Return (to give back) – rendre

(Pronounced rohn-druh)

To remember that return (to give back) is pronounced rohn-druh (rendre) in French, use the following mnemonic:

I was asked to return Ronald McDonald's drum (rendre).

NOTE: There are five different French words that mean "return": revenir, retourner, rentrer, rendre and rembourser.
Which one you need depends on what or where you are returning. The French use rendre to mean give back something. For example, this translation for return would be used if you wanted to say "I need to return this book to the library"

Examples of rendre (return) in a sentence

Je rends le livre à la bibliothèque. 

(I am returning the book to the library.)

Quand vas-tu me rendre mon vélo? 

(When are you going to return my bike?)

Voilà, je vous rends les livres que j'ai empruntés. 

(Here, I'm returning the books I borrowed.)