French Conversation · Level 192
15 words
French word
sommer
Pronunciation
IPA/some/
Meaning
- verborder
Example
Le professeur a sommé les élèves de se taire.
The teacher ordered the students to be quiet.
More examples
Le patron a sommé son employé de terminer le rapport.
The boss ordered his employee to finish the report.
Core concept
A formal summons that presses a person to carry out a required action.
Similar words
demander: To request that someone do something.
exiger: To insist that someone do something because it is required.
ordonner: To give someone a formal command to follow.
obliger: To force someone to act due to legal or situational circumstances.
Definition in French
Exiger officiellement qu'une personne fasse quelque chose, parfois accompagné d'une mise en demeure.
Word origin
Sommer comes through Old French from Latin summonere, meaning "to summon or call to account," which led to its formal French sense of demanding an action.
Usage tips
- Sommer takes a direct object followed by de and an infinitive, as in sommer quelqu'un de se taire, and sounds more formal than demander.