French Conversation · Level 118
59 words
French word
redoubler
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁəduble/
Meaning
- verbrepeat a year
Example
Mon frère a redoublé sa terminale.
My brother repeated his final year.
More examples
Elle risque de redoubler si elle ne travaille pas.
She risks repeating a school year if she doesn't work.
Core concept
A student stays on one school level and goes through that year's work a second time.
Common phrases
redoubler une année
repeat a school year
Similar words
repasser: To sit an exam again after failing it.
échouer: To be unsuccessful in an exam and fall below the passing mark.
rater: To fail an exam and lose the chance to pass.
Definition in French
Refaire la même année scolaire au lieu de passer dans la classe supérieure.
Word origin
Redoubler joins re- 'again' to doubler 'double', which comes through Old French from Latin duplus 'double', giving the sense of doing a school year twice.
Usage tips
- In school contexts, redoubler takes the year or class as a direct object, as in redoubler sa terminale.