aérer

to air out

verb ah-eh-REH Rare

Also means

to freshen up

Usage Note

Aérer literally means to let fresh air into a room (aérer la pièce), but figuratively it means to space out or lighten something, like a piece of writing or a schedule. The reflexive s'aérer is common in everyday speech meaning to go get some fresh air. The related noun is l'aération (ventilation).

Examples

"Il faut aérer la chambre chaque matin."

Natural Translation

You need to air out the bedroom every morning.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

French Noun Gender: Rules to Guess Right 80%

Guess French noun gender right 80% of the time using word endings: -age, -ment, -eau are masculine; -tion, -té, -ette are feminine. A high-yield system.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

Je t'aime vs Je t'adore: I Love You in French

Je t'aime is the real romantic I love you; je t'adore means warm fondness, not romance. Here's the person-vs-thing rule and the bien trap that flips it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Silent Letters: The CaReFuL Rule

Final consonants in French are silent by default — except C, R, F, L. The CaReFuL rule, the silent -e, the plural-s trap, and liaison, explained simply.

June 4, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

En, Au, Aux: French Prepositions for Countries

Use en for feminine countries, au for masculine, aux for plural, and à for cities. Full French preposition rule for countries, with a lookup table and traps.

June 4, 2026 5 min read