What does oser in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word oser in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use oser in French.

The word oser in French means dare, dare to do, be daring, be bold, dare to do, dare, dare to do, be so bold as to do. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word oser

dare

locution verbale (avoir le courage)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Je n'ose pas lui annoncer le décès de son ami.
I dare not tell him of his friend's death.

dare to do

verbe transitif (avoir le courage de faire [qch])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
"Les cons ça ose tout. C'est même à ça qu'on les reconnaît."
Idiots will do anything; in fact, that's how you know they're idiots.

be daring, be bold

verbe intransitif (prendre un risque)

Tu ne prends pas assez de risques. Tu sais, dans la vie, il faut oser !
You don't take enough risks; you know, in life you need to be daring (or: bold)!

dare to do

locution verbale (avoir l'impudence)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
L'élève ose dire que l'instituteur est un menteur.
The pupil dares to say that his teacher is a liar.

dare

verbe intransitif (avoir l'impudence)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Mais jeune homme, comment osez-vous ?
Well, young man; how dare you!

dare to do

locution verbale (littéraire (risquer)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Il osa lever les yeux vers elle.
He dared to look up at her.

be so bold as to do

locution verbale (Suisse (avoir la permission) (formal or ironic)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Est-ce que j'ose partir maintenant ?
May I be so bold as to leave now.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of oser in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.