Ways to say it
| French |
|---|
| se débrouiller |
| faire face (à) |
The phrase se débrouiller is used to mean managing or getting by. You can also use the idiomatic expression s'en sortir to mean getting through a situation or coming out okay, or the phrase s'en sortir la tête haute to mean coming out with one's head held high. When you need to express the idea of confronting or facing a challenge or an adversary directly, use faire face (à).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase se débrouiller literally means 'to untangle oneself', which conveys the idea of using ingenuity to solve a messy or complicated problem.
Which one should you use?
se débrouiller implies finding a way to manage or 'get by' through resourcefulness, often in a practical or everyday sense. In contrast, faire face (à) is used to imply confronting a difficult situation, a challenge or an adversary directly.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
For faire face (à), you must use the preposition à when it is followed by an object, such as in faire face à la situation (to cope with the situation).
Did you know?
- The verb brouiller, which is the root of se débrouiller, is also used in French to describe scrambling eggs œufs brouillés.
- Using se débrouiller to describe one's language skills implies that you can communicate well enough to be understood even if your grammar is imperfect.
- While se débrouiller means to cope, its opposite s'embrouiller can mean to get confused or to start a fight with someone.
Examples in context
- Comment vont-ils se débrouiller ?How will they cope with it?This sentence shows how to use se débrouiller to ask how people will manage.Tatoeba #2000861 by Amastan, translation #8981799 by sundown
- Comment va-t-elle se débrouiller ?How will she cope?This sentence shows how to use se débrouiller to ask how a single person will manage.Tatoeba #2000857 by Amastan, translation #8981794 by sundown
- Il faut faire face aux difficultésYou have to cope with difficulties
- Il faut gérer le stressYou have to cope with stress
- Il a su surmonter ses peursHe managed to cope with his fears
- Je me débrouille bienI cope well
- Il s'en sort malgré les difficultésHe copes despite the difficulties
- Elle s'est bien débrouillée, elle s'en sort la tête hauteShe coped well, she came out with her head held high
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cope” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
