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How To Use The Verb “Se casser” (To leave, to be off) In French

How To Use The Verb “Se casser” (To leave, to be off) In French

Today’s lesson explores the reflexive verb se casser, which means to leave, to be off, to be out of here. When used in this context, this verb is informal and slang.

se casser

to leave, to be off, to be out of here

Pronunciation [sə kɑse]

Se casser - French reflexive verb meaning To leave, to be off, to be out of here.

Explanation

In the non-reflexive form, the verb casser means to break. For example, j’ai cassé une assiette (I broke a plate). As a reflexive verb, se casser has two meanings: To be out of here and to break a body part.

Also note that both je pars and je m’en vais also mean “I’m leaving” but these are normal speech and not slang.

Example sentences

For this first example, allez is the second-person plural (vous) form of aller (to go). Here, allez means “come on”. Vingt-trois heures (literally twenty-three hours) is the 24-hour form of 11pm. This lesson explains telling time.

Allez, on se casse ! Il est déjà vingt-trois heures !

Come on, let’s get out of here! It’s already 11pm.

This sentence uses se casser in the imperative mood, which is used for giving commands. Casse-toi and cassez-vous can translate to “p*ss off!”, “get lost”, “beat it!”, “get out of here!” and “scram!”.

Casse-toi ! Tu fais trop de bruit et tu déranges les voisins !

P*ss off! You’re making too much noise and you’re bothering the neighbors!

This final sentence uses se casser with the meaning of “to break a body part”. This sentence is in the passé composé, a commonly used French past tense. This lesson covers vocabulary for body parts.

La femme s’est cassé la jambe au ski.

The woman broke her leg skiing.

Conjugation

Se casser is a regular ER verb. This means that its conjugation pattern is the same as parler (to speak).

Je me casse I’m out of here
Tu te casses You’re out of here (singular, informal)
Il, elle se casse He, she is out of here
Nous nous cassons We’re out of here
Vous vous cassez You’re out of there (plural, formal)
Ils, elles se cassent They’re out of here

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Word of the Day archive | Lessons by David Issokson

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David Issokson
David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

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