rembourser
/ʁɑ̃.buʁ.se/
To pay back in French is to rembourser. Wiktionary also lists rendre.
Meaning: to repay (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| rembourser | /ʁɑ̃.buʁ.se/ |
| rendre | /ʁɑ̃dʁ/ |
The term rembourser is used to mean to reimburse or to repay. For example, you can use the reflexive construction se faire rembourser to mean 'to get a refund', such as from a store.
Which one should you use?
Use rembourser specifically when you are referring to the repayment of money, debts or expenses. In contrast, use rendre when the sense is 'to return' a physical object or to give back something that was borrowed.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of rembourser is remboursé.
How do you pronounce it?
rembourser is pronounced /ʁɑ̃.buʁ.se/ and has 3 syllables.
Examples in context
- Tu devrais rembourser tes dettes.You should pay back your debts.This sentence is useful for discussing the repayment of debts using rembourser.Tatoeba #8408007 by Aiji, translation #16014 by 6dDcHYgMAg
- Il veut rembourser l'argent qu'il doit.He wants to pay back the money he owes.This sentence is useful for expressing the desire to pay back owed money using rembourser.Tatoeba #12022932 by lbdx, translation #2702135 by CK
- Je veux rembourser l'argent que je te dois.I want to pay back the money I owe you.Tatoeba #10515431 by lbdx, translation #6244638 by CK
- Je vais te rendre l'argent dès que possible.I will pay you back as soon as possible.
- J'ai l'intention de te rembourser la totalité de la somme dans un mois.I intend to repay you the full amount within a month.
- Il est important de s'acquitter de sa dette envers les autres pour maintenir de bonnes relations.It is important to settle one's debt to others to maintain good relationships.
- Je te rembourserai dès que je récupérerai mon portefeuille.I'll pay you back as soon as I retrieve my wallet.
- Promis, je te rends le fric demain matin, sans faute !Promise, I'll pay you back tomorrow morning, without fail!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about a restaurant bill.
- LucasEmma, je vais payer l'addition pour nous deux.Emma, I will pay the bill for both of us.
- EmmaMerci Lucas, je vais te rembourser demain.Thanks Lucas, I will repay you tomorrow.
- LucasPas de problème, ça me va.No problem, that works for me.
- EmmaC'est très gentil de ta part.That is very kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pay back” translations and entries rembourser, rendre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
