Today’s lesson explores how to use the verb décevoir, meaning to disappoint, in French.
décevoir
to disappoint
Word origin
The Modern French verb décevoir comes from decipere in Latin, which means both to disappoint and cheat or deceive.
Décevoir is somewhat of a faux ami (false cognate) as it looks like “to deceive”. Tu me décois means “you’re disappointing me”. The French are more likely to use the verb tromper for “to deceive”. Tu me trompes translates to “you’re deceiving (or cheating) me”.
Present tense conjugation
Je déçois I disappoint
Tu déçois You disappoint (singular, informal)
Il, elle déçoit He, she disappoints
Nous décevons We disappoint
Vous décevez You disappoint (plural, formal)
Ils, elles déçoivent They disappoint
Example sentences
Tu me déçois. Pourquoi est-ce que tu n’as pas fais tes devoirs?
You are disappointing me. Why didn’t you do your homework?
This sentence uses the adjective for disappointed: déçu (or déçue in the feminine form).
Le film a été très moyen. Je suis un peu déçu.
The movie was very average. I’m a bit disappointed.
Décevant(e) is the present participle of décevoir and means “disappointing”.
Ces leçons de vocabulaire ne sont jamais décevantes !
These vocabulary lessons are never disappointing!
Related lessons
- Se tromper – To mistaken, get wrong
- Devoir – must, to have to
- Été – was/were, summer
- Jamais – never
- French Present Participle & Gerund
Reference
Word of the Day | Lessons by David Issokson
