Re- French Prefix - Lawless French Vocabulary

Le préfixe re– et ses variantes


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The French prefix re- can be added to hundreds of verbs to make new verbs. Depending on the first letter of the verb it’s added to, re- has a few variations as well as some different meanings.

Re-

Generally speaking, re- is added to verbs that begin with a consonant or h aspiré:

remarier		to remarry		(added to marier – to marry)
rehausser		to heighten		(added to hausser – to raise)

The verb recycler is a little different: it was created by adding the prefix re– to the noun cycle to get recycle, which was then verbified.

Variants

While re- is the most common spelling, it can only be added to words that begin with a consonant other than s or h muet. For words that begin with s, h muet, or a vowel , you need a different spelling.

1) res-

Re- generally changes to res- in front of a verb starting with s:

ressembler		to resemble		(added to sembler – to seem)
ressortir		to go out again		(added to sortir – to go out)

2) ré- and r-

In front of a vowel or h muet, re- either takes on an accent (especially for Latin-based words) or contracts to r-. For a few verbs, both spellings exist.

rentrer	to return home	(added to entrer – to enter)
rhabiller	to dress again	(added to habiller – to dress)
réélire	to re-elect	(added to élire – to elect)
réutiliser	to reuse	(added to utiliser – to use)
récrire, réécrire	to rewrite	(added to écrire – to write)

Meanings of re- (and its variants)

1. To redo, to do again

ressaisir		to seize again		(added to saisir – to seize)
rouvrir		to reopen		(added to ouvrir – to open)

2. To return to a previous location, condition, or state of being

réhabituer		to reaccustom (someone to something)		(added to habituer – to accustom)
revenir		to come back		(added to venir – to come)

3. To emphasize or reinforce a verb

redoubler		to increase, redouble		(added to doubler – to double)
remercier		to thank		(added to mercier [archaic] – to thank)

À noter

Because the prefix re- has more than one possible meaning, some verbs do too. Sometimes they even have new meanings unrelated to the root verb:

rappeler	– to call back, to call again – to recall, remember	(added to appeler – to call)
rejoindre	– to get back to, rejoin, reunite – to join (an organization)	(added to joindre – to link, combine, to join [two things together]; to contact)
renvoyer	– to send back, to send again – to fire, dismiss	(added to envoyer – to send)