French Conversation · Level 29
89 words
French word
tromper
Pronunciation
IPA/tʁɔ̃pe/
Meaning
- verbfool
Example
Il a trompé beaucoup de gens.
He fooled many people.
More examples
Il a trompé les clients avec de fausses promesses.
He deceived the customers with false promises.
Core concept
Someone conceals or alters reality until another person believes an untrue version of it.
Common phrases
tromper quelqu'un
deceive someone
tromper la confiance de quelqu'un
betray someone's trust
Similar words
mentir: To lie by giving someone false information.
Definition in French
Faire croire à quelqu'un quelque chose de faux par ruse, mensonge ou omission; peut aussi signifier trahir la fidélité d'une personne; au pronominal, se tromper signifie faire une erreur.
Word origin
Old French already used tromper for misleading or deceiving, and the verb has continued in French with related forms such as tromperie and trompeur.
Usage tips
- With a romantic partner as the direct object, tromper means to be unfaithful; this sense differs from mentir, which means to lie.