Vocab- Fabulang

Vocabulary

Louer

rents

Discuter

Discuss to talk about something in detail.

Gouter

to taste or sample food, often referring to a snack or light meal.

Entre

between, among

Plutot

rather, quite or instead

Barbe

Beard

Laine

wool

rêve

dream

somnambule 

sleepwalking

s’endort

fall asleep

 choux

cabbages

ensoleillée

sunny

Essayez celle-ci

Try this one

portefeuille

wallet

rendre

• To give back / return: rendre un livre (to return a book)

• To make (someone/something become): rendre heureux (to make someone happy)

• To deliver / produce: rendre un devoir (to hand in an assignment)

• To pay (a visit): rendre visite (to visit someone)

commerçant

merchant

malins

• Clever / smart / sly (in a positive or slightly playful way)

  • Ils sont malins → “They are clever.”

Depending on context, it can also mean:

• Cunning / sneaky (a bit more negative)

sourire

smiled

Pleine

• Full (of something): une salle pleine → “a full room”

• Completely / totally: pleine de joie → “full of joy”

• Entire / whole: en pleine nuit → “in the middle of the night”

Peut-être

maybe

sauf

except

pire

worse

enfin

Finally / at last

Used when something happens after waiting or delay.

• Enfin, tu es là ! → “Finally, you’re here!”

2. In short / basically

Used to summarize or soften what you’re saying.

• Il est fatigué, enfin, je crois. → “He’s tired, well, I think.”

3. Well / I mean / anyway

Used in spoken French to adjust or correct what was said.

• Enfin, ce n’est pas important. → “Well, it’s not important.”

apporte

bring

contrarié(e)

annoyed, upset, bothered, or irritated.

dur

1. Hard (physical texture)

• Le pain est dur → “The bread is hard”

2. Difficult / tough

• Un examen dur → “A difficult exam”

3. Strict / harsh (people or situations)

• Un professeur dur → “A strict teacher”

4. Strong / intense (informal use)

• C’est dur ! → “That’s tough / that’s hard!”

 J’espère

Breakdown:

• je = I

• espère = hope (from the verb espérer)

• J’espère = “I hope”

Examples:

• J’espère que tu vas bien. → “I hope you are well.”

• J’espère réussir. → “I hope to succeed.”

l’air

The air (atmosphere)

• L’air est frais aujourd’hui → “The air is fresh today”

2. To look / seem (appearance)

• Elle a l’air contente → “She looks happy”

• Il a l’air fatigué → “He seems tired”

👉 In this case, “avoir l’air” = to look / to seem

3. A tune / melody

• un air de musique → “a tune”

recette

1. Recipe (most common)

A set of instructions for cooking or preparing food.

• une recette de gâteau → “a cake recipe”

• la recette de la soupe → “the soup recipe”

2. Income / earnings (finance)

Money collected or received (often by a business or organization).

• les recettes du restaurant → “the restaurant’s income”

à nouveau

Repetition (doing something again)

• Il a essayé à nouveau. → “He tried again.”

• Je vous contacte à nouveau. → “I’m contacting you again.”

2. Returning to a previous state

• Elle est à nouveau heureuse. → “She is happy again.”

• Le magasin est à nouveau ouvert. → “The shop is open again.”

3. Formal / written tone

“À nouveau” is often slightly more formal or polished than everyday speech.

More casual alternatives:

• encore → again

• de nouveau → again (also fairly neutral)

feuille

leaf / sheet (of paper)

essayer

• to try, to attempt

“Essaie” can be:

• 1st person singular present: j’essaie = I try

• 3rd person singular present: il/elle essaie = he/she tries

• Imperative: essaie ! = try!

Example:

• J’essaie de comprendre. → “I’m trying to understand.”

• Essaie encore. → “Try again.”

sortilège

• Meaning (English): spell, sorcery, enchantment, bewitchment

• Related words: magie (magic), malédiction (curse), enchantement (enchantment)

Example sentences:

• Le sorcier a lancé un sortilège. → “The wizard cast a spell.”

• Sous l’effet d’un sortilège, il ne reconnaissait plus personne. → “Under a spell, he no longer recognized anyone.”

puissant

• Meaning (English): powerful, strong, mighty

• Feminine form: puissante

Examples:

• un roi puissant → “a powerful king”

• une magie puissante → “powerful magic”

• Ce moteur est très puissant. → “This engine is very powerful.”

canards

• Meaning (English): ducks

• Singular: un canard = a duck

Examples:

• Les canards nagent sur le lac. → “The ducks are swimming on the lake.”

• J’ai vu trois canards. → “I saw three ducks.”

Fun note:

• un canard can also informally mean a newspaper or a false rumor/hoax depending on context.

apparaître

to appear, to show up, to become visible

Examples:

• Des étoiles apparaissent dans le ciel. → “Stars appear in the sky.”

• Ils apparaissent soudainement. → “They appear suddenly.”

Related forms:

• j’apparais = I appear

• il apparaît = he appears

• nous apparaissons = we appear

amicaux

est le pluriel masculin de amical.

• Meaning (English): friendly, amicable

• Feminine singular: amicale

• Masculine singular: amical

Examples:

• des relations amicales → “friendly relations”

• Ils ont eu des échanges amicaux. → “They had friendly exchanges.”

Common expression:

• un match amical → “a friendly match” (in sports)

partout

• everywhere, all over the place

Examples:

• Il y a des fleurs partout. → “There are flowers everywhere.”

• Je te cherche partout. → “I’m looking for you everywhere.”

Related expressions:

• partout dans le monde → “all around the world”

• aller partout → “to go everywhere”

s’asseoir

With reflexive (common meaning: “sit down”)

• Ils s’assoient. → “They sit down / they are sitting.”

2. Without reflexive (different meaning)

• asseoir = to seat someone / to make someone sit

So:

• Le professeur assoit les élèves. → “The teacher seats the students.”

Key difference:

• s’asseoir = you sit yourself down

• asseoir = you make someone else sit down

câliner

• to cuddle / to snuggle / to pamper affectionately

câlinent is:

• 3rd person plural present tense

Example:

• Ils câlinent le chat.
  → They are cuddling the cat.

Breakdown:

• câlin = cuddle

• câliner = to cuddle

• ils/elles câlinent = they cuddle / are cuddling

The little hat accent:

• â is a circumflex accent.

aucune

• no

• not any

• none

It is the feminine form of aucun.

Masculine	Feminine
aucun	aucune

Examples:

French	English
Aucun problème.	No problem.
Je n’ai aucune idée.	I have no idea.
Aucune personne n’est venue.	No person came.

Important:
French usually uses it with ne:

• Je n’ai aucune envie.
  → I have no desire / I don’t feel like it at all.

Because:

• envie is feminine → aucune

• problème is masculine → aucun

ramasser

• to pick up / gather / collect

ramasse can mean:

Form	Meaning
je ramasse	I pick up
il/elle ramasse	he/she picks up
ramasse !	pick up! (command)

Examples:

• Elle ramasse le livre.
  → She picks up the book.

• Je ramasse mes affaires.
  → I gather my things.

• Ramasse ça !
  → Pick that up!

laisser

• to leave

• to let

• to allow

depending on context.

Examples:

French	English
Laisse-moi tranquille.	Leave me alone.
Je vais laisser mon sac ici.	I’m going to leave my bag here.
Elle laisse les enfants jouer.	She lets the children play.

Common structures:

Structure	Meaning
laisser + noun	leave something
laisser + infinitive	let someone do something

Examples:

• Je laisse la porte ouverte.
  → I leave the door open.

• Il me laisse parler.
  → He lets me speak.

tomber

• to fall

Examples:

French	English
Je suis tombé.	I fell.
Le livre tombe.	The book is falling.
La pluie tombe.	The rain is falling.

It also appears in many expressions:

Expression	Meaning
tomber amoureux	to fall in love
tomber malade	to fall/get sick
laisser tomber	to drop it / give up
ça tombe bien	that works out well

Important:
tomber uses être in passé composé:

• Il est tombé.

• Elle est tombée.

laisser tomber

• to let fall”

But very often it means:

• to drop it

• to give up

• forget it

• leave it alone

depending on context.

Examples:

French	English
Laisse tomber !	Forget it! / Never mind!
J’ai laissé tomber mes clés.	I dropped my keys.
Il a laissé tomber le projet.	He gave up on the project.

Very common informal expression:

• Oh, laisse tomber…
  → Ugh, forget it / never mind.

ramasser

• “I pick up”

• “he/she picks up”

• or “pick up!” as a command

Examples:

• Il ramasse le livre. → He picks up the book.

• Ramasse ça ! → Pick that up!

emmener

It means:

• “takes him”

• “takes her”

• “is taking him/her”
  

Examples:

• Elle l’emmène à l’école.
  → She takes him/her to school.

• Je l’emmène avec moi.
  → I’m taking him/her with me.

Important:

• emmener is generally for people or living beings

• apporter/emporter are more for objects/things.

sembler

• “to seem”

So semble means:

• “seems”

Examples:

• Il semble fatigué.
  → He seems tired.

• Ça semble impossible.
  → That seems impossible.

• Elle semble heureuse.
  → She seems happy.

pousser

It can mean:

• “push”

• “grow”

• sometimes “urge/encourage”

So poussent means:

• “they push”

• “they grow”
  depending on context.

Examples:

• Les enfants poussent la porte.
  → The children push the door.

• Les fleurs poussent vite.
  → The flowers grow quickly.

• Ils me poussent à continuer.
  → They encourage/push me to continue.

endroit

• “place”

• “spot”

• “location”

Examples:

• C’est un bel endroit.
  → It’s a beautiful place.

• Quel est cet endroit ?
  → What is this place?

• Je connais un bon endroit.
  → I know a good spot/place.

gagner

• to win

Examples:

• Elle est la gagnante du concours.
  → She is the winner of the contest.

• L’équipe gagnante
  → The winning team

Masculine:

• gagnant- winner

Feminine:

• gagnante- winner

malchanceuse

unlucky
mal = bad

• chance = luck

• malchance = bad luck

• malchanceuse = unlucky (feminine adjective)

---

🔹 Examples:

• Elle est malchanceuse. → “She is unlucky.”

• Une fille malchanceuse. → “An unlucky girl.”

---

🔹 Masculine form:

• malchanceux = unlucky (male)

endroit

place / location / spot

---

🔹 Examples:

• un endroit calme → a quiet place

• cet endroit est beau → this place is beautiful

• je connais un bon endroit → I know a good spot

---

🔹 Simple idea:

Think of endroit = any physical place (can be small like a “spot” or general like a “location”).

personne

personne = nobody / no one

When used with ne, it means no one.

• Je ne vois personne. → I see no one.

• Elle ne connaît personne. → She knows no one.

👉 Structure: ne + verb + personne

---

🔹 2. personne = someone / anybody

In questions or affirmatives (less common, but possible in certain contexts):

• Est-ce qu’il y a personne ici ? → Is there anyone here? (informal/spoken)

• Il y a personne qui veut venir ? → Does anyone want to come?

---

🔹 Simple way to remember:

• with “ne” → nobody

• without “ne” → someone/anyone (contextual, mostly spoken)
  les personnes = persons / people (more formal)

  👉 used in formal or written contexts

  • Il y a 10 personnes dans la salle. → There are 10 people in the room.

  • Toutes les personnes doivent partir. → All people must leave.

malchance

bad luck / misfortune

---

🔹 Breakdown:

• mal = bad

• chance = luck

• malchance = bad luck

---

🔹 Examples:

• Quelle malchance ! → What bad luck!

• J’ai eu de la malchance. → I had bad luck.

• C’est de la malchance. → It’s just bad luck.

---

🔹 Related word:

• malchanceux / malchanceuse = unlucky (person)

  • Il est malchanceux. → He is unlucky.

vérité

truth

---

🔹 Examples:

• C’est la vérité. → It’s the truth.

• Dis-moi la vérité. → Tell me the truth.

• La vérité est importante. → Truth is important.

---

🔹 Related word:

• vrai / vraie = true

  • C’est vrai. → It’s true.

---

🧠 Simple memory:

• vérité = noun (truth)

• vrai(e) = adjective (true)

chaîne de télévision

Word-by-word:

• chaîne = channel / chain

• de = of

• télévision = television

---

🔹 Full meaning:

👉 TV channel

---

🔹 Examples:

• Quelle chaîne de télévision regardes-tu ?
  → Which TV channel are you watching?

• Une chaîne de télévision populaire
  → A popular TV channel

---

🧠 Simple memory:

• chaîne = channel

• chaîne de télévision = TV channel

choqués

shocked / offended / disturbed

---

🔹 Breakdown:

• choqué = shocked (masculine singular)

• choquée = shocked (feminine singular)

• choqués = shocked (masculine plural OR mixed group)

• choquées = shocked (feminine plural)

---

🔹 Examples:

• Ils sont choqués. → They are shocked.

• Les gens étaient choqués. → People were shocked.

• Elles sont choquées. → They (females) are shocked.

---

🧠 Simple memory:

👉 choqué = emotional reaction to something surprising, upsetting, or inappropriate

chuchoté

Meaning:

👉 whispered

---

🔹 Breakdown:

• chuchoter = to whisper

• chuchoté = whispered (past participle)

---

🔹 Examples:

• Il a chuchoté quelque chose.
  → He whispered something.

• Elle a chuchoté à mon oreille.
  → She whispered in my ear.

---

🧠 Simple memory:

👉 chuchoter = soft speaking secretly → chuchoté = whispered

suivie

followed” / “tracked” / “monitored”
Examples:

Elle est suivie par un médecin.
She is being followed/monitored by a doctor.

La commande est suivie en ligne.
The order is tracked online.

Masculine would be suivi.

inhabituels

Meaning

• unusual

• out of the ordinary

• not habitual / uncommon

It is the masculine plural form of inhabituel.

---

Forms

Form	Meaning
inhabituel	unusual (masc. singular)
inhabituelle	unusual (fem. singular)
inhabituels	unusual (masc. plural)
inhabituelles	unusual (fem. plural)

---

Examples

• des comportements inhabituels
  → unusual behaviors

• des bruits inhabituels
  → unusual noises

• C’est inhabituel.
  → That’s unusual.

---

Word breakdown

• habituel = usual / habitual

• in- = not

hocher

Meaning of hoché

• nodded

• shaken (usually head)

It is the past participle of hocher.

---

Very common expression

• hocher la tête → to nod one’s head

👉

• Il a hoché la tête.
  → He nodded.

• Elle a hoché la tête en silence.
  → She nodded silently.

---

Forms

Form	Example
hoché	masculine singular
hochée	feminine singular
hochés	masculine plural
hochées	feminine plural

---

Important nuance

French often uses hocher la tête where English simply says:

• “to nod”

So:

• Il a hoché la tête = He nodded.

rigolo

Meanings

• funny

• amusing

• cute/fun in a playful way

Depending on context, it can describe:

• a person

• a situation

• a joke/story

---

Examples

• C’est rigolo !
  → That’s funny! / That’s fun!

• Il est rigolo.
  → He’s funny.

• Une histoire rigolote
  → A funny story

---

Forms

Form	Meaning
rigolo	masculine singular
rigolote	feminine singular
rigolos	masculine plural
rigolotes	feminine plural

---

Nuance

Compared to:

• drôle → generally “funny”

• rigolo → more casual/playful/cute funny

Like:

• silly

• goofy

• amusing

lier

Meaning of liés

• linked

• connected

• related

• tied

It is the masculine plural past participle.

---

Forms

Form	Meaning
lié	linked (masc. singular)
liée	linked (fem. singular)
liés	linked (masc. plural)
liées	linked (fem. plural)

---

Examples

• Ils sont liés.
  → They are connected / tied together.

• Des problèmes liés au travail
  → Problems related to work

• Les deux événements sont liés.
  → The two events are connected.

---

Important nuance

lié à = related to / connected to

👉

• Le stress est lié au manque de sommeil.
  → Stress is linked to lack of sleep.

attentionné

Meaning

• thoughtful

• considerate

• caring

• attentive (emotionally attentive)

It describes someone who notices others’ needs and acts kindly.

---

Examples

• Il est très attentionné.
  → He is very thoughtful/caring.

• C’est un geste attentionné.
  → That’s a thoughtful gesture.

• Elle est attentionnée avec ses amis.
  → She is caring toward her friends.

comme Part 1

one of the MOST flexible words in French
1. like / similar to

(comparison)

Examples

• Il est comme son père.
  → He is like his father.

• Fais comme moi.
  → Do like me.

• Comme d’habitude
  → As usual

---

2. how / so

(exclamation)

Examples

• Comme c’est beau !
  → How beautiful! / It’s so beautiful!

• Comme tu as grandi !
  → How you’ve grown!

👉 This is the usage from:
Comme c’est attentionné !

---

3. since / because

(reason)

Examples

• Comme il pleuvait, nous sommes restés à la maison.
  → Since it was raining, we stayed home.

• Comme tu es fatiguée, repose-toi.
  → Since you’re tired, rest.

👉 Usually at the START of sentence.

comme 2

4. as

(role/function)

Examples

• Il travaille comme professeur.
  → He works as a teacher.

• Je te parle comme ami.
  → I’m speaking to you as a friend.

---

5. such as / for example

(example)

Examples

• J’aime les fruits comme les pommes et les mangues.
  → I like fruits such as apples and mangoes.

---

6. while / when

(in some expressions)

Examples

• Comme je sortais, il est arrivé.
  → As I was leaving, he arrived.

---

🔥 SUPER IMPORTANT EXPRESSIONS

Expression	Meaning
comme ça	like that / so-so
comme d’habitude	as usual
comme même	❌ incorrect
quand même	anyway / still
comme si	as if

 Évidemment 

Main meanings

• obviously

• clearly

• of course

---

Examples

• Évidemment !
  → Obviously! / Of course!

• Il est évidemment fatigué.
  → He is obviously tired.

• Évidemment que oui.
  → Of course yes.

moquent

se moquer de = to make fun of / to mock / to laugh at

So:

ils se moquent
= they are making fun (of someone/something)

or

they mock

---

Example:

Ils se moquent de moi.
They’re making fun of me.

---

Why does it have “se”?

Because the verb is reflexive
Important: it takes DE

se moquer de quelqu’un

So later this can connect to dont:

Les gens dont ils se moquent
The people they make fun of

because:

se moquer DE → triggers dont.

bûche

Une bûche mainly means:

a log (piece of wood)

Like a chunk of wood used for a fireplace.

Example:

Il met une bûche dans le feu.
He puts a log in the fire.

---

But in French culture, une bûche can ALSO mean:

la bûche de Noël
a Yule log cake eaten at Christmas

It’s a dessert shaped like a wooden log.

Example:

On mange une bûche à Noël.
We eat a Yule log cake at Christmas.

si + adjective

to intensify something.

---

Examples:

Il est si gentil.
He is so nice.

C’est si beau.
It’s so beautiful.

Elle est si petite.
She is so small.

de si + adjective + noun

Pattern:

de si petites oreilles
such small ears

Why “de”?

Because when an adjective comes before the noun in these intensity expressions, French often uses:

de + adjective + noun

---

Compare:

Normal:

Elle a de petites oreilles.
She has small ears.

Stronger/emotional:

Elle a de si petites oreilles.
She has such small ears.

The si adds emphasis/emotion.

sursauté

to jump suddenly / to startle / to jolt

So:

sursauté
is the past participle:
jumped suddenly / startled

---

Example:

J’ai sursauté en entendant le bruit.
I jumped/startled when I heard the noise.

Like when a loud sound suddenly scares you and your body jerks a little.

plaindre

to pity someone

So:

• je plains → I pity

• je te plains → I pity you

---

Difference from “se plaindre”

These are related but different:

Verb	Meaning
plaindre quelqu’un	to pity someone
se plaindre de	to complain about

laid

Example:

Ce chien est laid.
This dog is ugly.

fort

Main meaning:

1. Strong

Il est fort.
He is strong.

Good at / skilled at

French often uses fort en for subjects or skills.

Elle est forte en maths.
She’s good at math.

Tu es fort en français !
You’re good at French!

---

3. Loud / intense

La musique est trop forte.
The music is too loud.

---

4. Hard / difficult / intense

C’est fort !
That’s intense!

Depending on tone, it can mean:

• wow that’s crazy

• that’s harsh

• that’s impressive

soupirer

= to sigh

So:

soupiré
= sighed

Example:

Elle a soupiré.
She sighed.

Usually from:

• tiredness

• frustration

• relief

• sadness

• annoyance

• romantic emotion sometimes

emmener 

to take someone/something along somewhere

Usually with the idea of accompanying or bringing.

---

Core idea

If you are taking a person with you, French often uses:

emmener

Example:

J’emmène mon frère au cinéma.
I’m taking my brother to the movies.

You are physically bringing him along.

---

VERY IMPORTANT difference

French separates:

Verb	Used for
emmener	people / animals
apporter	objects/things
amener	bringing someone to a place
emporter	taking something away with you

amener

to bring someone/something to a place

The core feeling is:

bringing toward a destination

---

Simple intuition amener

= bring

emmener

= take along / take away

---

Example of AMENER

Il amène son ami à la fête.
He’s bringing his friend to the party.

Focus:
→ arriving at the destination

---

Example of EMMENER

Il emmène son ami en voyage.
He’s taking his friend on a trip.

Focus:
→ taking someone along with him

faillir + infinitive

= to almost do something

---

Main meaning

J’ai failli tomber.
I almost fell.

Elle a failli pleurer.
She almost cried.

On a failli mourir.
We almost died.

So failli gives the idea of:

“it nearly happened.”

---

Structure

Usually:

avoir + failli + infinitive

Examples:

Tu as failli oublier ton téléphone.
You almost forgot your phone.

Il a failli rire.
He almost laughed.

cœur

heart.

It can refer to:

❤ The physical heart

Le cœur est un organe important.
The heart is an important organ.

💕 Emotions / feelings

Elle a un grand cœur.
She has a big heart.

Mon cœur est brisé.
My heart is broken.

❤‍🔥 Love

Je t'aime de tout mon cœur.
I love you with all my heart.

battre

to beat.

Most common use: the heart

Son cœur battait vite.
His/Her heart was beating fast.

Mon cœur battait très fort.
My heart was beating very strongly.

---

Other meanings To beat (in a competition)

L'équipe battait ses adversaires.
The team was beating its opponents.

To strike/hit repeatedly

La pluie battait les fenêtres.
The rain was beating against the windows.

tandis

hâte

grimpé

buissons

suis

bête 

patte

coincée

sorcière

a witch 🧙‍♀

Examples:

• La sorcière vit dans la forêt.

  • The witch lives in the forest.

• Cette sorcière prépare une potion magique.

  • This witch is preparing a magic potion.

Related words:

• un sorcier = a male witch / wizard

• la sorcellerie = witchcraft

• un sort = a spell, curse

faire tomber

• to make something fall

• to knock something down

• to drop something (depending on context)

A useful thing to remember is that faire + infinitive often means "to make/cause someone or something to do something."

• faire rire = to make laugh

• faire pleurer = to make cry

• faire tomber = to make fall

• faire venir = to make come / bring over

orpheline

orphan (feminine)

• un orphelin = an orphan (male)

• une orpheline = an orphan (female)

Examples:

• Elle est orpheline depuis l'âge de dix ans.

  • She has been an orphan since the age of ten.

• L'orpheline vivait avec sa grand-mère.

  • The orphan girl lived with her grandmother.

The adjective can also be used:

• Une enfant orpheline

  • An orphaned child

se rendre à

to go to / make one's way to

So the sentence means:

Béatrice went to the town hall.

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Breaking it down

• se = herself (reflexive pronoun)

• est rendue = passé composé of se rendre

The infinitive is:

se rendre à + place

Examples:

• Je me rends à l'école. = I go to school.

• Nous nous rendons à Paris. = We go to Paris.

• Ils se sont rendus au musée. = They went to the museum

mairie

the town hall or city hall.

It's the local government building where many administrative services are handled.

Examples:

• Je vais à la mairie.

  • I'm going to the town hall.

• La mairie est fermée aujourd'hui.

  • The town hall is closed today.

• Nous avons obtenu notre acte de naissance à la mairie.

  • We got our birth certificate from the town hall.

Useful vocabulary

• le maire = the mayor (male)

• la maire or la mairesse = the mayor (female, usage varies)

• l'hôtel de ville = city hall (often used interchangeably with mairie for the building

bâtiment

a building.

Examples:

• C'est un grand bâtiment.

  • It's a large building.

• Le bâtiment est très ancien.

  • The building is very old.

• Ils travaillent dans ce bâtiment.

  • They work in this building.

Related words

• un immeuble = an apartment building / office building

• une maison = a house

• la mairie = town hall

• un bâtiment public = a public building

⚠ A small nuance:

• bâtiment = any building in general

• immeuble = usually a multi-story building with apartments or offices

dirigeants

the leaders, the managers, the executives, or the people in charge, depending on the context.

Singular:

• un dirigeant = a leader/executive/manager

• une dirigeante = a female leader/executive/manager

Examples:

• Les dirigeants de l'entreprise ont pris une décision.

  • The company's executives made a decision.

• Les dirigeants du pays se sont réunis.

  • The country's leaders met.

• C'est l'une des dirigeantes de l'organisation.

  • She is one of the organization's leaders.

Related verb

diriger = to lead, manage, run, direct

• Elle dirige une équipe.

  • She manages a team.

• Il dirige l'entreprise.

  • He runs the company.

A useful shortcut:

• dirigeants d'une entreprise → executives / management

• dirigeants d'un pays → leaders / rulers

méchante

Méchante is the feminine form of méchant.

It can mean:

• mean

• nasty

• unkind

• evil (in stories)

Examples:

• Elle est méchante avec son frère.

  • She is mean to her brother.

• La sorcière est très méchante.

  • The witch is very evil/mean.

• Ne sois pas méchante !

  • Don't be mean!

tuer

to kill.

Examples:

• Le chasseur a tué un animal.

  • The hunter killed an animal.

• Le dragon veut tuer le héros.

  • The dragon wants to kill the hero.

• Il a été tué dans un accident.

  • He was killed in an accident.

Common expressions

• se tuer = to kill oneself / to die accidentally

  • Il s'est tué dans un accident de voiture.

    • He was killed in a car accident.

• Ça me tue ! (informal)

  • It's killing me!

  • That's cracking me up!

  • That's driving me crazy!

échouer

1. To fail

• J'ai échoué à l'examen.

  • I failed the exam.

• Elle a échoué dans sa mission.

  • She failed in her mission.

So:

échoué = failed

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2. To run aground / wash ashore (for boats, whales, etc.)

• Le bateau a échoué sur la plage.

  • The boat ran aground on the beach.

• Une baleine échouée

  • A stranded whale / a whale washed ashore

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Examples with the past participle:

• Il a échoué à son test de conduite.

  • He failed his driving test.

• Le projet a échoué.

  • The project failed.

A useful connection:

• la réussite = success

• réussir = to succeed/pass

• l'échec = failure

• échouer = to fail

So if you're reading a story:

• Le plan a échoué.

  • The plan failed.

And if you're talking about school:

• J'ai échoué à l'examen.

  • I failed the exam.