French Conversation · Level 40
75 words
French word
désir
Pronunciation
IPA/deziʁ/
Meaning
- masculine noundesire
Example
Elle a exprimé son désir d'aider ses amis.
She expressed her desire to help her friends.
More examples
Il a éprouvé un désir soudain de partir.
He felt a sudden desire to leave.
Core concept
A person feels drawn toward a wished-for goal, whether the goal is an object, an experience, or an action.
Common phrases
exprimer son désir
express one's desire
satisfaire un désir
satisfy a desire
avoir le désir de
have the desire to ___
Similar words
envie: An everyday wish to do something or have something.
Definition in French
Sentiment qui pousse une personne à vouloir obtenir ou faire quelque chose, exprimant un souhait ou une envie.
Word origin
The noun désir developed from Old French desir and ultimately from Latin desiderium, a word for longing formed from desiderare.
Usage tips
- Désir commonly takes de before an infinitive, as in le désir d'aider, or de before a noun.
Other meanings
- wishnoun
Opposites
- indifférenceindifferencenoun
- désintérêtdisinterestnoun
Related words
- désirerdesireverb
- désirabledesirableadjective
- désirédesiredadjective