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malentendu

misunderstanding

noun mahl-ahn-tahn-DÜ Less Common
Communication Responses

Usage Note

Malentendu is literally 'badly heard' (mal + entendu) — the compound captures the sense of something heard or understood wrongly. It is always masculine and most often appears in phrases like il y a un malentendu (there's a misunderstanding). The verb phrase dissiper un malentendu means to clear up a misunderstanding.

Examples

"Il y a un malentendu entre nous."

Natural Translation

There is a misunderstanding between us.

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