rappeler à
To remind in French is rappeler à.
The phrase is used to cause someone to experience a memory or to bring something to a person's notice. In formal contexts, the verb Évoquer may be used instead to mean bring to mind or invoke.
Meaning: cause one to experience a memory, bring to a person's notice (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The verb rappeler is a combination of the prefix re- (again) and appeler (to call), which literally means 'to call back'.
Which one should you use?
While rappeler à is used when you remind someone else of something, the pronominal form se rappeler is used to mean 'to remember' (to call something back to oneself).
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the grammatical structure is rappeler quelque chose à quelqu'un, meaning you remind something (the direct object) to someone (the indirect object introduced by à).
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use rappeler as a direct transitive verb (rappeler quelqu'un) to mean 'remind someone'. However, in French, rappeler quelqu'un means 'to call someone back' on the phone.
Did you know?
- The phrase rappeler à l'ordre is a common French idiom meaning 'to remind someone of the rules' or to give a formal reprimand.
- In legal contexts, a rappel can refer to a 'back-payment' of wages or taxes that were forgotten and must be paid again.
- The verb rappeler can be used to describe how a person's appearance or a smell 'reminds' one of something else, acting more like the English word 'resembles'.
Examples in context
- Il n'est pas nécessaire de me le rappeler à chaque fois.It's not necessary to remind me about that every time.Tatoeba #8485733 by Aiji, translation #6536222 by AlanF_US
- Toi, tu ne te gênes pas pour me le rappeler à chaque fois.You don't hesitate to remind me every single time.Tatoeba #8608324 by Aiji, translation #13818690 by tieguy
- Je vous rappelle notre réunion demain matinI remind you of our meeting tomorrow morning
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are planning a dinner party.
- LucasPeux-tu rappeler à Manon d'acheter du pain ?Can you remind Manon to buy some bread?
- ManonOui, je vais lui envoyer un message.Yes, I will send her a message.
- LucasMerci, j'ai peur qu'elle oublie.Thanks, I'm afraid she'll forget.
- ManonNe t'inquiète pas, je m'en occupe.Don't worry, I'll take care of it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “remind” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
