nounverb

la tâche

task

C'est un travail ou une activité que l'on doit faire.

Definition & meaning

The word tâche primarily refers to a task, a job, or a specific piece of work that must be accomplished. It represents a duty or an assignment, often implying a goal to be reached or a set of actions to be completed within a certain timeframe.

It can be used in various contexts:

Professional/General context: An assignment or a project one is working on (e.g., "une tâche difficile" - a difficult task).
Domestic context: Chores or daily activities required to maintain a household (e.g., "tâches ménagères" - household chores).
Computing context: A process or operation performed by a computer program.

It is important not to confuse tâche (task) with its homophone tache (without the circumflex accent), which means a stain, spot, or mark.

Grammar & Word origin

tâche is a feminine noun (la tâche, une tâche).

The word originates from the Old French tasche, which itself comes from the Vulgar Latin tasca. This Latin term is derived from the verb taxare, meaning "to touch repeatedly," "to evaluate," or "to tax." Historically, it referred to a piece of work for which a fixed payment was agreed upon, or a specific amount of work imposed as a tax or duty.

The circumflex accent (^) on the 'a' is a linguistic trace of the 's' that used to follow the vowel in Old French (tasche).