affronter

Affronter is a French verb meaning to face something, to confront or to endure a difficulty, danger, or opponent. It is used with a direct object to indicate confronting a situation (affronter un danger, affronter un problème) or facing a person in a direct encounter (affronter son adversaire). It can also be used figuratively, as in facing reality or one’s fears.

Étymology traces the word to the prefix affl- (a assimilated form of à) plus front, meaning face. The sense of turning toward a challenge or an opponent developed from the notion of meeting something “head-on.”

Usage and construction: the verb is transitive in most uses, taking a direct object. The reflexive form s’affronter can describe a mutual confrontation or competition between two or more parties, such as teams or individuals, in which they contend with one another. In some contexts, synonyms include confronter and faire face à; however, affronter emphasizes active facing and engagement with the challenge.

Conjugation (indicative and common forms): present j’affronte, tu affrontes, il affronte, nous affrontons, vous affrontez, ils affrontent; passé composé j’ai affronté; imperfect j’affrontais; future j’affronterai; conditional j’affronterais; subjunctive que j’affronte. Present participle affrontant; past participle affronté.

Examples: Elle affronte ses peurs en parlant en public. Le sportif a dû affronter un adversaire redoutable. Les deux équipes se sont affrontées avec intensité pendant le match. Enfin, il a accepté d’affronter la réalité et de prendre des mesures.

See also: affron, affrontement, se confronter.