Impliqués

Impliqués is the plural masculine form of the French adjective impliqué and the past participle of the verb impliquer. It describes people or things that are involved in a matter or situation, or who have a stake in an activity. The feminine plural form is impliquées, and the singular forms are impliqué (masculine) and impliquée (feminine). The etymology traces to the Latin implicare, meaning to entangle or enfold.

Usage and nuances

In everyday language, impliqués can refer to individuals who participate in an event, project, or discussion. It can also denote persons connected to a controversy or investigation, often with a connotation of interest or responsibility. For example, "les personnes impliquées dans le projet" emphasizes those who are taking part, while "les personnes impliquées dans l’affaire" may highlight those connected to a scandal or inquiry. In a positive sense, one might describe an activist as impliqué in a cause; in a negative sense, suspects or accused individuals can be labeled impliqués in wrongdoing.

Grammar and related terms

Impliqué is used as an adjective and as the past participle of impliquer. With être, it agrees in gender and number (il est impliqué, elle est impliquée, ils sont impliqués, elles sont impliquées). With avoir, agreement depends on whether a preceding direct object is present (j’ai impliqué, tu as impliqué, il a impliqué). Related terms include l’implication (the act of involving or the implication/entailment) and impliquer (to involve).

See also

Implicature and implication are related concepts in linguistics; in French, implication (without the final 's') is used for broader notions of involvement or consequence, whereas impliqués refers to the people or things that are involved.