verb

entraîner

lead · lead to · train

Faire pratiquer une activité à quelqu’un pour qu’il s’améliore ou devienne plus fort.

The French verb "entraîner" primarily means "to train" or "to lead to" in English. It is used in both physical training contexts as well as figurative contexts involving results or consequences.

Basic Meanings:

To train: Referring to the act of preparing someone for a specific skill or activity, often used in sports or skill development (e.g., "entraîner une équipe de football" – to train a soccer team).
To lead to, bring about: It can also mean to bring about a consequence, as in causing something to happen (e.g., "Cette décision a entraîné des changements" – This decision led to changes).

Synonyms and Differences:

Former: This means "to train" as well but often implies a more educational or instructional aspect. It is often used in contexts of developing knowledge or skills formally.
Élever: This means "to raise" or "to elevate." In a training context, it could also be used but carries more of a connotation of growth or development rather than direct training.
Conduire: While this generally means "to lead," in many cases, it can be synonymous with "entraîner" when discussing guiding something to a certain outcome. However, it is less about the process of training and more about direction.

Overall, "entraîner" has the versatility of describing both the physical and metaphorical aspects of bringing about skill development or leading to outcomes, while its synonyms tend to focus on different nuances of the training or leading processes.