adresser
address · address oneself
C’est le fait de parler ou d’envoyer quelque chose à une personne précise.
Definition & meaning
Adresser is a French verb meaning to address, direct, or send something to someone.
- To address or direct something to someone: adresser une lettre à quelqu’un means “to address a letter to someone.”
- To send or forward something: adresser un document à une entreprise means “to send a document to a company.”
- To speak to or approach someone, especially in its reflexive form s’adresser à: it can mean “to address,” “to speak to,” or “to turn to” someone.
- To apply or appeal to someone or an organization: s’adresser à un service means “to contact or apply to a department.”
- To be intended for a particular audience, also with s’adresser à: Ce livre s’adresse aux débutants means “This book is intended for beginners.”
Grammar & Word origin
Adresser is a regular -er verb. It is usually transitive when it means “to address” or “to send” something: adresser un message à quelqu’un.
Its reflexive form, s’adresser à, takes the preposition à when indicating the person or group spoken to, approached, or intended.
The word is formed from ad-, meaning “toward,” and dresser, “to set up” or “to direct.” Dresser ultimately comes from Latin directus, meaning “straight” or “direct.”
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms vary according to the meaning:
- envoyer — “to send”; emphasizes dispatching something, while adresser can also emphasize whom it is directed to.
- expédier — “to dispatch”; often suggests sending by post or delivery service.
- diriger — “to direct” or “guide”; focuses on the direction given.
- parler à — “to speak to”; a general expression for speaking to someone, unlike s’adresser à, which can also mean approaching or appealing to them.
- se tourner vers — “to turn to”; often means seeking help or attention from someone.
There is no single antonym for adresser across all its meanings. Depending on context:
- retenir — “to keep” rather than send something.
- ignorer — “to ignore” rather than address or speak to someone.
Common phrases & collocations
- adresser une lettre à quelqu’un — to address a letter to someone.
- adresser un message à quelqu’un — to send or direct a message to someone.
- s’adresser à quelqu’un — to speak to, approach, or turn to someone.
- s’adresser à un public — to address an audience or be aimed at one.
- s’adresser à un service — to contact or apply to a department.
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Examples
Je vais adresser une lettre à mon ami.verb
I am going to address a letter to my friend.
À qui as-tu adressé cette invitation hier soir ?verb
To whom did you address this invitation last night?
Chaque employé s'adresse directement à la directrice pour poser ses questions.verb
Each employee addresses the director directly to ask their questions.
En marchant dans la rue, elle s'adressait aux passants pour trouver son chemin.verb
While walking down the street, she addressed passersby to find her way.
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