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Mêler (To mix, to meddle)

Mêler (To mix, to meddle)

Today’s lesson explains the verb mêler, which means “to mix” and the reflexive form se mêler, which means to meddle, stick your nose in, interfere and get involved.

Pronunciation
Example sentences
Word origin

Mêler - French verb meaning to mix; Se mêler - to meddle.

Pronunciation

Mêler /me.le/

Example sentences

For this first example, mêler means to mix, blend or combine.

L’auteur mêle plusieurs styles dans son nouveau roman.

The author mixes several styles in his new novel.

These two sentences use se mêler in the reflexive form, meaning to meddle, stick your nose in or interfere. The grammatical structure is se mêler de + noun.

Cet homme adore se mêler des affaires des autres.

This man loves to meddle in the affairs of others.

For this sentence, the expression ça ne te regarde pas (literally that doesn’t look at you) means “It’s none of your business“. A loose translation of ne t’en mêle pas could be “stay out of it!”.

Ça ne te regarde pas. Ne t’en mêle pas !

It’s none of your business. Don’t interfere!

Present tense conjugation

Mêler is a regular ER verb. This means that its conjugation pattern is the same as parler when conjugated in the present tense.

Je mêle I mix (or blend)
Tu mêles You mix (singular, informal)
Il, elle mêle He, she mixes
Nous mêlons We mix
Vous mêlez You mix (plural, formal)
Ils, elles mêlent They mix

Word origin

Mêler comes from Old French mesler, which in turn comes from miscere (to mix) in Latin.

References

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David Issokson Founder & French Teacher at FrenchLearner.com
David Issokson is the founder of FrenchLearner.com, where he’s been helping students master French through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural lessons since 2012.

    David Issokson

    About the Author – David Issokson David Issokson is the founder and French teacher behind FrenchLearner.com. He’s been teaching French online since 2014 and brings over 30 years of experience as a passionate French learner and fluent speaker. David is dedicated to making the language clear, practical, and enjoyable for students at all levels. 📘 About David » 🌐 David’s personal site » 👍 Follow on Facebook »

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