Raccourcissent

Raccourcissent is a French verb form: the present subjunctive, third person plural, of the verb raccourcir, meaning to shorten. This form is used in subordinate clauses that require the subjunctive mood, typically after expressions of necessity, possibility, doubt, wish, or emotion, and after certain conjunctions such as que.

In terms of construction, raccourcissent is formed from the present subjunctive stem raccourciss- (the same stem as in ils/elles raccourcissent in spelling) followed by the standard present subjunctive ending -ent. The form appears with both ils and elles. It is not the indicative mood and does not occur in ordinary declarative statements; it functions to express nuance rather than assertion.

Common usage involves phrases that trigger the subjunctive. For example: Il faut que ces mesures raccourcissent les délais (It is necessary that these measures shorten the delays). Il est possible que les procédures raccourcissent les coûts (It is possible that the procedures shorten the costs). Qu'ils raccourcissent les délais serait souhaitable (That they shorten the delays would be desirable).

Notes on style and register: raccourcissent is a formal, literary, or written form. In everyday speech, speakers may rephrase to avoid the subjunctive, using indicative constructions or other verbs meaning to shorten, reduce, or speed up.

Related forms include the verb raccourcir (to shorten) and its other conjugations in the present, past, and subjunctive moods. The form is a standard example of the present subjunctive in French and illustrates the characteristic -issent ending for third-person plural in the subjunctive among regular -ir verbs.