French word

séparer

Pronunciation

IPA/sepaʁe/

Meaning

  • verbseparate

Example

Tu dois séparer les vêtements sales des vêtements propres.

You must separate the dirty clothes from the clean clothes.

Illustration for séparer (separate)

More examples

Il faut séparer les déchets recyclables des autres.

We need to separate recyclable waste from the rest.

Core concept

A clear gap or boundary keeps people, objects, or ideas apart.

Common phrases

  • séparer les déchets

    separate the waste

  • séparer le travail et la vie privée

    separate work and private life

  • séparer deux personnes

    separate two people

Similar words

diviser: To divide one thing into several parts.
trier: To sort things according to their type or condition.
écarter: To move nearby things sideways or diagonally to create space between them.
isoler: To keep something apart from its surroundings.

Definition in French

Mettre des éléments à distance ou établir une division entre eux, soit matériellement (objets, parties), soit de façon abstraite (idées, catégories).

Word origin

French séparer comes from Latin separare, meaning to set apart, through Old French, and retains both physical and abstract uses.

Usage tips

  • The usual construction is séparer A de B, as in séparer les vêtements sales des vêtements propres.

Other meanings

  • partverb
  • detachverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word