roussir
To singe is roussir in French.
The verb roussir means to burn something slightly.
Meaning: to burn slightly (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle is roussi, which is used to form compound tenses such as the passé composé. In the third-person singular present indicative, the form is roussit.
Did you know?
- In French, the word for the animal 'monkey' is singe, which is spelled exactly like the English verb 'singe' but is pronounced differently.
- The verb roussir is directly related to the word roux, which describes someone with red hair. This connection suggests that the act of singeing something turns it a reddish-brown color.
- While the English verb 'singe' refers to fire, the French roussir is also used in the context of making food look appetizing. Chefs use it to describe the perfect light browning on the surface of a dish.
Examples in context
- Les zoos accueillent souvent plusieurs espèces de singes.Zoos often host multiple monkey species.
- Les singes sont connus pour leur agilité et leur intelligence.Monkeys are known for their agility and intelligence.
- Il a roussi les poils de son chien par accident.He singed his dog's hair by accident.
- Fais attention à ne pas roussir le papier.Be careful not to singe the paper.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are cooking dinner together.
- GabrielLéa, je crois que je vais roussir l'ail.Léa, I think I'm going to brown the garlic.
- LéaNe le laisse pas brûler, Gabriel !Don't let it burn, Gabriel!
- GabrielJe surveille bien la poêle.I am watching the pan closely.
- LéaD'accord, retire-le dès qu'il change de couleur.Okay, take it out as soon as it changes color.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “singe” translations and entries roussir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries roussir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
