substituer
to substitute
verb soob-stee-too-AY Rare
Origin: From Latin substituere (to put in place of).
Usage Note
Substituer is typically used reflexively — se substituer à quelqu'un means 'to take someone's place'. The transitive form substituer A à B means 'to substitute A for B', which is the reverse of English word order and a common source of error. The noun form is substitution.
Examples
"Il s'est substitué à son chef pendant l'absence."
Natural Translation
He substituted for his boss during the absence.
Literal Translation
He himself substituted to his boss during the absence.
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