conduire

/kɔ̃.dɥiʁ/
verbIntermediate to drive
general

To operate a vehicle such as a car, bus, or truck.

Il conduit très prudemment.

He drives very carefully.

💡

In French, 'conduire' is commonly used for driving vehicles but can also refer to leading or guiding in a more abstract sense.

figurative

To lead or guide someone or something.

Son expérience l'a conduit à cette décision.

His experience led him to this decision.

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This figurative sense is less common but still used in certain contexts.

Collocations

conduire une voitureto drive a carconduire un busto drive a busconduire prudemmentto drive carefully

Related Phrases

conduire quelqu'un quelque partphrase
to drive someone somewhere

💡Pro Tip

Conjugation Tip

Remember that 'conduire' is a regular -re verb, so its stem changes to 'conduis-' in the present tense (e.g., 'je conduis').

Gold Rule

Common Usage

'Conduire' is most commonly used to refer to driving a vehicle, but it can also mean to lead or guide in a more abstract sense.

📖Word Origin

From Latin 'conducere', meaning 'to lead together' or 'to bring together'.

📝Usage Notes

'Conduire' is a regular -re verb in French, meaning its conjugation follows the standard patterns for verbs ending in -re. It is commonly used in both literal and figurative contexts.

Word Breakdown

con-
together
prefix
+
-duire
to lead
root
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