French Conversation · Level 93
60 words
French word
embêter
Pronunciation
IPA/ɑ̃bete/
Meaning
- verbbother
Example
Il ne faut pas embêter les autres.
You mustn't bother the others.
More examples
Ça m'embête quand tu fais ça.
It bothers me when you do that.
Core concept
Someone pesters another person just enough to create a temporary problem, irritation, or awkwardness.
Common phrases
embêter quelqu'un
bother someone
ça m'embête
That bothers me
Similar words
ennuyer: To make someone feel bored or annoyed.
déranger: To disturb someone or interfere with their activities or rest.
gêner: To make an action difficult and cause discomfort or awkwardness.
importuner: To pester someone persistently and cause annoyance or inconvenience.
Definition in French
Mettre quelqu'un dans l'embarras ou le déranger en lui provoquant une contrariété passagère.
Word origin
Embêter developed from en- combined with Old French beste, the predecessor of bête, and later acquired its milder sense of troubling or irritating someone.
Usage tips
- The reflexive form s'embêter commonly means being bored or fed up, unlike transitive embêter, which takes the person being bothered as its object.