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effrayer

to frighten, to scare

verb eh-freh-YAY Less Common
Mind & Emotions Emotions

Usage Note

Effrayer is used both transitively (ce bruit m'effraie, 'that noise frightens me') and reflexively (s'effrayer de, 'to be frightened by'). It is slightly more literary than faire peur à, which is the more common spoken equivalent. The related noun effroi means 'terror' and belongs to a formal or literary register.

Examples

"Ce film m'a effrayé."

Natural Translation

That film frightened me.

Literal Translation

That film me-has frightened

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