The Prefixes re- and des-

Level 4

Put re- before a verb to say again, and des- to take the action back.

How It Works

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
re-	again	refar, retrobar, recomençar
des-	undo, the opposite	desfar, descargar, desbarrar

Verbs built on far keep its irregular present: refau, refàs, refà, refasèm, refasètz, refàn. The other verbs follow their own group: retròbi like tròbi, recomenci like comenci.

The meaning of des- is the opposite of the plain verb: barrar (to close, to bar), desbarrar (to unbolt), cargar (to load), descargar (to unload).

Check a new verb in a dictionary before you use it. The two prefixes work on many verbs, but not every combination exists.

Examples (5)

Cal refar lo trabalh.
The work has to be redone.
Refar is re- plus far.
Retrobam Joan a Besièrs.
We meet Joan again in Béziers.
Retrobam is the nosautres form of retrobar.
Recomenci lo trabalh deman.
I start the work again tomorrow.
Recomenci is re- plus començar, with c before i.
Los òmes descargan lo camion.
The men unload the truck.
Descargan is des- plus cargar.
Desbarri la pòrta.
I unbolt the door.
Desbarri is the opposite of barri.

How It Connects

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The Prefixes re- and des-Level 4

Learn This First

Re- repeats an action and des- undoes it, so tornar plus an infinitive comes first.

tornar + InfinitiveDoing Something Again
Know tornar plus an infinitive, because re- says the same thing inside one verb: Torni dire la responsa, Cal refar lo trabalh.
Level 3

Words in This Pattern

re-des-

Practice The Prefixes re- and des- in Bubblegum

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