frapper
/fʁa.pe/
To hit in French is frapper. Wiktionary also lists battre.
Meaning: to administer a blow (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| frapper | /fʁa.pe/ |
| battre | /batʁ/ |
The primary meaning is to administer a blow. In the context of baseball, the term coup sûr refers to a complete play where the batter reaches base. Additionally, Hit can be used as a name.
Which one should you use?
While both mean to hit, frapper often implies a single, sudden strike or a sharp impact. In contrast, battre is more commonly used for repetitive hitting, such as beating a drum or beating someone.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of frapper is frappé, which can be used as an adjective meaning hit or struck. The noun un coup is frequently used to refer to a single hit or blow in conjunction with verbs like frapper or battre.
How do you pronounce it?
frapper is pronounced /fʁa.pe/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The verb frapper shares a common ancestor with the English word 'scratch', stemming from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning to engrave or scrape.
- To 'hit' the jackpot or a target in French often involves the word toucher, meaning 'to touch', rather than frapper.
- The noun coup, meaning a hit, is used in the term coup d'état to describe a sudden 'strike' or seizure of government power.
Examples in context
- Il veut le frapper.He wants to hit him.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the verb frapper.Tatoeba #9550965 by Julien_PDC, translation #12130314 by zogwarg
- Je vais te frapper.I'm going to hit you.Tatoeba #11630872 by Adrien_FR, translation #11630823 by CK
- Elle veut me frapper.She wants to hit me.Tatoeba #9550963 by Julien_PDC, translation #11856871 by tieguy
- Il l'a frappéHe hit him.
- Il a porté un coup à son adversaireHe hit his opponent.
- Il a tapé son frèreHe hit his brother.
- Il a frappé sur la tableHe hit the table.
- Il lui a collé une baffeHe slapped him.
- Il a frappé son adversaire avec force.He hit his opponent forcefully.
- Il lui a balancé une gifle.He hit him with a slap.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are watching a sports match on TV.
- HugoRegarde, il va frapper la balle très fort.Look, he is going to hit the ball very hard.
- ChloéOh, il a raté son coup !Oh, he missed his shot!
- HugoC'est dommage, il a mal frappé.That's too bad, he hit it poorly.
- ChloéOui, le joueur est déçu.Yes, the player is disappointed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hit” translations and entries frapper, battre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries battre, frapper, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
