attendre vs anticiper
French word comparison
Listen to attendre
Listen to anticiper
| attendre | anticiper |
|---|---|
/a-ten-DRE/ verb | //ɑ̃.ti.si.pe// verb |
| to wait (for); sometimes to expect | to anticipate; to foresee or take precautions in advance |
How they differ
Anticiper corresponds to the 'expect' sense of 's'attendre à' but adds the idea of foreseeing and acting ahead of time; 'attendre' used as 'to expect' is more neutral and may not imply preparation.
When to use each
When to use attendre: Prefer 'attendre' (or the reflexive 's'attendre à') when simply stating an expectation without the implication of preparing or taking action.
When to use anticiper: Prefer 'anticiper' when you mean to predict an outcome and possibly take measures in advance to address it.
Side-by-side examples
- Je m'attends à une réponse d'ici demain.
(I expect a reply by tomorrow.) - Il faut anticiper les retards pour éviter les embouteillages.
(We need to anticipate delays to avoid traffic jams.)
Register & nuance: Anticiper is neutral and slightly more formal or technical when used in planning or strategic contexts; 's'attendre à' is common in everyday speech for simple expectations.