Par-dessus
Example: Il a sauté par-dessus la barrière rapidement.
Definition
"Par-dessus" is a French prepositional adverb used to indicate movement over or above an obstacle or object, as in the example sentence 'Il a sauté par-dessus la barrière rapidement,' meaning 'He jumped over the fence quickly.'
Etymology
The word "par-dessus" combines "par," meaning 'through' or 'by,' and "dessus," meaning 'above' or 'over.' Together, they literally mean 'by over,' reflecting the idea of moving across or above something. This construction dates back to Old French and has retained its spatial sense clearly over time.
Learn to use this word actively
"Par-dessus" appears in the Vocaplus list "French - General - (A1) - set 4", containing 104 commonly used words.
Would you like to not only understand these words, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select French as the language you want to learn.
Create a free account
