poursuis-le
The English phrase 'go after him' is translated into French as poursuis-le.
Which one should you use?
Use poursuis-le for a direct command to 'go after him', whereas il le poursuit means 'he is going after him' (a statement of fact).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form poursuis-le is the imperative (command) form of the verb poursuivre combined with the direct object pronoun le. If you are speaking to more than one person or using the formal 'vous', you must use poursuivez-le instead of poursuis-le.
Did you know?
- The verb poursuivre is a derivative of the Latin prosequi. This is a linguistic relative of the English word 'prosecute', which shares the same core meaning of following through to a conclusion.
- The verb poursuivre can be used in a courtroom to mean 'to sue' someone. In a legal context, poursuivre describes the act of taking legal action rather than physically chasing a person.
- While 'go after him' can mean to catch someone, in French, poursuivre can also mean to continue doing something, like 'poursuivre ses études' for 'to continue one's studies'.
Examples in context
- Monsieur Dupont, allez le chercher pour moi, s'il vous plaît.Mr. Dupont, go after him for me, please.
- Madame, poursuivez-le et assurez-vous qu'il ne s'échappe pas.Madam, pursue him and make sure he doesn't escape.
- Mesdames et Messieurs, partez à sa poursuite immédiatement pour le rattraper.Ladies and gentlemen, go after him immediately to catch up with him.
- Suis-le et vois où il se dirige, puis reviens me dire ce que tu as trouvé.Follow him and see where he's heading, then come back and tell me what you found.
- Allez, lance-toi à sa poursuite, montre-lui que tu ne lâcheras pas si facilement.Come on, go after him, show him that you won't give up so easily.
- Poursuis-le avant qu'il ne disparaisse.Go after him before he disappears.
- Poursuis-le, il a pris mon sac !Go after him, he took my bag!
- Poursuis-le pour lui rendre ses clés.Go after him to give him back his keys.
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma see a thief running away with a bag.
- HugoRegarde ! Le voleur s'échappe !Look! The thief is escaping!
- EmmaOh non ! Je ne peux pas courir.Oh no! I can't run.
- HugoEmma, poursuis-le, tu es plus rapide !Emma, go after him, you are faster!
- EmmaD'accord, je m'en occupe !Okay, I'll handle it!
