comparé

Comparé is the past participle of the French verb comparer, meaning to compare. In French grammar, comparé is used in compound tenses with the auxiliary être or avoir, and can also function as an adjective in certain constructions.

As a participle, comparé mainly appears in passé composé and other perfect tenses with avoir, where the participle generally does not agree with the subject unless a direct object precedes it. For example: j'ai comparé les chiffres (no agreement), but les chiffres que j'ai comparés (agreement with the masculine plural direct object). With the auxiliary être, the participle agrees with the subject, as in les données ont été comparées.

As an adjective, comparé is less commonly used on its own in modern French, but related forms appear in phrases such as données comparables (comparable data), where the root compare is extended into the adjective comparable rather than the participle. The typical way to express the act of comparing is with comparer, while comparatif and comparaison are the common nouns related to the process.

Usage notes: comparé is frequently found in contexts involving analysis, statistics, or evaluation, where one set of figures or items is considered in relation to another. The usual preposition for expressing the relationship is à or avec, as in comparé à/avec quelqu’un ou quelque chose, with minor stylistic differences noted by some guides.

Etymology: comparé derives from the verb comparer, itself from Latin comparare, formed with the prefix com- and the root parare, related to making objects ready or pairing, ultimately giving the sense of bringing things together for comparison.

See also: comparer, comparaison, comparatif, comparable.