French Word of the Day: Déter
This French word has nothing to do with discouraging someone from doing something, in fact it’s close to the opposite.
Why do I need to know déter?
This word is definitely informal and you might hear it often among young people motivated to do something.
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What does it mean?
The French slang word déter, roughly pronounced day-tehr, is short for déterminé, meaning determined, motivated or set on doing something. It is commonly used in informal conversations and on social media to describe someone who is focused on a goal and isn’t going to give up easily.
You can use it to describe someone working hard on achieving something, but also a friend who is absolutely set on going out to party. The word has an enthusiastic, energetic feel, suggesting someone is ready to get stuck in and make something happen.
You might also see it on banners at demos – if a group describes itself as déter it means they are determined, they are not going to give in and intend to keep protesting. For example this graffiti says lycéens déter – meaning that the lycée students are determined to keep up their protests.
Be careful not to confuse déter with the English verb “to deter”, which means to discourage or prevent someone from doing something, often by making it seem difficult or risky.
The two have almost opposite meanings: in French, being déter means being highly motivated to do something, while in English, to deter someone is to put them off doing it.
If you want to deter someone (as in put them off) in French, that would be décourager or sometimes dissuader (to dissuade).
Use it like this
Je suis déter à réussir cet examen. – I’m determined to pass this exam.
Elle est trop déter, elle s’entraîne tous les jours. – She’s so focused, she trains every day.
T’es déter pour sortir ce soir ? – Are you up for going out tonight?
Il est déter à trouver un appart à Paris. – He’s motivated to find a flat in Paris.
