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Retirer or enlever: useful French phrases for taking things off and out

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Practise taking off a coat, clearing a chair, collecting a parcel and withdrawing an application. See where retirer and enlever overlap.

In short

Enlever and retirer both mean remove, and both work for taking off a coat. Learn retirer de l’argent for withdrawing cash and retirer sa candidature for withdrawing an application. The whole phrase guides the meaning.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A person clears books from a chair for a visiting friend.
They enlèvent les livres de la chaise to make room. Illustration: Atelier

Name what you take off, take out or collect

1

Coming indoors

Both verbs work with clothes.

YouJe peux enlever mon manteau ?Can I take my coat off?
Other personOui, bien sûr. Vous pouvez aussi retirer vos chaussures.Yes, of course. You can take your shoes off too.
2

Clearing a seat

YouTu peux enlever les livres de la chaise ?Can you take the books off the chair?
Other personOui, je les mets sur la table.Yes, I’ll put them on the table.
3

At the collection counter

Retirer un colis means collecting a parcel.

YouBonjour, je viens retirer un colis.Hello, I’m here to collect a parcel.
Other personQuel est votre nom, s’il vous plaît ?What is your name, please?
4

Changing an application

YouJe souhaite retirer ma candidature.I wish to withdraw my application.
Other personD’accord, merci de nous avoir prévenus.All right, thank you for letting us know.
Three meanings of retirer
FrenchEnglish
retirer une clé de la serruretake a key out of the lock
retirer de l’argent au distributeurwithdraw cash at the cash machine
retirer une demandewithdraw a request

Enlever une tache means removing a stain. Enlever son manteau means taking a coat off; jeter son manteau means throwing it away. The removal verb gives the action, and a following phrase gives the starting place: de la chaise, du sac, de la serrure.

J’enlève les livres ; nous enlevons aussi les sacs.

I’m removing the books; we’re removing the bags too.

Watch the present-tense accent: j’enlève, tu enlèves, il enlève, but nous enlevons and vous enlevez. Retirer is regular: je retire, nous retirons.

Question 1No account needed
Choose the normal cash-machine phrase.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

retirer de l’argent. At a cash machine, the usual expression is retirer de l’argent.

Question 2No account needed
Which meaning do both phrases share: enlever son manteau and retirer son manteau?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Take off one’s coat.. Both phrases describe taking a coat off. Disposal is a separate action.

Question 3No account needed
Complete the present tense.Nous ___ les livres de la chaise.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

enlevons. With nous, write enlevons, with no grave accent.

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