chasser
/ʃa.se/
The English phrase "shoo away" is translated into French as chasser.
The verb chasser is used to describe making a person or animal go away by waving your arms or making noises. It can also be used for driving away abstract things, such as fears. In a different context, it is the standard verb for the activity of hunting.
Which one should you use?
While chasser can mean to shoo away or drive something away, it is also the common word used to mean "to hunt."
How does it change in a sentence?
chasser is a regular -er verb, which means its past participle is chassé.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ʃa.se/ and it has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The French chasser is a linguistic relative of the English word 'catch', as both evolved from the Latin root 'captus'.
- While chasser is used to describe the act of shooing someone, the actual sound a French speaker makes to shoo a fly is often a sharp pschhh noise.
- The phrase can be used metaphorically in the professional world of recruitment. A 'chasseur de têtes' is a 'headhunter' who seeks out specific candidates for high-level jobs.
Examples in context
- Il faut chasser les mouches.You must shoo away the flies.
- Elle essaie de chasser les oiseaux du jardin.She is trying to shoo away the birds from the garden.
- N'essaie pas de chasser ce chat.Don't try to shoo away that cat.
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are sitting on a park bench.
- LéaNathan, il y a beaucoup de moustiques ici.Nathan, there are a lot of mosquitoes here.
- NathanJe vais essayer de les chasser.I will try to shoo them away.
- LéaC'est inutile, ils reviennent toujours.It is useless, they always come back.
- NathanOn devrait peut-être partir.Maybe we should leave.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry chasser, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chasser, CC BY-SA 4.0.
