French word

hâte

Pronunciation

IPA/at/

Meaning

  • feminine nouneagerness

Example

J'ai hâte de te voir.

I can't wait to see you.

Illustration for hâte (eagerness)

More examples

Ils ont hâte que le spectacle commence.

They are eager for the show to begin.

Core concept

A future event pulls attention forward, making the present wait feel unusually long.

Common phrases

  • avoir hâte de

    be eager to ___

  • avoir hâte que

    be eager for ___ to happen

  • à la hâte

    in haste

Similar words

impatience: A restless feeling of being unable to wait.
attente: The period or state of waiting for something to happen.
désir: A strong feeling of wanting something.
envie: A strong wish to do or have something.

Definition in French

État d'impatience centré sur le désir que quelque chose arrive vite, généralement formulé par «J'ai hâte de…».

Word origin

French hâte continues Old French haste, and the circumflex reflects the historical loss of the former s in spelling.

Usage tips

  • The usual construction is avoir hâte de followed by an infinitive, as in J'ai hâte de te voir, rather than a direct English-style verb construction.

Other meanings

  • hastenoun
  • impatiencenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • hâterhastenverb
  • hâtifhastyadjective
  • hâtivementhastilyadverb

Word lists with this word