abîmer vs gâcher

Tom G.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

abîmer vs gâcher

For the sentence, Je pense qu'ils gâchent un sport intéressant, is abîmer, an acceptable alternative to gâcher to say "spoil". Please explain the different usages of the two words.

This question relates to:French writing exercise "An opinion on football [US:soccer]"

Freeform Writing Exercise B1

Asked 3 years ago

Like2Answer2

CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Tom,

That's an excellent question!

"abîmer" -> to damage / wreck something concrete

Il a abîmé mon sac à dos = he damaged my backpack

Quelqu'un a abîmé mon vase = someone damaged my vase

"gâcher" = to spoil / ruin something (not tangible)

Tu gâches mon plaisir = you spoil / ruin my enjoyment

Elle a gâché l'anniversaire de tes enfants = she ruined your kids' birthday

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Like33 years ago

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

gâcher is also more like "spoil" in English.

Like13 years ago

Tom G. asked:View original

abîmer vs gâcher

For the sentence, Je pense qu'ils gâchent un sport intéressant, is abîmer, an acceptable alternative to gâcher to say "spoil". Please explain the different usages of the two words.

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