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se dépêcher
/sə de.pe.ʃe/◆phrasal verb
to hurry up
Dépêche-toi, nous allons être en retard !
Hurry up, we're going to be late!
informal
To do something quickly because you are short on time.
Je me dépêche pour attraper le train.
I'm hurrying to catch the train.
Elle s'est dépêchée de finir ses devoirs.
She hurried to finish her homework.
Used in both imperative and non-imperative contexts. Often implies a sense of urgency.
Collocations
se dépêcher de faire quelque choseto hurry to do somethingse dépêcher pour quelque choseto hurry for something
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Imperative Form
The imperative 'Dépêche-toi !' (Hurry up!) is extremely common in French. It's one of the first reflexive verb phrases learners encounter.
Gold Rule
Reflexive Pronouns
Always use the correct reflexive pronoun ('me', 'te', 'se', 'nous', 'vous') with 'se dépêcher'. The pronoun changes based on the subject (e.g., 'Je me dépêche', 'Tu te dépêches', 'Il/Elle se dépêche').
Word Origin
From Old French 'despeechier' (to hasten), from Latin 'dis-' (apart) + 'pedicare' (to entangle, delay). The reflexive 'se' indicates the action is done to oneself.
Usage Notes
Common in everyday speech. Often used in imperative form ('Dépêche-toi !') to urge someone to act faster.
Word Breakdown
se
reflexive pronoun (oneself)
pronoundépêcher
to hasten, to hurry
verbDictionnaire Français-Anglais