French Conversation · Level 62
76 words
French word
envers
Pronunciation
IPA/ɑ̃vɛʁ/
Meaning
- prepositiontoward ___
Example
Il est gentil envers tout le monde.
He is kind to everyone.
More examples
Elle montre de la patience envers ses enfants.
She shows patience toward her children.
Core concept
An inner stance travels toward the person or thing receiving it.
Common phrases
envers quelqu'un
toward someone
envers les autres
toward others
Similar words
à l'égard de: Toward a person or thing as the object of an evaluation or opinion, often in formal writing.
vis-à-vis de: Toward someone or something in terms of the relationship or position involved.
Definition in French
Indique la direction d'une attitude, d'un comportement ou d'un jugement à l'égard d'une personne, d'un groupe ou d'une chose.
Word origin
The preposition is built from en and vers, with vers deriving from Latin versus, a form related to vertere, 'to turn'; a literal direction toward something became a figurative relation to it.
Usage tips
- Envers is not the usual choice for physical direction: movement toward a place generally takes vers, while envers marks the target of an attitude or evaluation.