French word of the Day: Re
For when polysyllables are just too much effort.
Why do I need to know the word re?
Because someone you meet for the second time in a day may say it to you.
What does it mean?
Re - it’s the Latin prefix that means again, just as it does in English.
The French use it a lot, especially with verbs to indicate performing a particular task again - think rejouer, to play again, or réapprendre, to learn again, or even reconfiner (to go back into lockdown. Let's hope we wont be seeing that one again).
But they also stick it on the front of ‘bonjour’ to say ‘hello - again’ to someone they meet for a second time in a day.
We’ve already gone into some detail in another article on the importance of saying bonjour - but, importantly, there’s a golden rule in France about how many times you can say it to the same person. And it’s once.
READ ALSO Explained: When should you greet a French person
In French, bonjour is the greeting for when you meet someone for the first time that day. To say it again may be considered a little rude - as if you’ve forgotten saying hello the first time.
Hence, rebonjour - for hello again, when you encounter someone for the second time in a day.
And this can be shortened, simply, to re if you’re hip, lazy, or have recently been exercising and fear a lung may shoot out of your nose like an untied balloon if you try to speak.
Use it like this
Re! - [Hello] again!
Re! La troisième fois que l'on se croise, on boit un verre - Hello again! It’s the third time we’ve met, let’s have a drink
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Why do I need to know the word re?
Because someone you meet for the second time in a day may say it to you.
What does it mean?
Re - it’s the Latin prefix that means again, just as it does in English.
The French use it a lot, especially with verbs to indicate performing a particular task again - think rejouer, to play again, or réapprendre, to learn again, or even reconfiner (to go back into lockdown. Let's hope we wont be seeing that one again).
But they also stick it on the front of ‘bonjour’ to say ‘hello - again’ to someone they meet for a second time in a day.
We’ve already gone into some detail in another article on the importance of saying bonjour - but, importantly, there’s a golden rule in France about how many times you can say it to the same person. And it’s once.
READ ALSO Explained: When should you greet a French person
In French, bonjour is the greeting for when you meet someone for the first time that day. To say it again may be considered a little rude - as if you’ve forgotten saying hello the first time.
Hence, rebonjour - for hello again, when you encounter someone for the second time in a day.
And this can be shortened, simply, to re if you’re hip, lazy, or have recently been exercising and fear a lung may shoot out of your nose like an untied balloon if you try to speak.
Use it like this
Re! - [Hello] again!
Re! La troisième fois que l'on se croise, on boit un verre - Hello again! It’s the third time we’ve met, let’s have a drink
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