inclure

Inclure is a French transitive verb meaning to include, to contain, or to incorporate something within a larger whole. It derives from the Latin includere, literally “to enclose,” formed from in- plus cludere (to close). The word has cognates in other Romance languages, such as includer in Spanish and includere in Italian, and parallels the English include.

In modern French, inclure is conjugated like a regular -re verb, with some irregularities in the present tense. The present indicative forms are: j'inclus, tu inclus, il inclut, nous incluons, vous incluez, ils incluent. The passé composé is formed with avoir: j'ai inclus, tu as inclus, il a inclus, nous avons inclus, vous avez inclus, ils ont inclus. The past participle is inclus, but it may take a feminine singular or plural ending (incluse, incluées) when the direct object precedes the participle, as in Les photos que j'ai incluses. The imperfect is j'incluais, tu incluais, il incluait, nous inclions, vous includiez, ils incluaient; the future is j'inclurai, tu includras, il inclura, nous inclurons, vous inclurez, ils incluront. The subjunctive present is que j'inclue, que tu inclu es, qu'il inclue, que nous incluions, que vous incluiez, qu'ils incluent.

Usage notes: inclure is transitive and typically followed by the direct object and a complement such as dans or dans le cadre de, to specify where or how the inclusion applies (e.g., inclure un chapitre dans un livre, inclure des frais dans le budget, inclure quelqu'un dans une liste). It is distinct from but sometimes synonymous with comprendre in the sense of “to include as part of,” with nuances depending on whether the focus is on membership, content, or enclosure. Related nouns include l’inclusion and l’inclusivité; related adjectives include inclusif.