Rendre

Rendre is a common French verb with several related meanings centered on returning or producing a result. The core sense is “to give back” or “to return” an object to someone: rendre quelque chose à quelqu’un. It also means “to render” in the sense of causing a state or condition, as in rendre heureux or rendre justice. The reflexive form se rendre appears in phrases such as se rendre à un endroit, se rendre compte de, and se rendre coupable de quelque chose, and can also mean “to surrender” in certain contexts.

As a regular -re verb, rendre forms with the auxiliary avoir in compound tenses. Present: je rends, tu rends, il rend, nous rendons, vous rendez, ils rendent. Passé composé: j’ai rendu. Imparfait: je rendais, tu rendais, il rendait, nous rendions, vous rendiez, ils rendaient. Future: je rendrai, tu rendras, il rendra, nous rendrons, vous rendrez, ils rendront. Subjunctive present: que je rende, que tu rendes, qu’il rende, que nous rendions, que vous rendiez, qu’ils rendent.

Common expressions and constructions include rendre visite à quelqu’un (to visit someone), rendre service (to do a favor), rendre hommage (to pay tribute), rendre compte de quelque chose (to report on or account for something), et rendre justice (to render justice). The reflexive form appears in se rendre compte de (to realize) and se rendre à (to go to a place), and se rendre coupable de quelque chose (to make oneself guilty of something).

Etymology and usage notes: rendre comes from Latin reddere “to give back.” It is used across practical, legal, and idiomatic contexts, with the meaning determined by the surrounding construction.