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So, I know that “I’m getting in contact with someone.” equals

  1. « J’entre en relation avec qn. »
  2. « Je prends contact avec qn. »

So, does the sentence “I’m getting back in contact with someone.´” equal

  1. « Je rentre en relation avec qn. »
  2. « Je reprends contact avec qn. » ?

Thank you for your help!😊

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3 Answers 3

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That would be a variation of your second guesses:

Je prends contact avec quelqu'un.

Je reprends contact avec quelqu'un.

Your first sentence "j'entre en relation avec quelqu'un" is possible too but less common. It also implies a closer / longer relationship with the other person.

Rentrer en relation doesn't convey the back (or again) meaning.

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  • Thank you for your help @jlliagre !😊 I’m happy to accept that « Je rentre en relation avec qn. » I’m a bit confused however because Collins dictionary says « Je prends contact avec qn. » equals “I’m getting in contact with sb.”. So then does « Je reprends contact avec qn. » equal “I’m getting back in contact with sb.”?
    – SFR
    Nov 2, 2020 at 19:35
  • Isn't something missing in the second sentence of your comment? Anyway, je reprends contact avec quelqu'un does indeed translate to "I’m getting back in contact with sb." On the other hand, I wouldn't say j'entre en relation avec quelqu'un really means "I’m getting in contact with someone". I'd rather translate it to "I'm starting a/(some sort of) relationship with sb."
    – jlliagre
    Nov 2, 2020 at 20:42
  • Oh lol 😅 I was meant to write I’m happy to accept that « Je rentre en relation avec qn. » doesn’t equal “I’m getting back in contact with sb.” Also, Collins dictionary says that « entrer en relation avec qn » means “to get into contact with sb.” The link is above. 😊
    – SFR
    Nov 2, 2020 at 20:49
  • Who is that Collins? Is he French? ;-) Seriously, despite being both possible translations of "to get in contact with sb.*, I persist telling I wouldn't use them interchangeably.
    – jlliagre
    Nov 2, 2020 at 21:03
  • Lol! 😅 Okay, then I’ll take your word for it! Thank you so much for your help @jlliagre !😊
    – SFR
    Nov 2, 2020 at 22:33
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A third alternative (reprendre contact et rétablir le contact are correct, and it is correct that you mustn't use the "en" in your sentence with (re)prendre ) is

renouer le contact avec quelqu'un

Like in the case of "rétablir", this implies that the contact has been lost (while with reprendre it is only after a short interruption). The difference is that "rétablir le contact" usually means that the contact has been abruptly broken (e.g. after an argument , when you need to "heal" the relationship) while "renouer" is more for old friends that you haven't seen for a long time (it is still a friend, but he has been abroad for a long time so you did not talk to him anymore until he came back because the relationship was neglected). Those are just small nuances...

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  • Thank you ever so much for this @radouxju !!! This is really helpful.😊 However, I do have a few questions that I’m hoping you could answer please. 🤞🏽 (1) Does « Je rentre en contact avec qn. » also equal “I’m getting back in contact with sb.” ? I’m 100% sure you know, but just to avoid any ambiguity, “to get back into contact with sb” simply means “to begin talking to sb again.” Who that “sb” is and however long it has been since you have spoken to them doesn’t matter.
    – SFR
    Nov 2, 2020 at 19:57
  • I would not use "rentrer en contact". "rentrer" does not always carry the "again" sense. It is not false, but there are better solutions IMHO am not English speaker, so your precision is useful. All I know is that in French there are (small) nuances. The most "neutral/all-purpose" is "reprendre contact avec qq'un". So I suggest that you accept @jlliagre answer and edit your question to specify that the sb and however long don't matter
    – radouxju
    Nov 6, 2020 at 12:16
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If you mean that you were in contact with that person and somehow along the way, you grew apart and now you are reestablishing your connection, contact ... you can say: Je rétablis mon contact (ma relation, mon lien) avec quelqu'un..

As for prendre or reprendre, your formulation is wrong, on prend (reprond) quelque chose, je prends un café, le train, ..., do not use prendre en in this case, prendre en is used in cases such as je prends en compte meaning considering or prendre en otage, abducting.

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  • Thank you for your help especially for your alternative! 😊 I’ve made a mistake however. I meant to write Collins dictionary says « Je prends contact avec qn. » equals “I’m getting in contact with sb.” Therefore, does « Je reprends contact avec qn. » equal “I’m getting back in contact with sb.” Also, I’m 100% sure you know, but just to avoid any ambiguity, “to get back into contact with sb” simply means “to begin talking to sb again.” Who that “sb” is and however long it has been since you have spoken to them doesn’t matter.
    – SFR
    Nov 2, 2020 at 19:57

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