French Conversation · Level 98
60 words
French word
déchirer
Pronunciation
IPA/deʃiʁe/
Meaning
- verbtear
Example
Fais attention, tu vas déchirer ton pantalon.
Be careful, you're going to tear your pants.
More examples
Il a déchiré la lettre en deux.
He tore the letter in two.
Core concept
A forceful pull splits a material or tears away part of it, and the same image extends to emotional or social damage.
Common phrases
déchirer un pantalon
tear a pair of trousers
déchirer une page
tear a page
déchirer une lettre
tear a letter
Similar words
se déchirer: Becoming bitterly divided emotionally or in a relationship, making reconciliation difficult.
blesser: Causing physical pain, emotional distress, or bodily injury.
briser: Destroying an object or feeling so that its original state is lost.
rompre: Breaking off a relationship or breaking a promise.
Definition in French
Faire une ouverture ou arracher une partie d'un matériau en le tirant ; verbe transitif, utilisé au sens propre et figuré.
Word origin
French déchirer comes through Old French deschirer from Latin discerpere, built from dis- meaning 'apart' and carpere meaning 'pluck or tear'.
Usage tips
- As a transitive verb, déchirer normally takes the torn object directly, as in déchirer son pantalon, without a preposition.