Rétrécis

Rétrécis is a form of the French verb rétrécir, which means to shrink, become narrower, or reduce in size. In addition to physical shrinking, the verb can be used figuratively to describe reductions in quantity, duration, or intensity, such as narrowing margins or shortening timelines.

Grammatical notes: Rétrécis is the passé simple form for the first- and second-person singular of rétrécir (je rétrécis, tu rétrécis). The passé simple is a literary past tense, largely replaced in spoken French by the passé composé. The other forms in the same tense are il rétrécit, nous rétrécîmes, vous rétrécîtes, ils rétrécirent. The present tense forms of rétrécir include je rétrécis, tu rétrécis, il rétrécit, nous rétrécissons, vous rétrécissez, ils rétrécissent.

Usage and examples: In everyday language, the more common form to express past action is the passé composé: j’ai rétréci, tu as rétréci. Rétrécir can be transitive (rétrécir un vêtement, to shrink a garment) or intransitive (le tissu rétrécit, the fabric shrinks). Metaphorically, it can describe reductions such as a shrinking budget, a shrinking margin, or a shrinking opportunity, depending on context.

Etymology: The verb rétrécir is formed with the prefix re- and a historical root related to shrinking or narrowing. The exact lineage traces to Old French forms such as trécir, with rétrécir emerging as the modern standard.

See also: rétrécir, passé simple, passé composé, conjugation of French -ir verbs.