rattraper

to catch up

verb rah-trah-PEH Less Common

Also means

to recapture

Usage Note

Rattraper means to catch up with someone or something (rattraper son retard = to make up for lost time) and also to catch something before it falls (il l'a rattrapé de justesse = he just caught it in time). The reflexive se rattraper means to make up for something.

Examples

"J'ai dû courir pour le rattraper."

Natural Translation

I had to run to catch up with him.

Literal Translation

I-have had-to run to him catch-up-with.

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