rendre at C1 — refined & idiomatic
On this page
Favours, justice and giving up.
The idioms
Rendre service à means to do someone a favour: « tu me rendrais un grand service ». It is warmer and more idiomatic than aider for small kindnesses.
Rendre justice à means to do justice to. Rendre l’âme — to give up the ghost — is used for people and, jokingly, for machines. And se rendre alone means to surrender.
💡 Focus at this level: Idiomatic — rendre service
👨🏫 How to use « rendre » at this level
1. « Rendre service » for favours. Very natural.
2. « Se rendre » alone = to surrender.
3. « Rendre l’âme » is often a joke about a dead washing machine.
Tu me rendrais un grand service.You’d be doing me a big favour.
Il faut lui rendre justice.We must do him justice.
Ma voiture a rendu l’âme.My car has given up the ghost.
Ils se sont rendus.They surrendered.
🎮 Practise « rendre »
Play the free French games → · Back to the full « rendre » chart →
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