Recommandent

Recommandent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb recommander, meaning “they recommend.” It is used to indicate that a group of subjects offers a recommendation or advice in the present tense.

Grammar and usage notes:

Recommander is a regular -er verb. The form recommandent follows the standard present tense pattern for ils/elles. It can take a direct object to specify what is being recommended, or a indirect object with à to indicate to whom the recommendation is addressed. It can also govern either a noun phrase or a clause introduced by de + infinitive to suggest that someone should do something, as in recommander de partir tôt or recommander à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose.

Common constructions:

- Ils recommandent ce restaurant. (They recommend this restaurant.)

- Elles recommandent ce livre à leurs amis. (They recommend this book to their friends.)

- Ils recommandent de partir tôt. (They recommend leaving early.)

- Je vous recommande de lire ce chapitre. (I recommend that you read this chapter.)

Pronunciation and orthography:

Recommandent is pronounced with the final -ent silent, as with other third-person plural endings in French. The root spelling uses a double m (recommand-) to preserve the phonetic sequence in the présent.

Etymology:

The verb recommander comes from Old French recommander, itself from Latin commendare, meaning “to entrust, commend.” The current prefix re- and the root reflect the notion of endorsing or presenting something again or strongly to someone.

See also:

Related forms include recommander (infinitive), recommande (je, il/elle), recommandes, recommandons, recommandez, et recommandent. Recommandent is a key example of how French uses subject-verb agreement to convey who is making a recommendation.