s'occuper de
To say take care of in French, meaning to look after, use s'occuper de. If unsure, use s'occuper de. Wiktionary also lists soigner and prendre soin de.
Meaning: look after (verb)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| s'occuper de | |
| soigner | /swa.ɲe/ |
| prendre soin de |
s'occuper de is the practical choice for looking after someone's needs or handling a task. At work it is the standard way to say you will deal with a matter.
Which one should you use?
prendre soin de suggests warmth and careful attention to someone's well-being. soigner is for medical care, such as treating a patient or nursing a wound. Veiller sur is a formal way to say watch over.
How does it change in a sentence?
s'occuper de is reflexive, so the pronoun changes with the subject, so I take care of starts with je followed by a shortened pronoun.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not forget de in prendre soin de before a noun. The preposition is required.
Did you know?
- In very informal slang, the phrase je m'occupe de toi can be used as a threat. In this context, it means 'I will deal with you' or 'you will pay for this'.
- While soigner means to provide medical care, it is also used to describe doing something with great precision. If a person soigne their work, they are being meticulous and thorough.
- The word prendre in prendre soin de shares a common ancestor with the English word 'apprehend'. Both come from the Latin word prehendere meaning 'to seize'.
Examples in context
- On va s'occuper de toi.We're going to take care of you.On va means we're going to.Tatoeba #8328619 by Aiji, translation #3310754 by CK
- Ils vont prendre soin de Tom.They'll take care of Tom.prendre soin de here means to look after Tom.Tatoeba #6883555 by Rockaround, translation #1898131 by CK
- Il te faut prendre soin de toi.You must take care of yourself.prendre soin de toi means take care of yourself.Tatoeba #2402328 by sacredceltic, translation #69126 by CK
- Je prendrai soin de vous lors de votre séjour à Paris.I will take care of you during your stay in Paris.
- Je peux m'occuper de ton chien pendant ton absence.I can take care of your dog while you're away.
- On peut prendre en charge l'organisation du dîner.We can take care of organizing the dinner.
- Elle prend soin de sa mère.She takes care of her mother.
- Ils s'occupent de leurs enfants.They take care of their children.
- Il va prendre soin de son jardin.He will take care of his garden.
- Nous nous occupons des formalités administratives.We are taking care of administrative formalities.
- Ils veillent sur leur héritage culturel.They take care of their cultural heritage.
- Tu peux t'occuper du ménage ce soir ?Can you take care of the cleaning tonight?
- 48 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “take care of” translations and entries s'occuper de, soigner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, prendre, soigner, soin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
