French Conversation · Level 120
57 words
French word
abréger
Pronunciation
IPA/abʁeʒe/
Meaning
- verbshorten
Example
Il faut abréger ce texte pour la réunion.
This text needs to be shortened for the meeting.
More examples
Pouvez-vous abréger votre discours?
Can you shorten your speech?
Core concept
An overlong piece of writing or period of speaking compressed until only the necessary content or time remains.
Common phrases
abréger un texte
shorten a text
abréger un discours
shorten a speech
abréger une réunion
shorten a meeting
Similar words
résumer: To condense long content into a brief presentation of its essential points.
synthétiser: To bring together multiple pieces of information in a concise form.
raccourcir: To make something shorter in length or duration.
Definition in French
Rendre plus court un texte, un discours ou la durée d'une intervention en supprimant ou en condensant des éléments non essentiels.
Word origin
The French verb abréger is inherited through Old French from Latin abbreviare, a formation connected with brevis 'short'.
Usage tips
- For physically shortening an object, French generally uses raccourcir, whereas abréger normally concerns words, speech, procedures, or duration.