French Conversation · Level 30
89 words
French word
rater
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁate/
Meaning
- verbfail
Example
Il a raté son examen.
He failed his exam.
More examples
J'ai raté le bus ce matin.
I missed the bus this morning.
Core concept
A target or expected result slips out of reach, so the attempt is judged unsuccessful.
Common phrases
rater un examen
fail an exam
rater le bus
miss the bus
rater une occasion
miss an opportunity
Similar words
échouer: To fail to pass an exam or achieve success with a plan.
louper: To mess up an exam or task, in informal speech.
manquer: To miss a vehicle or an opportunity.
se planter: To badly mess up an exam or task, in informal speech.
Definition in French
Exprime le fait de ne pas réussir; on le trouve souvent à l'objet direct (rater quelque chose) et sous forme de participe passé raté pour qualifier un résultat négatif.
Word origin
French rater comes from medieval French ratier, whose meaning developed from missing something toward failing to succeed; raté also became an adjective for a poor result.
Usage tips
- In standard usage, rater normally takes a direct object, as in rater un examen, rather than a preposition.
Other meanings
- missverb
- overlookverb
Opposites
- réussirsucceedverb
Related words
- ratéfailedadjective
- ratagefailurenoun