Recommande

Recommande is a conjugated form of the French verb recommander, meaning to advise or suggest something as beneficial. It appears in two common functions: as the third-person singular present indicative (il/elle recommande, meaning he or she recommends) and as the informal singular imperative (recommande!, meaning “recommend!”). The verb is transitive and typically requires a direct object or a prepositional complement.

Etymology and usage: recommander comes from the prefix re- plus the root related to commanding or commending, with the sense of urging someone to consider a course of action or a particular item. In everyday French, it is used to propose a book, a restaurant, a medicine, or any proposal deemed advantageous. Grammar allows several constructions: recommander quelque chose à quelqu’un (to recommend something to someone), recommander de faire quelque chose (to advise doing something), and, in formal or literary style, recommander que + subjunctive (less common in spoken language).

Common forms and related terms: the past participle is recommandé, used in passé composé as j’ai recommandé. Related verbs include conseiller (to advise, more neutral) and préconiser (to advocate). The noun form is recommandation (the act of recommending or the recommendation itself).

Example usage: Il recommande ce restaurant. Elle recommande ce livre à ses amis. Recommande-le! (informal imperative) Recommandez ce livre! (formal imperative). Recommander is widely used across registers, from casual speech to professional writing, with nuance often depending on the level of insistence or formality.