détendu

relaxed

adjective deh-tahn-DU Rare

Also means

loose

Usage Note

Détendu is the past participle of détendre ('to loosen, to relax') used as an adjective; the feminine form is détendue. It describes both a physical state (slack muscles, easy posture) and a mental one (calm, unstressed). Se détendre ('to unwind') is the common reflexive verb learners encounter first.

Examples

"Il avait l'air détendu après ses vacances."

Natural Translation

He looked relaxed after his holiday.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

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

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

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

Aller + Infinitive: The Easy French Future

Form the French near future in seconds: conjugate aller in the present and add an infinitive. Learn futur proche rules, negation, pronouns, and when to use it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read