se concentrer
To concentrate (focus one's thought or attention) in French is se concentrer.
The verb se concentrer is used when a person is focusing their own attention or thoughts. If you want to say you are concentrating on a specific subject, you use the phrase se concentrer sur. For a related noun, you can use concentré to refer to a substance that is in a condensed form.
Meaning: focus one's thought or attention (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The se in se concentrer is a reflexive pronoun, which means the verb literally translates to 'to concentrate oneself'.
Which one should you use?
The reflexive form se concentrer is used for focusing one's own attention, whereas the non-reflexive concentrer is used when you are concentrating a substance or a force onto something else. Additionally, the noun concentré refers to a concentrated substance.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing what one is concentrating on, the verb se concentrer is followed by the preposition sur.
Did you know?
- While English speakers often say 'focus' as a synonym for 'concentrate', the French word focus is rarely used as a verb. Instead, French uses se concentrer or the phrase mettre l'accent sur.
- In highly formal or literary French, the phrase se concentrer might be replaced by s'appliquer, which implies not just focus but a disciplined effort to do something correctly.
- The prefix con- in se concentrer comes from Latin and means 'together'. This suggests that the act of focusing is literally the act of gathering things together.
Examples in context
- Tom doit se concentrer.Tom must concentrate.This sentence shows how to use se concentrer to express necessity.Tatoeba #11831517 by pititnatole, translation #2237396 by CK
- Tout ce qu'il faut faire c'est de se concentrer.All you have to do is to concentrate.This sentence shows how to use se concentrer to express that something is all that needs to be done.Tatoeba #129178 by Amastan, translation #275791 by CK
- Il ne pouvait se concentrer sur la conversation.He couldn't concentrate on the conversation.This sentence shows the use of the prepositional phrase se concentrer sur.Tatoeba #2161562 by sacredceltic, translation #2158867 by Hybrid
- Paul doit se concentrer pour étudier efficacement.Paul needs to concentrate to study effectively.
- Pour réussir l'examen, il est important de focaliser son attention sur les questions essentielles.To pass the exam, it's important to concentrate one's attention on the essential questions.
- Je suis à fond dans mon travail en ce moment.I'm really focused on my work right now.
- Les sportifs sont à fond lors des compétitions.Athletes are fully focused during competitions.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are studying in a library.
- EmmaJe n'arrive pas à me concentrer avec ce bruit.I can't manage to concentrate with this noise.
- HugoMoi aussi, Hugo a besoin de calme pour travailler.Me too, Hugo needs quiet to work.
- EmmaOn devrait se concentrer sur nos devoirs maintenant.We should concentrate on our homework now.
- HugoD'accord, je ferme mon téléphone.Okay, I'm closing my phone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “concentrate” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries concentrer, se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
