endommager v. abîmer

the dictionary says "endommager" is used for a building: a fired damaged the school.

it says "abîmer" is used for an object. He damaged her car w a baseball bat.

and "avoir un effet néfaste sur" is used for the economy

is this correct? are there other times "endommager" would be used?

merci (comme toujours) d'avance

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Permalink Reply by Neil Coffey on April 21, 2013 at 3:42am

Hi Alan --

I think the difference is that abîmer tends to suggest "aesthetically damage the surface of" (cf. English "blemish"), whereas endommager tends to suggest more "material" damage. Either can be used with objects and generally also potentially in a more figurative sense -- I thiiink that many speakers would judge endommager l'économie to be OK as a phrase, for example.

Other people's opinions welcome!

Neil

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Permalink Reply by alan gould on April 21, 2013 at 4:36am

i only hear "blemish" used as a noun. other than the polite way of referring to acne, it connotes a minor flaw -- fruit with blemishes. "a minor blemish." if people want to distinguish between minor damage and major, they'll say for the latter "you totally ruined it" "it's totally ruined".

when i first learned abîmer, i learned it as "ruin." the example i gave for "endommager" of fire destroying a building is different in that it's damage that involves replacement rather than repair. will be interesting to hear from someone more in the know. thanks, neil.