Bonsoir mes formidables lecteurs (et lectrices) ! 😊
In honour of Prince George (one of the newest members of the British Royal Family) starting his first day of primary school last week, I give you the latest Word of the Week: ‘la rentrée’ 🎒📖📚
Word of the Week:
La rentrée.
How to pronounce it:
Lah rahn-tray.
What it means in English:
This literally means ‘the return’, in the sense of returning to a place, or taking something up again.
It’s most often used in the context of returning of school after the summer holidays, like a French version of ‘back to school’.
Where does it come from?
It’s related to the verb ‘rentrer, which can be translated into English as ‘to return’.
According to CNRTL’s website here, in the context of resuming a role or responsibility, ‘la rentrée’ was first used in 1563 or 1564 by the French poet Pierre de Ronsard in the third book of Nouvelles Poésies.
How to use it in a sentence:
‘La rentrée approche à grands pas!’
English translation:
‘The return to school is just around the corner.’
Similar words:
Reprendre l’école = To start back at school
Reprendre les cours = To start lessons again
Reprendre ses études = To start your studies again.
Hope you liked this week’s post 🙂
As always, let me know your comments or thoughts below, or if there are any French words that you’d like to see featured in a future Word of the Week post!
And for more Words of the Week, have a look here!
French Affliction 