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assister
/a.sis.te/
to attend
Il assistera à la réunion demain.
He will attend the meeting tomorrow.
neutral
to be present at an event or gathering
Elle assiste souvent à des concerts.
She often attends concerts.
Nous avons assisté à un spectacle magnifique.
We attended a wonderful show.
Commonly used with 'à' (to) for events, classes, or meetings.
formal
to assist or help someone (formal)
Le médecin assistera le patient pendant l'opération.
The doctor will assist the patient during the surgery.
Less common than 'aider' (to help) in everyday speech.
literary
to witness or observe (in a passive sense)
Il a assisté à la scène sans intervenir.
He witnessed the scene without intervening.
Often implies a sense of being present but not actively participating.
Collocations
assister àto attendassister quelqu'unto assist someoneassister à un coursto attend a classassister à une réunionto attend a meeting
Pro Tip
Common Mistakes
Avoid using 'assister' to mean 'to help' in casual conversation. Use 'aider' instead (e.g., 'Il m'aide à porter les courses' instead of 'Il m'assiste à porter les courses').
Gold Rule
Attending vs. Helping
Use 'assister à' for attending events (e.g., 'assister à un concert'). Use 'aider' for helping someone (e.g., 'aider un ami').
Word Origin
From Latin 'assistere' (to stand by, assist), from 'ad-' (to) + 'sistere' (to stand).
Usage Notes
In everyday French, 'assister à' is more formal than 'aller à' (to go to) for events. 'Assister' as 'to help' is rare; prefer 'aider'.
Word Breakdown
as-
prefix indicating proximity or assistance
prefix-sistere
to stand
rootDictionnaire Français-Anglais