Verbes français en opposés pour enrichir ton vocabulaire

What does the prefix “dé-” do in French verbs?

Brancher is to plug in; débrancher is to unplug. That dé- works as French’s undo button, and it comes off a long list of everyday verbs the same way: attacher / détacher, plier / déplier, rouler / dérouler, faire / défaire, boucher / déboucher. Learn one verb and you often get its opposite free, which is a fast way for a beginner to double a list.

Before a vowel it usually shows up as dés-: obéir / désobéir, organiser / désorganiser. Débrancher also has a figurative use for switching off after work — j’ai besoin de débrancher — although for that sense you will hear déconnecter more often.