tuer
/tɥe/
To kill in French is tuer.
The most common way to say "to kill" in formal French is tuer.
Which one should you use?
You may encounter assassiner, which is a formal term specifically used for premeditated killing or assassination. In casual or street contexts, the slang term descendre can mean "to kill".
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive tuer is a regular -er verb. Its past participle is tué.
How do you pronounce it?
/tɥe/
Did you know?
- The word tuer is an etymological paradox. It originates from the Latin tūtārī, which meant 'to protect' or 'to ward off', the exact opposite of its modern meaning.
- In French, the phrase ça me tue can be used to express that something is incredibly funny, similar to the English 'I'm dying of laughter'.
- In certain contexts, tuer can be used to describe overdoing something, such as tuer le goût, which means to ruin a flavor by adding too much of an ingredient.
Examples in context
- Il va te tuer.He's going to kill you.This sentence shows how to use tuer in the near future tense.Tatoeba #4069492 by Amastan, translation #11555252 by shekitten
- Il veut me tuer.He wants to kill me.This sentence shows how to use tuer with a verb of desire.Tatoeba #2594311 by Aiji, translation #2594315 by CM
- Je vais la tuer.I'm going to kill her.This sentence shows how to use tuer to express an intention toward a female subject.Tatoeba #4583795 by dadidas, translation #3914235 by CH
- Il a tué le tigre pour se protéger.He killed the tiger to protect himself.
- Le policier a dû tuer le criminel pour sauver des vies.The policeman had to kill the criminal to save lives.
- Le président a été assassiné par un tireur d'élite.The president was assassinated by a sniper.
- Les terroristes ont essayé d'assassiner le diplomate en pleine réunion.The terrorists tried to assassinate the diplomat during the meeting.
- Le gangster a descendu son rival dans une fusillade.The gangster killed his rival in a shootout.
- 159 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Nathan are watching a suspenseful movie.
- LéaTu penses qu'il va tuer le témoin ?Do you think he's going to kill the witness?
- NathanOui, c'est certain, il est trop dangereux.Yes, it's certain, he is too dangerous.
- LéaC'est horrible de vouloir tuer quelqu'un.It's horrible to want to kill someone.
- NathanC'est juste un film, Léa.It's just a movie, Léa.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tuer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tuer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
