French Phrase
Ça devrait se dégager d'ici l'après-midi.
Meaning
The sentence predicts that a situation—most often traffic, a crowd, or the weather—will become less congested or clearer by the time the afternoon arrives. The conditional adds a polite, slightly uncertain tone.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to reassure someone that a current blockage or delay is expected to resolve before the afternoon, such as during a commute, a construction site, or a rainy morning that should clear up.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Çadevraitsedégagerd'icil'après-midi
Ça
Informal demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'it', used in spoken French.
devrait
Conditional present of devoir; expresses probability or polite prediction: 'should'.
se dégager
Pronominal verb meaning 'to clear up' (traffic, weather, a situation). The reflexive pronoun 'se' is required.
d'ici
Prepositional phrase meaning 'by' or 'within' a future time frame, literally 'from here (now)'.
l'après-midi
Noun for 'the afternoon'; the article 'l'' contracts with the vowel‑initial word.
🗨In Conversation
Est‑ce que la circulation est encore très dense ?
Is traffic still really heavy?
Ça devrait se dégager d'ici l'après‑midi.
It should clear up by this afternoon.
✕Common Mistakes
Ça va se dégager d'ici l'après‑midi.
The conditional is correct for a polite prediction; using the present ‘va se dégager’ sounds more certain.
Ça devrait dégager d'ici l'après‑midi.
The reflexive pronoun is required; without it the verb means ‘to escape’ rather than ‘to clear up.’
Ça devrait se dégager avant l'après‑midi.
‘Avant l'après‑midi’ changes the nuance to ‘before the afternoon,’ which is a slightly earlier deadline.
↔Alternatives
Le trafic devrait se fluidifier d'ici l'après‑midi.
The traffic should ease up by this afternoon.
La situation devrait s'améliorer avant l'après‑midi.
The situation should improve before the afternoon.
Il faut que ça se débloque d'ici l'après‑midi.
It needs to get unstuck by this afternoon.
Cultural Tip
In French, the conditional is often used to express a polite forecast or a tentative expectation, especially in everyday conversation. The phrase d'ici + time is a common way to set a deadline without sounding too rigid. Remember that se dégager is reflexive; dropping the ‘se’ changes the meaning to ‘to escape’ rather than ‘to clear up.’