effacez

Effacez is the second-person plural and formal imperative form of the French verb effacer, meaning to erase, wipe out, or remove. It is used to give a direct command to erase something, typically in writing, signs, manuals, or digital contexts.

Effacer belongs to the first conjugation of -er verbs. In present tense, its forms are: j’efface, tu effaces, il/elle efface, nous effaçons, vous effacez, ils/elles effacent. The imperative forms are efface (tu), effacez (vous), and effaçons (nous). When used with a direct object, pronouns are placed after the verb and preceded by a hyphen or separated by a space, as in Effacez-les or Effacez-les fichiers. The nous form shows the characteristic soft c with a cedilla sound on the “ça” in effaçons.

In usage, effacer emphasizes removing marks, traces, or memory from a surface or record. It is commonly found in writing, classroom instructions, and signage, as well as in computing or data handling, where it often appears alongside or as a synonym of supprimer, though effacer is more general and tactile (erase a chalk slate, erase a line, erase data on a screen).

Related terms include effacement, the noun for the act of erasing; and effacé, the past participle meaning erased. While effacer and supprimer can be interchangeable in some digital contexts, effacer can carry a broader sense of clearing remnants or memories beyond mere deletion.

See also: effacement, effacé, supprimer.