Verb to Dress in French
(s')habiller

The French verb habiller can be conjugated as a normal one but most of the time you will find its reflexive form (s'habiller = to get dressed /to clothe). It can be used in a concrete or figurative context.

Words related to French verb habiller:

un habillement (nm) = clothing
un habit (nm) = outfit
le prêt-à-porter (nm) = ready-to-wear

Some examples of the use of the French verb habiller:

Elle habille sa fille à la dernière mode et dépense une fortune en matière d'habillement.
She dresses her daughter in the latest fashion and spends a fortune on clothing.

De nos jours, les jeunes hommes mettent plus de temps à s'habiller et à se pomponner que les jeunes femmes.
In today's society, it takes longer for young men to get dressed and dolled up than young girls.

Dépêche-toi de t'habiller, on va être en retard à l'entraînement !
Put some clothes on quickly, we are going to be late for training!

Il la déshabille du regard de façon peu discrète !
He's undressing her with his eyes in a very indiscreet manner!

Elle habillait ses yeux de mascara tous les soirs avant de sortir.
She adorned her eyes with mascara every night before going out.

Idioms using the French verb habiller:

Déshabiller du regard: to undress someone with one's eyes
L'habit ne fait pas le moine: One cannot judge a book by its cover
Déshabiller Paul pour habiller Jean: to take sthg from a person to give it to another (figurative; to solve a problem by creating another one); to rob Peter to pay Paul.

Synonyms of the French verb habiller:

se fringuer (slang),
s'accoutrer (to disguise oneself);,
(formal) (se) vêtir (to dress).

French verb habiller in context

Juin 2008. Un adolescent de religion judaïque violenté par une bande de jeunes dans la capitale.

L'adolescent se rendait à son lieu de culte au moment où des dizaines de jeunes de son âge en moyenne l'on assaillit.

Il était habillé normalement, et portait simplement la coiffe traditionnelle hébraïque.

Sérieusement contusionné, les médecins l'ont médicalement assisté pour le placer dans un profond sommeil.

Alors que ce type d'actes raciste est largement sur le déclin en France, la communauté religieuse en question souligne toutefois qu'elle est affectée par ce genre de comportement de personnes extérieures depuis quelques huit ans.

Apparemment, l'adolescent aurait échangé des mots avec des gens de son âge l'an dernier et si l'hypothèse du crime antijuif n'est pas écartée par la Police, celle-ci continue ses investigations pour s'en assurer.

English translation

June 2008. A Jewish adolescent assaulted by a group of youths in the capital.

The adolescent was walking to his place of worship when tens of youths of an average similar age attacked him.

He was dressed normally and was simply wearing the traditional Hebrew headgear.

Severely wounded, the Doctors assisted him medically in order to place him into a deep sleep.

While these kinds of racist actions have substantially decreased in France, the religious community in question highlighted, however, that they have been affected by this kind of behaviour from outsiders for about eight years.

Apparently, the adolescent exchanged swear words with people of his age group last year and although the Police did not dismiss the hypothesis of anti-Jewish crime, they are carrying on their investigations to be check if this is the case.

Written and compiled by Charlotte Chateau.

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French verb to dress is habiller