constituer

Constituer is a French verb meaning to form, to make up, or to establish something, and more broadly to constitute a group or whole. It can denote the act of creating an entity (constituer une entreprise, constituer une équipe) or of assembling elements into a set (constituer un dossier, constituer une majorité). The sense can also be figurative, as in constituer un obstacle, un problème, ou une menace, or to indicate what underpins a situation.

Étymologie: the word comes from Latin constituere, meaning to set up or establish, and entered French through old or middle French with the same core senses of putting together and organizing.

Usage and constructions: constituer is transitive and often used with a direct object naming what is formed or assembled. The passive expression est constitué de is common to express composition: “Le comité est constitué de dix membres.” It can also appear with de, en, or other complements when specifying components or materials. Common collocations include constituer une majorité, constituer un dossier, constituer un patrimoine, constituer une base juridique.

Conjugation: constituer is a regular -er verb. Present: je constitue, tu constitues, il constitue, nous constituons, vous constituez, ils constituent. Past participle: constitué. Infinitif: constituer. Subjonctif présent: que je constitue, que tu constitues, qu’il constitue, que nous constituions, que vous constituiez, qu’ils constituent. Imperatif: constitue, constituons, constituez. (Forms in other tenses follow the standard patterns for first-group verbs.)