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obliger

to oblige, to force

verb o-blee-ZHEH Less Common

Usage Note

Obliger means to compel someone to do something: je suis obligé de partir ('I have to leave', literally 'I am obliged to leave'). In formal or polite usage it can also mean to do someone a favour: *vous m'obligeriez en... * ('you would oblige me by...'). The adjective obligatoire means mandatory or compulsory.

Examples

"Je suis obligé de partir tôt."

Natural Translation

I'm obliged to leave early.

Literal Translation

I am obliged of to-leave early

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