Level A1-A2 (Beginner)
Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online, with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier, a voice artist from France.
The French Word of the Day is prendre, meaning “to take”, and it’s one of the most useful verbs you can learn in French. In this lesson, you’ll master six core usages of prendre and discover how it appears in many key expressions.
✅ Meaning
✅ Pronunciation
✅ Example sentences
✅ Related Words & Expressions
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Prendre Meaning, Pronunciation and Examples
📘 Prendre meaning
Prendre is an essential French verb meaning “to take”. It’s used for everyday actions like taking transportation, ordering food and drinks, making decisions, and talking about how long things take. You’ll also see it in common expressions such as prendre une décision (to make a decision) or prendre rendez-vous (to make an appointment). In everyday speech, you might hear sentences like je prends une photo (I’m taking a photo) or il prend son temps (he’s taking his time).
🎧 Prendre pronunciation
The pronunciation of prendre is /pʁɑ̃dʁ/, which sounds like prahn-dr.
📝 Prendre examples & usages
1. Taking a physical object
Je prends un parapluie.
I’m taking an umbrella.
2. Transportation
Je prends le métro tous les matins.
I take the metro every morning.
3. Food & drinks (ordering / consuming)
Je prends toujours un café après le dessert.
I always have a coffee after dessert.
4. Decisions
Je prends une décision importante : je vais habiter en France !
I’m making an important decision: I’m going to live in France!
5. How long something takes
Ce projet prend beaucoup de temps, mais c’est très important.
This project takes a lot of time, but it’s very important.
6. Taking your time
Je prends toujours mon temps quand j’apprécie un bon repas.
I always take my time when I’m enjoying a good meal.
👉 Want another essential verb? Check out faire (to do, to make) — another top-10 verb you’ll use constantly in everyday French.
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💡 Reflexive forms of prendre
Se prendre pour
In the reflexive form, se prendre pour means “to think you are” or “to fancy yourself as.”
➜ Il se prend pour une vedette. He thinks he’s a star.
➜ Tu te prends pour qui ? Who do you think you are?
S’y prendre
In another reflexive form, s’y prendre means “to go about doing something” or “to handle a task.”
➜ Comment tu t’y prends ? How do you go about it?
➜ Je ne sais pas comment m’y prendre. I don’t know how to go about it.
📊 Prendre conjugation
Here’s the basic prendre conjugation in the present tense.
- Je prends — I take / I’m taking
- Tu prends — You take / You’re taking (informal)
- Il / Elle prend — He / She takes / is taking
- Nous prenons — We take / We’re taking
- Vous prenez — You take / You’re taking (formal/plural)
- Ils / Elles prennent — They take / They’re taking
👉 See also: Prendre conjugation in French (updated with audio) »
🔗 Related words and expressions
There are many useful French expressions that use prendre, but these are the most common and essential ones to learn first.
- prendre rendez-vous — to make an appointment
- prendre son temps — to take your time
- prendre une décision — to make a decision
- prendre soin de — to take care of
- prendre un verre — to have a drink
- prendre la tête — to annoy someone
- prendre à droite/gauche — turn right/left
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