French Conversation · Level 28
89 words
French word
durer
Pronunciation
IPA/dyʁe/
Meaning
- verblast
Example
La réunion dure une heure.
The meeting lasts an hour.
More examples
Le jeu dure toute l'après-midi.
The game lasts all afternoon.
La batterie de mon téléphone ne dure pas longtemps.
My phone's battery doesn't last long.
Core concept
A candle flame stays lit from one moment to the next until its endpoint, like an activity or state that remains present.
Common phrases
durer longtemps
last a long time
durer trois heures
last three hours
durer quelques minutes
last a few minutes
Similar words
continuer: To carry on with an action or state without stopping.
prendre: To require a certain amount of time to finish.
Definition in French
Continuer d'exister ou de se prolonger dans le temps; indiquer qu'un état, une action ou un événement dure pendant une période.
Word origin
French durer continues Old French durer from Latin durare, a verb related to durus, "hard," because firmness developed into the idea of lasting.
Usage tips
- Durer is generally intransitive, so the lasting thing is the subject: Le film dure deux heures, rather than a direct object after the verb.