aborder
to approach (someone) / to come up to
Intermediate Verb
🔊
Pronunciation
/a.bɔʁ.de/
💡
Cultural Note
In French dating culture, knowing how to 'aborder' someone gracefully is essential. The French value confidence but detest aggression. A good approach involves making eye contact first, smiling, and then starting a natural conversation. Approaching someone in a café, bookstore, or museum is considered perfectly normal and even romantic.
📝 Example Sentences
Il n'ose pas l'aborder, il est trop timide.
He doesn't dare approach her, he's too shy.
Une fille m'a abordé dans le métro pour me dire qu'elle aimait mon style.
A girl came up to me in the metro to tell me she liked my style.