French word

te

Pronunciation

IPA/tə/

Meaning

  • pronounyou

Example

Je te comprends.

I understand you.

Illustration for te (you)

More examples

Je te cherche depuis une heure.

I have been looking for you for an hour.

Core concept

A quiet verbal companion marks the addressed person as the action's direct or indirect participant.

Common phrases

  • t'inviter

    invite you

  • te chercher

    look for you

  • te protéger

    protect you

Similar words

toi: A stressed form meaning you, used after an imperative.
t': A shortened object pronoun meaning you before a vowel-starting verb.
tu: A subject pronoun meaning you in informal singular speech.

Definition in French

S'emploie sous une forme atone pour la 2ᵉ personne du singulier, comme complément d'objet direct ou indirect, avant le verbe conjugué ou l'infinitif, et s'élide en t' devant une voyelle.

Word origin

French te is an inherited continuation of Latin te, the non-subject form of tu, with its short unstressed form preserved in modern clitic placement.

Usage tips

  • With an infinitive, te normally stands directly before the infinitive when that infinitive is the relevant verb, as in vouloir te voir, rather than before vouloir.

Word lists with this word