French word

avaler

Pronunciation

IPA/avale/

Meaning

  • verbswallow

Example

J'ai avalé mon médicament ce matin.

I swallowed my medication this morning.

Illustration for avaler (swallow)

Core concept

A bite or pill moves down through the throat and disappears inside, while an unwelcome thing can be pushed down in the same way.

Common phrases

  • avaler sa fierté

    swallow one's pride

Similar words

boire: To drink liquid through the mouth.
manger: To eat food by chewing it in the mouth.
prendre: To take medicine or another substance orally.

Definition in French

Faire descendre par la gorge quelque chose pris par la bouche; au figuré, supporter ou accepter quelque chose de désagréable.

Word origin

French avaler continues Old French avaler, formed from aval, meaning 'downward', with the verb ending -er.

Usage tips

  • Avaler is a regular -er verb, so its present forms include j'avale, nous avalons, and ils avalent.

Other meanings

  • swallow wholeverb

Opposites

  • recracherspit outverb

Word lists with this word