secouer

Secouer is a French verb meaning to shake or to shake up. It describes a physical action, as when you shake an object, and a figurative one, such as disrupting a situation or jolting someone’s attention. The verb is transitive, taking a direct object (secouer la poussière, secouer quelqu'un), and it can also appear reflexively in se secouer to wake oneself or shake off lethargy.

Etymology: Secouer comes from Old French secoer, derived from Latin excutere, meaning to shake off or shake out. The form has been in use since medieval times and remains common in modern French.

Conjugation: It is a regular -er verb with the stem secou-. Key forms: Present: je secoue, tu secoues, il secoue, nous secouons, vous secouez, ils secouent. Imperfect: secouais, secouais, secouait, secouions, secouiez, secouaient. Passé composé: j'ai secoué. Passé simple: je secouai, tu secouas, il secoua, nous secouâmes, vous secouâtes, ils secouèrent. Future: je secouerai, tu secoueras, il secouera, nous secouerons, vous secouerez, ils secoueront. Subjunctive: que je secoue, que tu secoues, qu'il secoue, que nous secouions, que vous secouiez, qu'ils secouent. Imperative: secoue, secouons, secouez. Participle: secoué; present participle: secouant.

Usage notes and examples: In the physical sense, you can say: Elle secoue le tapis; Le vent secoue les rideaux. Figuratively, La nouvelle a secoué le pays or Cette décision a secoué l’opinion publique. Reflexive use: Il s’est secoué pour se réveiller. The verb also forms figurative phrases meaning to shake up or jolt someone or something, often in discussions of changes or shocks.

Translations: to shake, to shake up, to jolt, to stir. Related verbs include bousculer and remuer.