démarrer
/de.ma.ʁe/
To kickstart in French is démarrer.
The term démarrer is used to describe the act of starting a car engine, a computer or a process or project. While the English 'kickstart' is often used metaphorically, démarrer is commonly applied to both mechanical engines and the initiation of activities.
Which one should you use?
While commencer is a general term for 'to begin', démarrer specifically implies a sense of activation or setting something in motion, much like the English words 'kickstart' or 'ignite'.
How does it change in a sentence?
démarrer is a regular -er verb, which means it follows the standard conjugation patterns for first-group verbs.
How do you pronounce it?
/de.ma.ʁe/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The root of démarrer comes from the nautical term amarrer, which means 'to moor' or 'to tie up' a ship. To démarrer originally meant to undo those knots to set a vessel free.
- French speakers often use the phrase démarrer au quart de tour to describe someone who reacts instantly or gets started immediately. It literally refers to an engine that starts on the first quarter-turn of the key.
- In slang, démarrer can occasionally be used to describe someone starting to run very fast, similar to 'bolting' or 'taking off'.
Examples in context
- J'ai donné un coup de pouce à ma carrière en suivant une formation spécialisée.I kickstarted my career by pursuing specialized training.
- Nous devons lancer cette nouvelle campagne marketing pour booster nos ventes.We need to kickstart this new marketing campaign to boost our sales.
- J'ai besoin de démarrer ma journée en buvant un bon café.I need to kickstart my day by having a good coffee.
- Je dois booster ma motivation pour commencer ce projet.I need to kickstart my motivation to start this project.
- Il faut démarrer le projet immédiatement.The project must be kickstarted immediately.
- On doit démarrer ce projet dès demain.We need to kickstart this project starting tomorrow.
- Il faut démarrer la campagne publicitaire vite.We need to kickstart the advertising campaign quickly.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are discussing a new marketing campaign.
- ManonHugo, comment peut-on démarrer cette campagne ?Hugo, how can we kickstart this campaign?
- HugoOn pourrait organiser un événement spécial.We could organize a special event.
- ManonC'est une excellente idée pour attirer du monde.That is an excellent idea to attract people.
- HugoJe m'en occupe dès demain.I will take care of it starting tomorrow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry démarrer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries démarrer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
