Appelé

Appelé is the past participle of the French verb appeler, meaning “called” or “named” when used in compound tenses or as an adjective. It is also used to indicate designation, as in phrases like “un lieu appelé Paris” or “un homme appelé Jean.”

Etymology: appeler derives from Latin appellare, formed from ad- “toward” and pellere “to drive,” with the sense of naming or summoning. The participle istorically reflects this meaning in modern French.

Forms and agreement: the present participle forms are appelé (masc. sing.), appelée (fem. sing.), appelés (masc. pl.), and appelées (fem. pl.). As a past participle of appeler with the auxiliary avoir, appel é is in general not marked for gender or number unless the direct object precedes the verb: La femme que j’ai appelée hier était en retard. If the direct object precedes, it becomes appel ée/appel és(es): Les femmes que j’ai appelées hier étaient en retard. In the pronominal verb s’appeler, the auxiliary is être, and the participle agrees with the subject: Ils se sont appelés.

Usage notes: appeler is used to mean “to call” in the sense of making a phone call or naming someone or something. As an adjective or in restrictive phrases, appelé conveys “named” or “also known as.” The expression “so-called” is typically rendered with so ifant, or in context with soi-disant rather than a direct translation of appelé.

Examples:

- J’ai appelé ma mère ce matin. (I called my mother this morning.)

- La personne que j’ai appelée hier était en retard. (The person I called yesterday was late.)

- C’est un homme appelé Jean. (This is a man named Jean.)

- Ils se sont appelés par leurs prénoms. (They called each other by their first names.)

See also: appeler (French verb) and s’appeler.