Informal French Expression
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| Meaning | Can you imagine?! Can you believe it?! | |
| Literally | You realize? You’re aware? | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[tu teu ra(n) ko(n)t] |
| IPA | [ty tə rã kɔ̃t] | |
Usage notes: The French phrase se rendre compte means "to realize" or "to be aware."
Par exemple…
| Je me suis rendu compte que mes parents allaient divorcer. | I realized that my parents were going to get divorced. | |
| Maintenant que tu te rends compte de ton erreur, tu dois t’excuser. | Now that you’re aware of your error, you have to excuse yourself. |
Informally, tu te rends compte is interjected as a rhetorical question to express outrage or disbelief:
Par exemple…
| Après m’avoir larguée, il m’a demandé de l’aider avec ses devoirs – tu te rends compte ! | After dumping me, he asked if I’d help him with his homework – can you believe it?! | |
| Non, mais tu te rends compte de ce qu’il a osé faire ?? | Can you believe what he dared to do?? |
Variations
- Rends-toi compte ! (imperative) – “Just imagine! Just think!”
- Vous vous rendez compte ! – when addressing more than one person
Somewhat synonymous: Figure-toi ! – "Get this!"
Related lessons
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