ \ bad, worse, worst: (of news, weather, etc.) unpleasant. \ غَيْرُ سالِك \ impassable: (of roads) unfit for use; blocked (by snow, mud, etc.). \ غَيْرُ سَكران \ sober: not under the control of alcohol; not drunk: A car driver ought to be sober. \ غَيْرُ سليمة \ broken, break: (of language) incorrectly spoken by a foreigner: broken English. \ غَيْرُ شَرْعِيّ \ illegal: against the law: A crime is an illegal act. illegitimate: (of a child) born to a mother who is not married. \ غَيْرُ شريف \ crooked: dishonest. \ غَيْرُ شَفّاف \ opaque: not allowing light to pass through it: opaque glass. \ غَيْرُ صافٍ \ gross: (of figures or amounts) whole, before subtracting anything; the opposite of net: Your gross pay is the amount before tax is paid. \ غَيْرُ صَالِح للاستعمال \ out of order: not working: I couldn’t ring you up yesterday because our telephone was out of order. \ غَيْرُ صالح للأَكل \ inedible: not fit to eat. \ غَيْرُ صَالِح لِلْعَمَل \ out of action: not working; out of order: This telephone is out of action. \ غَيْرُ صِحّي \ insanitary: so dirty that health is put at risk: an insanitary kitchen. \ غَيْرُ صحيح \ false: wrong; incorrect: a false idea. \ غَيْرُ صَحيح \ unsound: not in good condition, not satisfactory: unsound teeth; an unsound explanation. \ See Also سَليم \ غَيْرُ ضَارّ \ harmless: causing no harm; gentle: A lamb is a harmless creature. Is this insect poison harmless to people?. \ غَيْرُ ضروريّ \ needless: useless; unnecessary (trouble, expense etc.). \ غَيْرُ طاهر \ impure: not pure. \ غَيْرُ طَبيعِيّ \ artificial: adj. (of teeth, light, silk, etc.) not natural; made by man. False: not natural: false teeth. weird: very strange. \ غَيْرُ عَادِيّ \ abnormal: different from what is natural or usual: It is abnormal to have only 3 fingers on one hand. exceptional: unusual: That book is an exeptional one. It was an exceptionally hot summer. peculiar: unusual strange. remarkable: surprising; unusual and worth noticing: a remarkable change; a remarkably goodlooking child. unusual: not usual; strange. \ غَيْرُ عالِم بِـ \ ignorant of: not having heard about (a particular thing): I was ignorant of his plans. \ غَيْرُ عَمَليّ \ theoretical: adj. of theories; not learned from experience; supposed; not proved: I have only a theoretical knowledge of cooking from reading cookery books. \ غَيْرُ فَعّال \ inefficient: not working well; wasting time or power: Old machines are often inefficient. He is an inefficient clerk. \ غَيْرُ قابل للتصديق (غير معقول)‏ \ incredible: too strange to be believed; unbelievable: an incredible story. \ غَيْرُ قادِر \ incapable: not able to do sth.; not having the power or nature to do sth.: flowers are incapable of growing without light. She is incapable of being unkind to people. \ غَيْرُ قادِر على الحركة \ numb: having no feeling: My fingers were numb with cold. \ غَيْرُ قانونيّ \ illegal: against the law: A crime is an illegal act. wrongful: unjust; unlawful: wrongful imprisonment. \ غَيْرُ كافٍ \ insufficient: not enough (in power, ability, etc.): insufficient knowledge; insufficient food. lacking: missing: The bread was enough but the butter was lacking. scanty: (of a supply, of clothing, etc.) very small; not enough: He was too scantily dressed to keep warm. \ غَيْرُ كامِل \ incomplete: not complete; not perfect: This piece of work is incomplete - please finish it. His explanation is incomplete - it doesn’t explain all the facts. \ غَيْرُ كَثِيف \ sparse: thinly scattered: sparse hair; sparse grass. \ غَيْرُ كُفْء \ inefficient: not working well; wasting time or power: Old machines are often inefficient. He is an inefficient clerk. \ غَيْرُ لائق \ beneath sb.’s dignity: unsuitable for sb. to do: It was beneath the teacher’s dignity to sweep the classroom. improper: not proper; unsuitable; not polite: improper behaviour. \ غَيْرُ لَبِق \ awkward: (of manner or movement) showing difficulty; not skilful: He is too awkward on his feet to be a dancer. tactless: showing no understanding or skill in dealing with others: a tactless person; a tactless statement. \ غَيْرُ مُؤَدَّب \ impolite: not polite; rude. \ غَيْرُ مُؤذٍ \ innocent: harmless: innocent amusements. \ غَيْرُ مؤكَّد \ uncertain: not certain; doubtful; undecided; changeable: I’m uncertain what time he’s coming. Our holiday plans are still uncertain, we haven’t decided where to go. The weather is uncertain - it may rain soon. \ غَيْرُ مُؤلم \ painless: causing no pain. \ غَيْرُ مأْلوف \ queer: strange, unusually and not understood: a queer noise. uncouth: lacking good manners; strange in one’s appearance: It is uncouth to push your knife into your mouth when eating. Modern young men don’t condiser it uncouth to wear their hair long. \ غَيْرُ مَأْهول \ desert: (of an island) with nobody living on it. wild: (of plants, creatures, land, etc.) in a natural state, not under the control of man. \ غَيْرُ مُبَاشِر \ indirect: not straight or directly joined to; meaning something which is not directly said: an indirect road; the indirect result of an action; an indirect answer. \ غَيْرُ مُبَالٍ \ indifferent: not caring; not interested: He was quite indifferent to his children’s troubles. \ غَيْرُ مَبْتُوت بأمْرِه \ pending: (of a doubtful matter, esp. in court) not yet settled. \ غَيْرُ مُبْهَم \ definite: certain; clear: a definite promise; a definite plan of action. \ غَيْرُ متأكِّد \ in doubt: uncertain: When in doubt, ask your father. \ غَيْرُ مُتَجَانِس \ odd: mixed; different from each other: a boxful of odd tools; two odd shoes (not a pair). \ غَيْرُ مُتَحَرِّك \ stationary: not moving: a stationary vehicle. \ غَيْرُ مُتَحَفِّظ \ outspoken: (of sb. or his speech) saying just what one thinks, although it may annoy some people. \ غَيْرُ مُتَحَمِّس \ cool: unfriendly; They gave us rather a cool welcome. \ غَيْرُ متحمّس لِـ \ half-hearted: not eager; showing little effort or interest: He made a half-hearted attempt at the work. \ غَيْرُ مُتَرَابِط \ scrappy: made of scraps; incomplete; badly arranged: a scrappy meal; a scrappy report. \ غَيْرُ مُتَّصِل \ intermittent: repeatedly stopping and starting; not continuous: intermittent rain. \ غَيْرُ مُتَّصِل بِـ \ irrelevant: not concerned with, not in any way related to the subject: If you are appointing a good teacher, his height is quite irrelevant. \ غَيْرُ مُتَطَرِّف \ moderate: reasonable (in size or amount; in one’s customs or opinions, etc.); neither too big nor too small; neither too much nor too little: moderate prices; moderate political aims. \ غَيْرُ مُتقَن \ rough: not carefully made; not properly finished; not exact: a rough drawing; a rough guess. \ غَيْرُ مُتْقَن (للشيء أو العمل)‏ \ sloppy: (of a person) lacking effort or spirit; weakly lazy; (of a substance) wet and loose: a sloppy piece of work; a sloppy paste. \ غَيْرُ مُتَكَلّف \ homely: simple and friendly; making one feel at home: This little hotel has a homely feeling. \ غَيْرُ مُتَمدِّن (إنسان)‏ \ savage: old use sb. living in an undeveloped society, seen as fierce and wild and likely to attack strangers. \ غَيْرُ مُتَوَازِن \ top-heavy: so heavy at the top that it is likely to fall over: a top heavy load. \ غَيْرُ مُتَوَافر \ out of stock: not in stock. \ غَيْرُ مُتَوَقَّع \ abrupt: (of movement, change, etc.) sudden and unexpected: an abrupt change of plan. unexpected: not expected; surprising that one did not think would happen: an unexpected present; something quite unexpected. \ غَيْرُ مُجْدٍ \ vain: useless; unsuccessful: a vain attempt. ineffective: not able to produce the desired effect: This medicine is quite ineffective. \ غَيْرُ مُحْتَرِف \ amateur: one who works or plays for pleasure, not for money: an amateur actor. \ غَيْرُ مُحْتَمَل \ improbable: not likely to happen: That is an improbable idea. intolerable: (of heat, annoyance, rudeness, etc.) more than one can bear. \ غَيْرُ مُحَدَّد \ indefinite: adj. not clear; not fixed in time: indefinite ideas; at an indefinite date. \ غَيْرُ مَحْدُود \ infinite: endless; not measurable: I have infinite faith in his abilities. This is infinitely better than that. The infinite space of the sky. whole-hearted: full, unlimited, eager and willing: His plan had their whole-hearted support. \ غَيْرُ مُدْرِك \ unaware: not knowing: I was unaware of all the facts. He was unaware of the danger he was in. \ غَيْرُ مَرْئيّ \ invisible: unable to be seen: The sun remained invisible behind the heavy clouds. unseen: not seen; without being seen: The prisoner escaped unseen. \ غَيْرُ مُرَاعٍ لشُعور الآخرين \ thoughtless: careless; not troubling about the future or about other people: a thoughtless waste of money; thoughtless cruelty. \ غَيْرُ مَرْبُوط \ undone: not done finished; no longer fastened: He left half the work undone. Your shoe has came undone. \ غَيْرُ مَرْبُوط \ loose: not tied; not contained in sth.: The sweets were sold loose, not packed in tins. \ See Also مقيد (مُقيَّد)‏ \ غَيْرُ مُرْتاح \ uneasy: anxious, uncomfortable. \ غَيْرُ مُرَتَّب \ dishevelled: (of a person’s appearance, esp. hair) untidy. \ غَيْرُ مُرَكَّز \ watery: like water; containing too much water: watery milk. weak: (of liquids like tea or coffee) lacking taste or strength, because of too much water or milk. \ غَيْرُ مُريح \ inconvenient: causing difficulty; not what suits one: That is an inconvenient time to visit me. uncomfortable: not comfortable: This chair is very uncomfortable. I’m very uncomfortable in it. \ غَيْرُ مَسْؤُول \ irresponsible: doing foolish things without thinking of the probable results; not trustworthy: It was irresponsible of you to give the child a box of matches to play with. \ غَيْرُ مُسْتَحَبّ \ unpleasant: not pleasing or enjoyable; (of people) wanting to quarrel; unkind: What an unpleasant smell! The heat of summer can be very unpleasant. That man was rather unpleasant to me. \ غَيْرُ مُسْتَخْدَم \ obsolete: no longer used; out of date: an obsolete word; an obsolete custom. \ غَيْرُ مُسْتَعْمَل \ archaic: very old; (esp. of words) no longer used. \ غَيْرُ مُسْتَوٍ \ irregular: not regular; uneven: irregular visits; an irregular shape. rugged: rough and rocky: a rugged coast; rugged cliffs. \ غَيْرُ مُسْرَج \ bareback: (in riding horses, etc.) without a proper leather seat: The boys rode bareback. \ غَيْرُ مُسْكِر (للشَّراب)‏ \ soft: (of drinks) not alcoholic. \ غَيْرُ مَشْرُوع \ foul: (in sport) disobeying the rules: Foul play. The whistle was blown for a foul. \ غَيْرُ مشغول \ free: not busy; not in use: If you’re free this evening, let’s go to the cinema. Is this seat free?. \ غَيْرُ مُصابٍ بِأَذى \ intact: not touched; not damaged or broken; complete: The box was broken but the contents were intact. \ غَيْرُ مَصْقول \ rough: not carefully made; not properly finished; not exact: a rough drawing; a rough guess. coarse: (of people and their manners) rough; rude: a coarse fellow; a coarse laugh. \ غَيْرُ مُصَنَّع \ crude: in its natural state: crude oil. \ غَيْرُ مَصْنُوع \ undone: not done finished; no longer fastened: He left half the work undone. Your shoe has come undone. \ See Also منجز (مُنْجَز)‏ \ غَيْرُ مطبوخ \ raw: uncooked: raw meat. \ غَيْرُ مُطْلَق \ relative: comparative: the relative values of gold and iron. \ غَيْرُ مُعَدّ \ rambling: (of speeches, stories, etc.) not planned; wandering aimlessly: He wrote a long rambling letter about his troubles. \ غَيْرُ مُعَشَّق \ out of gear: with the engine separated from the driving wheels. \ غَيْرُ مُعَقَّد \ simple: plain; not fine or grand: We lead a simple life in the country. \ See Also منمق (مُنَمَّق)، متكلف (مُتَكَلَّف)‏ \ غَيْرُ مَعْقُول \ absurd: not at all sensible; foolish: The singer’s absurd clothes made us laugh. \ غَيْرُ مُغَطّى \ naked: not protected by a cover: naked sword; a naked light (whose flame is therefore dangerous). \ غَيْرُ مُفيد \ useless: worthless; fulfilling no purpose; without effect. \ غَيْرُ مَقْرُوء \ illegible: difficult or impossible to read (because the letters or figures cannot be clearly seen). \ غَيْرُ مُقَيَّد \ open: not limited: The next race is open to children of any age. It’s an open race. \ غَيْرُ مُقَيَّد \ wanton: carelessly uncontrolled;with no good reason; wild or playful, with bad resutls: Wanton behaviour causes wanton damage. \ غَيْرُ مُكْتَرِث \ careless: not taking care: Careless drivers cause accidents. indifferent: not caring; not interested: He was quite indifferent to his children’s troubles. \ غَيْرُ مُكْتَرَث بِه \ perfunctory: done with little interest or care: a perfunctory piece of work. \ غَيْرُ مُلائِم \ adverse: unfavourable: an adverse report; adverse winds that delay sailing. improper: not proper; unsuitable; not polite: improper behaviour. inconvenient: causing difficulty; not what suits one: That is an inconvenient time to visit me. \ غَيْرُ مُمطِر \ dry: not wet; with no rain; with no water: a dry cloth; dry weather; a dry river. \ غَيْرُ ممكِن \ impossible: not possible. \ غَيْرُ مُمَيّز \ indiscriminate: not choosing carefully: He invited people indiscriminately to his party. \ غَيْرُ مناسب \ wrong: not correct; mistaken; unsuitable: That’s the wrong answer, and the wrong way to do it. She came in the wrong clothes for riding. \ See Also ملائم (مُلائِم)‏ \ غَيْرُ مُنْطَبِق على \ irrelevant: not concerned with, not in any way related to the subject: If you are appointing a good teacher, his height is quite irrelevant. \ غَيْرُ مُنَظَّم \ random: not planned, not regular: random visits to the city. \ See Also غَيْر مُخَطَّط \ غَيْرُ مَنْظُور \ unseen: not seen; without being seen: The prisoner escaped unseen. \ غَيْرُ مُهْتَمّ به \ perfunctory: done with little interest or care: a perfunctory piece of work. \ غَيْرُ مُهَذَّب \ impolite: not polite; rude. uncouth: lacking good manners; strange in one’s appearance: It is uncouth to push your knife into your mouth when eating. Modern young men don’t condiser it uncouth to wear their hair long. \ غَيْرُ مَوْثوق \ irresponsible: doing foolish things without thinking of the probable results; not trustworthy: It was irresponsible of you to give the child a box of matches to play with. suspect: not trustworthy; possibly the cause of trouble: a rather suspect character. \ غَيْرُ مُوجِع \ painless: causing no pain. \ غَيْرُ موجُود \ lacking: missing: The bread was enough but the butter was lacking. \ غَيْرُ مَوْصُول بالمُحَرِّك \ out of gear: with the engine separated from the driving wheels. \ غَيْرُ ناضج \ immature: not fully formed or developed. \ غَيْرُ نِظاميّ \ irregular: not regular; uneven: irregular visits; an irregular shape. \ غَيْرُ نَقِيّ \ cloudy: (of liquids) not clear. impure: not pure. \ غَيْرُ واثِق \ uncertain: not certain doubtful; undecided; changeable: I’m uncertain what time he’s coming. \ غَيْرُ واثِق من نفْسه \ insecure: feeling afraid and not sure of oneself: He’s a very insecure person, and so he always thinks other people don’t like him. \ غَيْرُ واضِح \ dull: (of the senses) not sharp: a dull pain. vague: not clearly seen or expressed or understood; (of people) having no clear ideas: She made a vague statement. He’s rather vague about his duties. \ غَيْرُ واقعي \ fictitious: imagined; not a fact; not true: a fictitious character in a book. \ غَيْرُ وِدّي \ icy: (of a voice or manner) very cold; very unfriendly. cold: unfriendly: a cold welcome; a cold heart.

   a. to take ( dans out of)

• il l'a pris dans le tiroir he took it out of the drawer

• il prit un journal sur la table he took a newspaper off the table

• il a pris le bleu he took the blue one

• prendre qn par le bras to take sb by the arm

• c'est toujours ça de pris that's something at least

• c'est à prendre ou à laisser take it or leave it

• avec lui, il faut en prendre et en laisser you can't believe half of what he says

• je prends (dans un jeu) I'll answer

• tiens, prends ce marteau here, use this hammer

• si tu sors, prends ton parapluie if you go out, take your umbrella

• j'ai pris l'avion/le train de 4 heures I caught the 4 o'clock plane/train

• je prends quelques jours à Noël I'm taking a few days off at Christmas

• cela me prend tout mon temps it takes up all my time

• la réparation a pris des heures the repair took hours

• il prend une commission sur la vente he takes a commission on the sale

• il a pris sur son temps pour venir m'aider he gave up some of his time to help me

• je prends du 38 I take a size 38

   b. ( = aller chercher) [+ chose] to get ; [+ personne] to pick up ; ( = emmener) to take

• passer prendre qn à son bureau to pick sb up at his office

• je passerai les prendre chez toi I'll come and get them from your place

   c. ( = s'emparer de, surprendre) [+ poisson, voleur] to catch

• se faire prendre [voleur] to be caught

• il fut pris d'un doute he suddenly had a doubt

• qu'est-ce qui te prend ? (inf) what's the matter with you?

• ça te prend souvent ? (inf) are you often like this?

• je vous y prends ! caught you!

• si je t'y prends don't let me catch you doing that

• prendre qn sur le fait to catch sb in the act

   d. ( = duper) to take in

• on ne m'y prendra plus I won't be had a second time (inf)

   e. ( = manger, boire) [+ aliment, boisson] to have ; [+ médicament] to take

• prenez-vous du sucre ? do you take sugar?

• est-ce que vous prendrez du café ? would you like some coffee?

• à prendre avant les repas to be taken before meals

• il n'a rien pris depuis hier he hasn't eaten anything since yesterday

   f. ( = acheter) [+ billet, essence] to get ; ( = réserver) [+ couchette, place] to book

• peux-tu me prendre du pain ? can you get me some bread?

   g. ( = accepter) [+ client, locataire] to take ; [+ passager] to pick up

• l'école ne prend plus de pensionnaires the school no longer takes boarders

   h. ( = noter) [+ renseignement, adresse, nom, rendez-vous] to write down ; [+ mesures, température, empreintes] to take

• prendre des notes to take notes

   i. ( = adopter) [+ air, ton] to put on ; [+ décision, risque, mesure] to take

• il prit un ton menaçant his voice took on a threatening tone

   j. ( = acquérir) prendre de l'autorité to gain authority

• cela prend un sens particulier it takes on a particular meaning

   k. ( = faire payer) to charge

• ce spécialiste prend très cher this specialist charges very high fees

   l. ( = subir) (inf) [+ coup, choc] to get

• il a pris la porte en pleine figure the door hit him right in the face

• qu'est-ce qu'on a pris ! (reproches) we really got it in the neck! (inf) ; (averse) we got drenched!

• il a pris pour les autres he took the rap (inf)

   m. ( = réagir à) [+ nouvelle] to take

• si vous le prenez ainsi if that's how you want it

• il a bien pris la chose he took it well

• il l'a bien pris he took it well

• il a mal pris la chose he took it badly

• il l'a mal pris he took it badly

• il a mal pris ce que je lui ai dit he took exception to what I said to him

• prendre qch avec bonne humeur to take sth in good part

• prendre les choses comme elles sont to take things as they come

• prendre la vie comme elle vient to take life as it comes

   n. ( = manier) [+ personne] to handle ; [+ problème] to deal with

• elle sait le prendre she knows how to handle him

   o. (locutions)

► prendre qn/qch pour ( = considérer comme) to take sb/sth for ; ( = utiliser comme) to take sb/sth as

• pour qui me prenez-vous ? what do you take me for?

• prendre qch pour prétexte to take sth as a pretext

• prendre qch pour cible to make sth a target► prendre sur soi ( = se maîtriser) to grin and bear it ; ( = assumer) to take responsibility

• savoir prendre sur soi to keep a grip on o.s.

• prendre sur soi de faire qch to take it upon o.s. to do sth► à tout prendre on the whole

2. <

   a. ( = durcir) [ciment, pâte, crème] to set

   b. ( = réussir) [mouvement, mode] to catch on

• le lilas a bien pris the lilac's doing really well

• avec moi, ça ne prend pas (inf) it doesn't work with me (inf)

   c. ( = commencer à brûler) [feu] to take ; (accidentellement) to start ; [allumette] to light ; [bois] to catch fire

• le feu ne veut pas prendre the fire won't burn

   d. ( = passer) to go

• prendre par les petites rues to keep to the side streets

3. <

► se prendre

   a. ( = se considérer)

il se prend pour un intellectuel he thinks he's an intellectual

• pour qui se prend-il ? who does he think he is?

• se prendre au sérieux to take o.s. seriously

   b. ( = accrocher, coincer) to catch

• mon manteau s'est pris dans la porte my coat got caught in the door

   c. (locutions)

► s'en prendre à ( = passer sa colère sur) to take it out on ; ( = blâmer) to put the blame on ; ( = attaquer) to attack

• tu ne peux t'en prendre qu'à toi you've only got yourself to blame► s'y prendre to go about it

• il ne sait pas s'y prendre he doesn't know how to go about it

• je ne sais pas comment tu t'y prends I don't know how you manage it

• il faut s'y prendre à l'avance you have to do it in advance

• il s'y est mal pris he went about it the wrong way

• savoir s'y prendre avec qn to handle sb the right way

• il sait s'y prendre avec les enfants he really knows how to deal with children

* * *

pʀɑ̃dʀ
1.

verbe transitif

1) ( saisir) to take

prendre un vase sur l'étagère/dans le placard — to take a vase off the shelf/out of the cupboard

2) (se donner, acquérir)

prendre un accent — ( involontairement) to pick up an accent; ( volontairement) to put on an accent

prendre une habitude — to develop ou pick up a habit

prendre une voix grave — to adopt a solemn tone

prendre un rôle — to assume a role

3) ( dérober) to take

on m'a pris tous mes bijoux — I had all my jewellery GB ou jewelry US stolen

la guerre leur a pris deux fils — they lost two sons in the war

4) ( apporter) to bring

je n'ai pas pris assez d'argent — I haven't brought enough money

5) ( emporter) to take

j'ai pris ton parapluie — I took your umbrella

6) ( retirer)

prendre de l'argent au distributeur — to get some money out of the cash dispenser

prendre de l'eau au puits — to get water from the well

prendre quelques livres à la bibliothèque — to get a few books out of the library

7) ( consommer) to have [boisson, aliment, repas]; to take [médicament, drogue]

je vais prendre du poisson — I'll have fish

aller prendre un café/une bière — to go for a coffee/a beer

je prends des calmants depuis la guerre — I've been on tranquillizers [BrE] since the war

je ne prends jamais d'alcool — I never touch alcohol

8) ( s'accorder) to take

prendre un congé — to take some time off

je vais prendre mon mercredi — (colloq) I'm going to take Wednesday off

9) ( choisir) to take [objet]; to choose [sujet, question]

j'ai pris la question sur Zola — I chose the question on Zola

prendre quelqu'un pour époux/épouse — to take somebody to be one's husband/wife

10) ( faire payer) to charge

elle prend combien de l'heure? — how much does she charge an hour?

il prend 15% au passage — (colloq) he takes a cut of 15%

11) ( nécessiter) to take [temps]; ( user) to take up [espace, temps]

mes enfants me prennent tout mon temps — my children take up all my time

12) (acheter, réserver, louer) to get [aliments, essence, place]

prendre une chambre en ville — to get a room in town

13) ( embaucher) ( durablement) to take [somebody] on [employé, assistant, apprenti]; ( pour une mission) to engage [personne]

ils ne m'ont pas pris — they didn't take me on

prendre quelqu'un comme nourrice — to take somebody on as a nanny

prendre un avocat/guide — to engage a lawyer/guide

14) ( accueillir) to take

ils ont pris la petite chez eux — they took the little girl in

prendre un client — [taxi] to pick up a customer

15) ( ramasser au passage) to pick up [personne, pain, clé, journal, ticket]

prendre les enfants à l'école — to collect the children from school

16) ( emmener) to take [personne]

je peux te prendre — ( en voiture) I can give you a lift

17) ( attraper) to catch [personne, animal]

elle s'est fait prendre en train de voler — she got caught stealing

prendre un papillon avec ses doigts — to pick up a butterfly

je vous y prends! — (colloq) caught you!

on ne m'y prendra plus! — (colloq) ( à faire) you won't catch me doing that again!; ( à croire) I won't be taken in (colloq) again!

je ne me suis pas laissé prendre — ( tromper) I wasn't going to be taken in (colloq)

18) (colloq) ( assaillir)

qu'est-ce qui te prend? — what's the matter with you?

ça te/leur prend souvent? — are you/they often like this?

19) ( captiver) to involve [spectateur, lecteur]

être pris par un livre/film — to get involved in a book/film

20) ( subir) to get [gifle, coup de soleil, décharge, contravention]; to catch [rhume]

j'ai pris le marteau sur le pied — the hammer hit me on the foot

21) ( utiliser) to take [autobus, métro, train, ferry, autoroute]

22) ( envisager) to take

prenons par exemple Nina — take Nina, for example

à tout prendre — all in all

23) ( considérer) to take

ne le prends pas mal — don't take it the wrong way

pour qui me prends-tu? — ( grossière erreur) what do you take me for?; ( manque de respect) who do you think you're talking to?

excusez-moi, je vous ai pris pour quelqu'un d'autre — I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else

24) ( traiter) to handle

il est très gentil quand on sait le prendre — he's very nice when you know how to handle him

25) ( mesurer) to take [mensurations, température, tension, pouls]

26) ( noter) to take down

je vais prendre votre adresse — let me just take down your address

27) ( apprendre)

prendre que — to get the idea (that)

où a-t-il pris qu'ils allaient divorcer? — where did he get the idea they were going to get divorced?

28) ( accepter) to take

il faut prendre les gens comme ils sont — you must take people as you find them

29) ( endosser) to take over [direction, pouvoir]; to assume [contrôle, poste]

je prends ça sur moi — I'll see to it

prendre sur soi de faire — to take it upon oneself to do, to undertake to do

30) ( accumuler) to put on [poids]; to gain [avance]

prendre des forces — to build up one's strength

31) ( contracter) to take on [bail]; to take [emploi]

32) ( défier) to take [somebody] on [concurrent]

je prends le gagnant — I'll take on the winner

33) ( conquérir) Armée to take, to seize [ville, forteresse]; to capture [navire, tank]; Jeux to take [pièce, carte]

2.

verbe intransitif

1) ( aller)

prendre à gauche/vers le nord — to go left/north

prenez tout droit — keep straight on

prendre par le littoral — to follow the coast

2) ( s'enflammer) [feu, bois, mèche] to catch; [incendie] to break out

3) ( se solidifier) [gelée, flan, glace, ciment, plâtre, colle] to set; [blancs d'œufs] to stiffen; [mayonnaise] to thicken

4) ( réussir) [grève, innovation] to be a success; [idée, mode] to catch on; [teinture, bouture, vaccination, greffe] to take; [leçon] to sink in

5) ( prélever)

prendre sur son temps libre pour traduire un roman — to translate a novel in one's spare time

6) ( se contraindre)

j'ai pris sur moi pour les écouter — I made myself listen to them

j'ai pris sur moi pour ne pas les insulter — I kept myself from insulting them

7) (colloq) ( être cru)

ça ne prend pas! — it won't wash (colloq) ou work!

8) (colloq) ( subir)

c'est toujours moi qui prends! — I'm always the one who gets it in the neck! (colloq)

il en a pris pour 20 ans — he got 20 years

3.

se prendre verbe pronominal

1) (devoir être saisi, consommé, mesuré)

un marteau se prend par le manche — you hold a hammer by the handle

en Chine le thé se prend sans sucre — in China they don't put sugar in their tea

la vitamine C se prend de préférence le matin — vitamin C is best taken in the morning

2) ( pouvoir être acquis)

les mauvaises habitudes se prennent vite — bad habits are easily picked up

3) ( se tenir l'un l'autre)

se prendre par la taille — to hold each other around the waist

4) ( se coincer)

se prendre les doigts dans la porte — to catch one's fingers in the door

mon écharpe s'est prise dans les rayons — my scarf got caught in the spokes

5) (colloq) ( recevoir)

il s'est pris une gifle — he got a slap in the face

je me suis pris une averse — I got caught in a shower

6) ( commencer)

se prendre à faire — to find oneself doing

se prendre de sympathie pour quelqu'un — to take to somebody

7) ( se considérer)

elle se prend pour un génie — she thinks she's a genius

8)

s'en prendre à — ( par des reproches ou des critiques) to attack [personne, presse, parti]; ( pour passer sa colère) to take it out on [personne]; ( agresser verbalement ou physiquement) to go for [personne]; ( blâmer) to blame [personne, groupe, institution]

il ne pourra s'en prendre qu'à lui-même — he will have only himself to blame

9) ( se comporter)

savoir s'y prendre avec — to have a way with [enfants, femmes, vieux]; to know how to handle [employés, élèves]

10) ( agir)

il faut s'y prendre à l'avance pour avoir des places — you have to book ahead to get seats

tu t'y es pris trop tard — you left it too late

il s'y est pris à plusieurs fois — he tried several times

regarde comment elle s'y prend — look how she's doing it

elle s'y prend bien/mal — she goes about it the right/wrong way

••

c'est à prendre ou à laisser — take it or leave it

tel est pris qui croyait prendre — the tables are turned

* * *

pʀɑ̃dʀ

1. vt

1) (= saisir) to take

Prends tes affaires et va-t'en! — Take your things and go!

prendre qch à qn — to take sth from sb

Il m'a pris mon stylo! — He took my pen!

2) (= se procurer) to get

J'ai pris du lait en rentrant. — I got some milk on the way home.

J'ai pris des places pour le concert. — I got some tickets for the concert.

3) (= aller chercher) to get, to fetch Grande-Bretagne, [passager] to pick up

passer prendre — to pick up, to go and fetch

Je passerai te prendre. — I'll come and pick you up., I'll come and fetch you.

Je dois passer prendre Richard. — I have to pick Richard up., I have to go and fetch Richard.

4) [train, bus] to take

Nous avons pris le train de huit heures. — We took the eight o'clock train.

Je prends toujours le train pour aller à Paris. — I always go to Paris by train., I always take the train when I go to Paris.

5) (= prélever) [pourcentage, argent] to take off

6) (= acquérir) [du poids] to put on, to gain

prendre de la valeur — to gain in value

prendre goût à qch — to develop a taste for sth, to acquire a taste for sth

7) (= adopter) [voix, ton] to put on

8) (= attraper) [malfaiteur, poisson] to catch

tel est pris qui croyait prendre — it's a case of the biter bit

9) [personnel] to take on, [locataire] to take in

10) (= s'y prendre avec) [enfant, problème] to handle

11) (autres locutions)

prendre qn pour — to take sb for

prendre qn en sympathie — to get to like sb

prendre qn en horreur — to get to loathe sb

prendre sur soi de faire qch — to take it upon o.s. to do sth

à tout prendre — all things considered

prendre sa source [rivière] — to rise, to have its source

prendre qn à partie — to take sb to task

être pris à partie par qn (= interpellé par qn) — to be taken to task by sb

être violemment pris à partie par qn (= molesté par qn) — to be violently set upon by sb

2. vi

1) [liquide, ciment] to set

2) [greffe, vaccin] to take

3) [ruse] to be successful

4) [feu] to go, [incendie] to start, [allumette] to light

5) (= se diriger)

prendre à gauche — to turn left

Prenez à gauche en arrivant au rond-point. — Turn left at the roundabout.

6) * (= être preneur)

je prends — count me in

* * *

prendre verb table: prendre

A vtr

1 ( saisir) to take; prendre un vase sur l'étagère/dans le placard to take a vase off the shelf/out of the cupboard; prendre le bras de son mari to take one's husband's arm; prendre qn par la taille ( des deux mains) to take sb by the waist; ( d'un bras) to put one's arm around sb's waist; puis-je prendre votre manteau? may I take your coat?; prenez donc une chaise do have ou take a seat; ⇒ clique, courage, jambe;

2 (se donner, acquérir) prendre un air/une expression to put on an air/an expression; prendre le nom de son mari to take one's husband's name; prendre une identité to assume an identity; prendre un accent ( involontairement) to pick up an accent; ( volontairement) to put on an accent; prendre une habitude to develop ou pick up a habit; prendre une voix grave to adopt a solemn tone; prendre un rôle to assume a role; ta remarque prend tout son sens you comment begins to make sense; prendre une nuance to take on a particular nuance;

3 ( dérober) to take; prendre de l'argent dans la caisse/à ses parents to take money from the till GB ou cash register/from one's parents; on m'a pris tous mes bijoux I had all my jewellery GB ou jewelry US stolen; il m'a pris ma petite amie he stole my girlfriend; la guerre leur a pris deux fils they lost two sons in the war; la guerre leur a pris tout ce qui leur était cher the war robbed them of all they held most dear;

4 ( apporter) to bring; n'oublie pas de prendre des bottes don't forget to bring boots; je n'ai pas pris assez d'argent I haven't brought enough money;

5 ( emporter) to take; j'ai pris ton parapluie I took your umbrella; ne prends rien sans demander don't take anything without asking; prends ton écharpe, il fait froid take your scarf, it's cold;

6 ( retirer) prendre de l'argent au distributeur to get some money out of the cash dispenser; prendre de l'eau au puits to get water from the well; prendre quelques livres à la bibliothèque to get a few books out of the library;

7 ( consommer) to have [boisson, aliment, repas]; to take [médicament, drogue]; vous prendrez bien quelque chose/un peu de gâteau? won't you have something to eat or drink/some cake?; je vais prendre du poisson I'll have fish; mais tu n'as rien pris! you've hardly taken any!; aller prendre un café/une bière to go for a coffee/a beer; je prends des calmants depuis la guerre I've been on tranquillizers^GB since the war; le médecin me fait prendre des antibiotiques the doctor has put me on antibiotics; je ne prends jamais d'alcool/de drogue I never touch alcohol/take drugs;

8 ( s'accorder) to take; prendre un congé to take a vacation; je vais prendre mon mercredi○ I'm going to take Wednesday off; ⇒ temps;

9 ( choisir) to take [objet]; to choose [sujet, question]; prendre la rouge/le moins cher des deux/la chambre double to take the red one/the cheaper one/the double room; j'ai pris la question sur Zola I chose the question on Zola; la romancière a pris comme sujet une histoire vraie the writer based her novel on a true story; prendre qn pour époux/épouse to take sb to be one's husband/wife;

10 ( faire payer) to charge; elle prend combien de l'heure/pour une coupe? how much does she charge an hour/for a cut?; on m'a pris très cher I was charged a lot; il prend 15% au passage he takes a cut of 15%;

11 ( nécessiter) to take [temps]; ( user) to take up [espace, temps]; le voyage m'a pris moins de deux heures the trip took me less than two hours; tes livres prennent trop de place your books take up too much room; mes enfants me prennent tout mon temps/toute mon énergie my children take up all my time/all my energy;

12 (acheter, réserver, louer) to get [aliments, essence, place]; prends aussi du jambon get some ham too; j'ai pris deux places pour ce soir I've got two tickets for tonight; prendre une chambre en ville to get a room in town; j'en prendrai un kilo I'll have a kilo;

13 ( embaucher) ( durablement) to take [sb] on [employé, assistant, apprenti]; ( pour une mission) to engage [personne]; ils ne m'ont pas pris they didn't take me on; prendre qn comme nourrice to take sb on as a nanny; prendre un avocat/guide to engage a lawyer/guide; être pris chez or par Hachette to get a job with Hachette; prendre une maîtresse to take a mistress;

14 ( accueillir) to take; ils ont pris la petite chez eux they took the little girl in; l'école n'a pas voulu la prendre the school wouldn't take her; ce train ne prend pas de voyageurs this train doesn't take passengers; prendre un client [taxi] to pick up a customer; [prostituée] to pick up a client; [coiffeur] to take a customer; prendre un patient [médecin] to see a patient; prendre un nouveau patient [médecin, dentiste] to take on a new patient; prendre un élève [professeur] to take on a student;

15 ( ramasser au passage) to pick up [personne, pain, clé, journal, ticket]; je passe te prendre à midi I'll come and pick you up at 12; prendre un auto-stoppeur to pick up a hitchhiker; prendre les enfants à l'école to collect the children from school;

16 ( emmener) to take [personne]; je prends les enfants cet après-midi I'll take the children this afternoon; je peux te prendre ( en voiture) I can give you a lift;

17 ( attraper) to catch [personne, animal]; elle s'est fait prendre en train de voler she got caught stealing; prendre un papillon avec ses doigts to pick up a butterfly; prendre un papillon entre ses mains to cup a butterfly in one's hands; je vous y prends○! caught you!; on ne m'y prendra plus○! I won't be taken in○ again!; se laisser prendre par un attrape-nigauds/une histoire to fall for a trick/a story; je ne me suis pas laissé prendre ( tromper) I wasn't going to be taken in○; se laisser prendre dans une bagarre to get drawn into a fight; se faire prendre par l'ennemi to be captured by the enemy; prendre un poisson to catch a fish; ⇒ flagrant, sac, taureau, vinaigre;

18 ( assaillir) une douleur le prit he felt a sudden pain; qu'est-ce qui te prend○? what's the matter with you?; ça te/leur prend souvent○? are you/they often like this? ça te prend souvent de gueuler○ comme ça? do you often yell○ like that?;

19 ( captiver) to involve [spectateur, lecteur]; être pris par un livre/film to be involved in a book/film;

20 ( subir) to get [gifle, coup de soleil, décharge, contravention]; to catch [rhume]; j'ai pris le marteau sur le pied the hammer hit me on the foot; qu'est-ce qu'ils ont pris○! (coups, défaite) what a beating○ they got!; ( reproches) what a telling-off○ they got!; prendre une quinte de toux to have a coughing fit;

21 Transp ( utiliser) to take [autobus, métro, train, ferry, autoroute]; prendre le train/la voiture/l'avion to take the train/the car/the plane; prendre le or un taxi to take a taxi; il a pris l'avion pour aller à Bruxelles he went to Brussels by air; je ne prends plus la voiture pour aller à Paris I've given up driving to Paris; s'il fait beau, je prendrai la bicyclette if the weather's nice, I'll cycle; en général je prends mon vélo pour aller travailler I usually cycle to work;

22 ( envisager) to take; prenons par exemple Nina take Nina, for example; si je prends une langue comme le chinois/un pays comme la Chine if we take a language like Chinese/a country like China; à tout prendre all in all;

23 ( considérer) to take; ne le prends pas mal don't take it the wrong way; il a plutôt bien pris ta remarque he took your comment rather well; il me prend pour un imbécile he takes me for a fool; pour qui me prends-tu? ( grossière erreur) what do you take me for?; ( manque de respect) who do you think you're talking to?; tu me prends pour ton esclave? I'm not your slave, you know!; excusez-moi, je vous ai pris pour quelqu'un d'autre I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else; ⇒ argent, canard, vessie;

24 ( traiter) to handle; il est très gentil quand on sait le prendre he's very nice when you know how to handle him; savoir prendre son enfant to know how to handle one's child; on ne sait jamais par où la prendre○ you never know how to handle her;

25 ( mesurer) to take [mensurations, température, tension, pouls]; je vais prendre votre pointure let me measure your foot;

26 ( noter) to take down; je vais prendre votre adresse let me just take down your address; il s'est enfui mais j'ai pris le numéro de sa voiture he drove off but I took down his registration GB ou license US number;

27 ( apprendre) prendre que to get the idea (that); où a-t-il pris qu'ils allaient divorcer? where did he get the idea they were going to get divorced?;

28 ( accepter) to take; prendre les cartes de crédit to take credit cards; il a refusé de prendre l'argent he refused to take the money; il faut prendre les gens comme ils sont you must take people as you find them; prendre les choses comme elles sont to take things as they come; à 1 500, je prends, mais pas plus at 1,500, I'll take it, but that's my best offer;

29 ( endosser) to take over [direction, pouvoir]; to assume [contrôle, poste]; je prends ça sur moi I'll see to it; prendre sur soi de faire to take it upon oneself to do, to undertake to do; elle a pris sur elle de leur parler/de leur cacher la vérité she took it upon herself to talk to them/to hide the truth from them; je prends sur moi tes dépenses I'll cover your expenses;

30 ( accumuler) to put on [poids]; to gain [avance]; prendre trois minutes (d'avance) to gain three minutes; prendre des forces to build up one's strength;

31 ( contracter) to take on [bail]; to take [emploi];

32 ( défier) to take [sb] on [concurrent]; je prends le gagnant/le perdant I'll take on the winner/the loser;

33 ( conquérir) Mil to take, to seize [ville, forteresse]; to capture [navire, tank]; Jeux to take [pièce, carte];

34 ( posséder sexuellement) to take [femme].

B vi

1 ( aller) prendre à gauche/vers le nord to go left/north; prenez tout droit keep straight on; prendre à travers champs to strike out GB ou head off across the fields; prendre au plus court to take the shortest route; prendre par le littoral to follow the coast;

2 ( s'enflammer) [feu, bois, mèche] to catch; [incendie] to break out;

3 ( se solidifier) [gelée, flan, glace, ciment, plâtre, colle] to set; [blancs d'œufs] to stiffen; [mayonnaise] to thicken;

4 ( réussir) [grève, innovation] to be a success; [idée, mode] to catch on; [teinture, bouture, vaccination, greffe] to take; [leçon] to sink in;

5 ( prélever) prendre sur ses économies pour entretenir un neveu to draw on one's savings to support a nephew; prendre sur son temps libre pour traduire un roman to translate a novel in one's spare time;

6 ( se contraindre) prendre sur soi to take a hold on oneself; prendre sur soi pour faire to make oneself do; prendre sur soi pour ne pas faire to keep oneself from doing; j'ai pris sur moi pour les écouter I made myself listen to them; j'ai pris sur moi pour ne pas les insulter I kept myself from insulting them;

7 ○( être cru) ça ne prend pas! it won't wash○ ou work!; ton explication ne prendra pas avec moi that explanation won't wash with me○;

8 ○( subir) prendre pour qn to take the rap○ for sb; c'est toujours moi qui prends! I'm always the one who gets it in the neck○!; tu vas prendre! you'll catch it○!; il en a pris pour 20 ans he got 20 years.

C se prendre vpr

1 (devoir être saisi, consommé, mesuré) un marteau se prend par le manche you hold a hammer by the handle; les pâtes ne se prennent pas avec les doigts you don't eat pasta with your fingers; en Chine le thé se prend sans sucre in China they don't put sugar in their tea; la vitamine C se prend de préférence le matin vitamin C is best taken in the morning; la température se prend le matin your temperature should be taken in the morning;

2 (pouvoir être acquis, conquis, utilisé, attrapé) les mauvaises habitudes se prennent vite bad habits are easily picked up; le roi ne se prend jamais ( aux échecs) the king can't be taken; un avion ne se prend pas sans réservation you can't take a plane without making reservation;

3 ( s'attraper) se prendre le pied gauche avec la main droite to take one's left foot in one's right hand; certains singes se prennent aux arbres avec leur queue some monkeys can swing from trees by their tails;

4 ( se tenir l'un l'autre) se prendre par la taille to hold each other around the waist;

5 ( se coincer) se prendre les doigts dans la porte to catch one's fingers in the door; mon écharpe s'est prise dans les rayons my scarf got caught in the spokes;

6 ○( recevoir) il s'est pris quinze jours de prison/une gifle he got two weeks in prison/a smack in the face; tu vas te prendre l'étagère sur la tête the shelf is going to come down on your head; je me suis pris une averse I got caught in a shower;

7 ( commencer) se prendre à faire to find oneself doing; elle s'est prise à aimer she found herself falling in love; se prendre de sympathie pour qn to take to sb;

8 ( se considérer) elle se prend pour un génie she thinks she's a genius; il se prend pour James Dean he fancies himself as James Dean; pour qui est-ce que tu te prends? who do you think you are?; ⇒ Dieu;

9 ( agresser) s'en prendre à qn ( par des reproches ou des coups) to set about sb; ( pour passer sa colère) to take it out on sb; s'en prendre à qch ( habituellement) to carry on about sth; ( à l'occasion) to lay into sth;

10 ( se comporter) savoir s'y prendre avec to have a way with [enfants, femmes, vieux]; to know how to handle [employés, élèves];

11 ( agir) il faut s'y prendre à l'avance pour avoir des places you have to book ahead to get seats; tu t'y es pris trop tard you left it too late (pour faire to do); il s'y est pris à plusieurs fois he tried several times; ils s'y sont pris à trois contre lui it was three against one; on s'y est pris à trois pour faire it took the three of us to do; regarde comment elle s'y prend look how she's doing it; elle s'y prend bien/mal she sets ou goes about it the right/wrong way; j'aime bien ta façon de t'y prendre I like the way you go about it; comment vas-tu t'y prendre? how will you go about it?; comment vas-tu t'y prendre pour les convaincre? how will you go about convincing them?

Idiomes

c'est toujours ça de pris○ that's something at least; il y a à prendre et à laisser it's like the curate's egg; c'est à prendre ou à laisser take it or leave it; tel est pris qui croyait prendre the tables are turned; bien m'en a pris○ it was a good job○; mal m'en a pris○ it was a mistake.

[prɑ̃dr] verbe transitif

A.[SAISIR, ACQUÉRIR]

1. [saisir] to take

la chatte prend ses chatons par la peau du cou the cat picks up her kittens by the scruff of the neck

prends la casserole par le manche pick the pan up by the handle

il prit son manteau à la patère he took his coat off the hook

prends le livre qui se trouve sur la table take the book on the table

prendre quelque chose des mains de quelqu'un to take something off somebody

[saisir et garder] to take (hold of), to hold

prendre sa tête entre ses mains to hold one's head in one's hands

prenez cette médaille qui vous est offerte par tous vos collègues accept this medal as a gift from all your colleagues

prendre un siège to take a seat, to sit down

2. [emporter - lunettes, document, en-cas] to take

tu as pris tes papiers (avec toi)? have you got your papers (with you)?

inutile de prendre un parapluie there's no need to take ou no need for an umbrella

quand prendrez-vous le colis? when will you collect the parcel?

[emmener] to take (along)

(passer) prendre quelqu'un: je suis passé la prendre chez elle à midi I picked her up at ou collected her from her home at midday

prendre quelqu'un en voiture to give somebody a lift

3. [trouver] to get

où as-tu pris ce couteau? where did you get that knife (from)?

où as-tu pris cette idée/cette citation/ces manières? where did you get that idea/this quotation/those manners?

4. [se procurer]

prendre des renseignements to get some information

5. [acheter - nourriture, billet de loterie] to get, to buy ; [ - abonnement, assurance] to take out (separable)

[réserver - chambre d'hôtel, place de spectacle] to book

j'ai pris des artichauts pour ce soir I've got ou bought some artichokes for tonight

je vais vous prendre un petit poulet aujourd'hui I'll have ou take a small chicken today

6. [demander - argent] to charge

je prends une commission de 3 % I take a 3% commission

mon coiffeur ne prend pas cher (familier) my hairdresser isn't too expensive ou doesn't charge too much

je prends 30 euros de l'heure I charge 30 euros per hour

elle l'a réparé sans rien nous prendre she fixed it free of charge ou without charging us (anything) for it

7. [retirer]

les impôts sont pris à la source tax is deducted at source

prendre de l'argent sur son compte to withdraw money from one's account, to take money out of one's account

B.[AVOIR RECOURS À, SE SERVIR DE]

1. [utiliser - outil] to use

prends un marteau, ce sera plus facile use a hammer, you'll find it's easier

[emprunter] to take, to borrow

je peux prendre ta voiture? can I take ou borrow your car?

2. [consommer - nourriture] to eat ; [ - boisson] to drink, to have ; [ - médicament] to take ; [ - sucre] to take

je ne prends jamais de somnifères I never take sleeping pills

nous en discuterons en prenant le café we'll discuss it over a cup of coffee

qu'est-ce que tu prends? what would you like to drink, what will it be?

je prendrais bien une bière I could do with a beer

si on allait prendre un verre? how about (going for) a drink?

à prendre matin, midi et soir to be taken three times a day

tu lui as fait prendre ses médicaments? did you make sure he took his medicine?

[comme ingrédient] to take

prendre 50 g de beurre et 200 g de farine take 50 g of butter and 200 g of flour

3. [se déplacer en] to take, to go ou to travel by (inseparable)

prendre l'avion to take the plane, to fly

prendre le bateau to take the boat, to sail, to go by boat

prendre le bus/le train to take the bus/train, to go by bus/train

prendre un taxi to take a taxi

je ne prends jamais la voiture I never use the car

4. [monter dans - bus, train] to catch, to get on (inseparable)

5. [louer]

on a pris une chambre dans un petit hôtel we took a room in a small hotel

j'ai pris un petit studio I rented a little studio flat

6. [suivre - voie] to take

prends la première à droite take the first (on the) right

prenez la direction de Lille follow the signs for Lille

j'ai pris un sens interdit I drove ou went down a one-way street

C.[PRENDRE POSSESSION DE, CONTRÔLER]

1. [retenir par la force - fugitif] to capture ; [ - prisonnier] to take ; [ - animal] to catch

MILITAIRE [ville, position] to take

prendre quelqu'un en otage to take somebody hostage

2. [voler] to take

il a tout pris dans la maison he took everything in the house

prendre une citation dans un livre [sans permission] to lift ou to poach a quotation from a book

prendre quelque chose à quelqu'un: combien vous a-t-on pris? how much was taken ou stolen from you?

elle m'a pris mon tour she took my turn

elle m'a pris mon idée/petit ami she stole my idea/boyfriend

3. [occuper - temps] to take (up), to require (soutenu) ; [ - place] to take (up)

pousse-toi, tu prends toute la place move up, you're taking up all the space

ça (m')a pris deux heures it took (me) two hours

ça prend du temps de chercher un appartement it takes time to find a flat, flat-hunting is time-consuming

4. [envahir - suj: malaise, rage] to come over (inseparable) ; [ - suj: peur] to seize, to take hold of

quand ses quintes de toux le prennent when he has a bout of coughing

l'envie le ou lui prit d'aller nager he felt like going for a swim

qu'est-ce qui te prend? what's wrong with ou what's the matter with ou what's come over you?

qu'est-ce qui le ou lui prend de ne pas répondre? why on earth isn't he answering?

ça te prend souvent? (familier & humoristique) are you often like this?

quand ça le ou lui prend, il casse tout (familier) when he gets into this state, he just smashes everything in sight

(tournure impersonnelle)

il me prend parfois le désir de tout abandonner I sometimes feel like giving it all up

il est rentré chez lui et bien/mal lui en a pris he went home and it was just as well he did/, but he'd have done better to stay where he was

prendre la tête à quelqu'un (très familier) : ça me prend la tête it's a real hassle

arrête de me prendre la tête stop being such a pain

5. [surprendre - voleur, tricheur] to catch

si tu veux le voir, il faut le prendre au saut du lit if you want to see him, you must catch him as he gets up

prendre quelqu'un à faire quelque chose to catch somebody doing something

je t'y prends, petit galopin! caught ou got you, you little rascal!

6. JEUX [pion, dame] to take

demain, je te prends aux échecs (familier) tomorrow I'll take you on at ou play you at chess

(en usage absolu) CARTES

je prends I'll try it

j'ai pris à cœur I went hearts

7. SPORT

prendre le service de quelqu'un to break somebody's service

il est venu prendre la deuxième place

a. [pendant la course] he moved into second place

b. [à l'arrivée] he came in second

D.[ADMETTRE, RECEVOIR]

1. [recevoir]

le docteur ne pourra pas vous prendre avant demain the doctor won't be able to see you before tomorrow

après 22 heures, nous ne prenons plus de clients after 10 pm, we don't let anymore customers in

2. [cours] to take

3. [accueillir - pensionnaire] to take in (separable) ; [ - passager] to take

[admettre par règlement] to take, to allow

[engager - employé, candidat] to take on (separable)

nous ne prenons pas les cartes de crédit/les bagages en cabine we don't take credit cards/cabin baggage

prendre un comptable to take on ou to hire an accountant

prendre quelqu'un comme stagiaire to take somebody on as a trainee

4. [acquérir, gagner]

prendre de l'avance/du retard to be earlier/later than scheduled

j'ai pris trois centimètres de tour de taille I've put on three centimetres round the waist

quand le gâteau commence à prendre une jolie couleur dorée when the cake starts to take on a nice golden colour

le projet commence à prendre forme ou tournure the project's starting to take shape

[terminaison] to take

le a prend un accent circonflexe there's a circumflex on the a

5. [subir] to get

prendre un coup de soleil to get sunburnt

prendre froid ou (vieilli) du mal to catch ou to get a cold

j'ai pris la tuile en plein sur la tête the tile hit me right on the head

c'est elle qui a tout pris

a. (familier) [coups, reproches] she got the worst ou took the brunt of it

b. [éclaboussures] she got most ou the worst of it

qu'est-ce qu'on a pris! (familier) , on a pris quelque chose! (familier)

a. [averse] we got soaked ou drenched!

b. [réprimande] we got a real dressing down!

c. [critique] we got panned!

d. [défaite] we got thrashed!

(en usage absolu)

c'est toujours les mêmes qui prennent! (familier) they always pick on the same ones, it's always the same ones who get it in the neck!

il en a pris pour 15 ans (familier) he got 15 years, he got put away for 15 years

E.[CONSIDÉRER DE TELLE MANIÈRE]

1. [accepter] to take

il a essayé de le prendre avec le sourire ou en souriant he tried to pass it off with a smile

bien/mal prendre quelque chose to take something well/badly

[interpréter]

ne prends pas ça pour toi [ne te sens pas visé] don't take it personally

prendre quelque chose en bien/en mal to take something as a compliment/badly

elle a pris mon silence pour de la désapprobation she took my silence as a criticism

2. [considérer] to take, to consider

prenons un exemple let's take ou consider an example

prendre quelqu'un/quelque chose en: prendre quelqu'un en amitié to grow fond of somebody

prendre quelqu'un en pitié to take pity on somebody

prendre quelque chose/quelqu'un pour

a. [par méprise] to mistake something/somebody for

b. [volontairement] to take something/somebody for, to consider something/somebody to be

on me prend souvent pour ma sœur I'm often mistaken for my sister

pour qui me prenez-vous? what do you take me for?, who do you think I am?

elle va me prendre pour un idiot she'll think I'm a fool

prendre quelque chose/quelqu'un comme to take something/somebody as

à tout prendre all in all, by and large, all things considered

3. [traiter - quelqu'un] to handle, to deal with (inseparable)

prendre quelqu'un par la douceur to use gentle persuasion on somebody

prendre l'ennemi de front/à revers MILITAIRE (figuré) to tackle the enemy head on/from the rear

F.[ENREGISTRER]

1. [consigner - notes] to take ou to write down (separable) ; [ - empreintes, mesures, température, tension] to take

2. PHOTOGRAPHIE

prendre quelque chose/quelqu'un (en photo) to take a picture ou photo ou photograph of something/somebody

G.[DÉCIDER DE, ADOPTER]

1. [s'octroyer - vacances] to take, to have ; [ - bain, douche] to have, to take

prendre un jour de congé to take ou to have the day off

prendre le temps de faire quelque chose to take the time to do something

prendre son temps to take one's time

prendre un amant to take a lover

tu n'as pas le droit! — je le prends! you've no right! — that's what you think!

2. [s'engager dans - mesure, risque] to take

prendre une décision

a. [généralement] to make a decision

b. [après avoir hésité] to make up one's mind, to come to a decision

prendre la décision de to make up one's mind to, to decide to

prendre l'initiative de quelque chose to initiate something

prendre l'initiative de faire quelque chose to take the initiative in doing something, to take it upon oneself to do something

prendre de bonnes résolutions pour l'avenir to resolve to do better in the future

prendre la résolution de to resolve to

3. [choisir - sujet d'examen, cadeau] to take, to choose, to have

j'ai pris le docteur Valiet comme médecin I chose Dr Valiet to be ou as my GP

qu'est-ce qu'on lui prend comme glace? which ice cream shall we get him?

ils n'ont pris que les 20 premiers they only took ou selected the top 20

c'est à prendre ou à laisser (you can) take it or leave it

il y a à prendre et à laisser dans son livre his book is a bit of a curate's egg (UK) ou is good in parts

4. [se charger de - poste] to take, to accept

prendre ses fonctions to start work

j'ai un appel pour toi, tu le prends? I've got a call for you, will you take it?

5. [adopter - air] to put on (separable), to assume ; [ - ton] to assume

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[prɑ̃dr] verbe intransitif

1. [se fixer durablement - végétal] to take (root) ; [ - bouture, greffe, vaccin] to take ; [ - mode, slogan] to catch on

la peinture ne prend pas sur le plastique the plastic won't take the paint

ça ne prendra pas avec elle [mensonge] it won't work with her, she won't be taken in

2. [durcir - crème, ciment, colle] to set ; [ - lac, étang] to freeze (over) ; [ - mayonnaise] to thicken

3. [passer]

prends à gauche [tourne à gauche] turn left

tu peux prendre par Le Mans you can go via Le Mans

prendre à travers bois/champs to cut through the woods/fields

4. [commencer] to start, to get going

je n'arrive pas à faire prendre le feu/les brindilles I can't get the fire going/the twigs to catch

5. MUSIQUE & THÉÂTRE

prenons avant la sixième mesure/à la scène 2 let's take it from just before bar six/from scene 2

————————

prendre sur verbe plus préposition

1. [entamer] to use (some of)

je ne prendrai pas sur mon week-end pour finir le travail! I'm not going to give up ou to sacrifice part of my weekend to finish the job!

2. (locution)

prendre sur soi to grin and bear it

prendre sur soi de faire quelque chose to take (it) upon oneself to do something

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se prendre verbe pronominal (emploi passif)

ces cachets se prennent avant les repas the tablets should be taken before meals

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se prendre verbe pronominal (emploi réciproque)

ils se sont pris pour époux they were united in matrimony

————————

se prendre verbe pronominal intransitif

to get caught ou trapped

le foulard s'est pris dans la portière the scarf got caught ou shut in the door

————————

se prendre verbe pronominal transitif

1. [se coincer]

attention, tu vas te prendre les doigts dans la charnière! careful, you'll trap your fingers ou get your fingers caught in the hinge!

se prendre les pieds dans quelque chose to trip over something

2. (familier) [choisir]

prends-toi un gâteau get yourself a cake

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se prendre à verbe pronominal plus préposition

1. [se laisser aller à]

se prendre à faire quelque chose to find oneself starting to do something

se prendre à rêver to find oneself dreaming

2. (locution)

s'y prendre: comment pourrions-nous nous y prendre? how could we go about it?

tu t'y prends un peu tard pour t'inscrire! you've left it a bit late to enrol!

il faut s'y prendre deux mois à l'avance pour avoir des places you have to book two months in advance to be sure of getting seats

elle s'y est prise à trois fois pour faire démarrer la tondeuse she made three attempts before the lawn mower would start

s'y prendre bien/mal: s'y prendre bien/mal avec quelqu'un to handle somebody the right/wrong way

elle s'y prend bien ou sait s'y prendre avec les enfants she's good with children

je n'arrive pas à repasser le col — c'est parce que tu t'y prends mal I can't iron the collar properly — that's because you're going about it the wrong way ou doing it wrong

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se prendre de verbe pronominal plus préposition

se prendre d'amitié pour quelqu'un to grow fond of somebody, to feel a growing affection for somebody

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se prendre pour verbe pronominal plus préposition

il ne se prend pas pour rien ou pour n'importe qui he thinks he's God's gift to humanity

tu te prends pour qui pour me parler sur ce ton? who do you think you are, talking to me like that?

————————

s'en prendre à verbe pronominal plus préposition

s'en prendre à quelqu'un/quelque chose

a. [l'attaquer] to attack somebody/something

b. [le rendre responsable] to put the blame on somebody/something

pourquoi faut-il toujours que tu t'en prennes à moi? why do you always take it out on me?

ne t'en prends qu'à toi-même you've only (got) yourself to blame