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départager

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

French

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Etymology

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From dé- +‎ partager.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /de.paʁ.ta.ʒe/
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

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départager

  1. (transitive) to shift the balance between two parties of, or break the tie between, decide between
    Le maire, par son vote, a départagé le conseil municipal.The mayor, with his vote, broke the tie between the council members.
    Il n’y a jamais lieu, en matière criminelle, à départager les juges, l’avis le plus doux étant toujours celui qui prévaut.
    There is never reason, in criminal matters, to decide between (the rulings of) the judges, the softest opinion always being the one that prevails.
  2. (transitive) to divide, separate
  3. (transitive) to isolate, separate, determine
  4. (transitive) to distinguish, differentiate, or decide between
  5. (reflexive, sports) to find a winner, break a (or the) tie
    Les deux équipes n’ont pas pu se départager. Score final : 28 à 28.The two teams came to a stalemate. Final score: 28-28.

Conjugation

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This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written départage- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a "soft" /ʒ/ and not a "hard" /ɡ/). This spelling change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and manger.

Further reading

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