Ready to find out all the things you need to know about the inspirational word "Détends-toi"? It includes a complete definition of what it is and how you can use it in a dialogue with an audio example. Not to mention the useful things we sprinkled like synonyms, dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio and more!
Translation : Relax
Register : Informal - Inspirational
Slow
Normal
IPA : / detɑ̃-twa /
It literally means:
In the context it means "Relax yourself" which is generally translated as "Relax".
People use it to recommend someone to chill and depending on the tone used, it could be more or less bossy.
Scenario 1: someone is very stressed about something and you want to help this person to relax, you might say: "Détends-toi, tout ira bien." (Relax, it will be alright.)
Scenario 2: you are involved in an argument and want to order the other person to relax immediately, you might say: "Détends-toi tout de suite !" (Calm down right now!)
Plot twist: the person is more likely to be even more angry in the second scenario... that's why it's important to dose the tone carefully and pay attention to context. Or a gentle piece of advice can end up putting you in trouble, unless that's precisely what you want...
It's also interesting to note that, because this is an imperative sentence, it works only with the pronoun "toi". You can't say "Détends-elle" or "Détends-ils" etc. because you can't give a direct order to someone you are not directly talking to.
There are also a few very vulgar ways to say it like: "Pètes un coup" (Farts once) or "Détends-toi le string" (Loosen your thong/G-string).
But it's very familiar and not "workplace friendly"!
Dialogue
I am angry
Détends-toi, c'est pas grave
Relax, that doesn't matter
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