se démener
To hustle (in the sense of putting in a lot of effort) in French is se démener.
If you want to say you are hustling for a specific goal or a person, you should use the preposition pour after the verb, as in se démener pour.
Meaning: to put in a lot of effort (verb)
Which one should you use?
Se débrouiller means to manage or to get by, whereas se secouer means to get moving, to get off one's butt or to get things done.
How does it change in a sentence?
Se démener is a pronominal verb. For example, il se démène means "he hustles".
Did you know?
- The verb se démener shares a root with the word membre, meaning 'limb'. It literally evokes the image of someone flailing their arms and legs in a frantic struggle.
- If you call someone a débrouillard, you are giving them a compliment for being resourceful. Unlike the English 'hustler', which can imply someone is a con artist, this French term describes someone with the cleverness to navigate any situation.
- While English speakers often use 'hustle' to describe a fast-paced lifestyle, using se démener in French implies a sense of frantic or even desperate struggle to achieve something.
Examples in context
- Pierre a toujours travaillé dur pour atteindre ses objectifs.Pierre has always hustled to achieve his goals.
- Il sait toujours se débrouiller pour gagner de l'argent.He always knows how to hustle to make money.
- Il faut que tu te secoues pour réussir dans ce projet.You need to hustle to succeed in this project.
- Il se démène pour réussir ses examens.He is hustling to pass his exams.
- Il doit se démener pour réussir son examen.He has to hustle to pass his exam.
