rattraper
/ʁa.tʁa.pe/
The English phrase 'catch up' can be translated to French using rattraper.
rattraper is used to express the act of catching up on things such as news, sleep or lost time. It can also be used in a physical sense to mean catching up to someone who is ahead of you. To specifically express catching up on lost time or work, French speakers often use the phrase rattraper le retard.
Meaning: to be brought up to date with news (verb)
Which one should you use?
While rattraper is a general term for catching up, it is also the standard verb for physically catching up to a person. If you are specifically talking about catching up on work or lost time, you might use the full phrase rattraper le retard.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁa.tʁa.pe/
Did you know?
- The verb rattraper is frequently used in the phrase rattraper le coup, which means to save a situation or make amends after a mistake.
- If you want to say you are 'catching up' with a friend over coffee, avoid using rattraper un retard as it sounds like you are late for a deadline. Instead, you would say you want to prendre des nouvelles or se voir pour discuter.
- While rattraper means 'catch up', the word attraper on its own can mean 'to catch' a ball or 'to catch' a cold, but it is also used in slang to mean 'to trick' someone.
Examples in context
- On les rattrapera plus tard.We'll catch up with them later.This sentence shows how to use rattraper to express catching up with people in the future.Tatoeba #10521206 by lbdx, translation #3312138 by CK
- J'ai du sommeil à rattraper.I need to catch up on some sleep.This sentence demonstrates using rattraper in the context of catching up on sleep.Tatoeba #12619523 by lbdx, translation #2991684 by CK
- Je ne peux pas rattraper Tom.I can't catch up with Tom.This sentence illustrates the use of rattraper for physically catching up to a person.Tatoeba #5598288 by Vanessadefrance, translation #5597987 by CK
- Je dois me mettre à jour sur les nouvelles procédures.I need to catch up on the new procedures.
- J'ai décidé de reprendre contact avec mes anciens collègues.I decided to catch up with my former colleagues.
- On se prend un café pour prendre des nouvelles?Shall we grab a coffee to catch up?
- Il faut qu'on se mette à jour sur les derniers potins!We need to catch up on the latest gossip!
- Viens, il faut que je te remette au courant de tout ce qui s'est passé.Come on, I need to catch you up on everything that happened.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends meet for coffee after a long time.
- HugoSalut Chloé ! Il faut qu'on se rattrape.Hi Chloé! We need to catch up.
- ChloéOui, j'ai tellement de choses à te dire.Yes, I have so many things to tell you.
- HugoJe veux tout savoir sur ton nouveau travail.I want to know everything about your new job.
- ChloéD'accord, on va tout rattraper maintenant !Okay, we're going to catch up on everything now!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry rattraper, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
