prochain

Prochain is a French word serving mainly as an adjective meaning next or upcoming in a sequence or timetable. It is used before masculine singular nouns, as in le prochain train or le prochain chapitre, and its feminine form is la prochaine, as in la prochaine fois. The plural forms are les prochains (masculine) and les prochaines (feminine). The word can also function as a noun in certain contexts to refer to the person who comes next, especially in religious or moral language, as in aimer son prochain.

Etymology traces prochain to the Latin proximus, meaning nearest, through Old French. This lineage reflects its core idea of nearness in space, time, or order. The related adverb is prochainement, meaning soon or in the near future, formed from the same root.

In usage, proche meaning near is distinct from prochain; proche is an adjective meaning near in space or time, while prochain emphasizes the next item in a sequence or the upcoming occurrence. Prochain is often preferred for items in a series, such as a schedule, a calendar, or a list, whereas suivant is commonly used in procedural or enumerative contexts.

Common collocations include le prochain jour, la prochaine étape, et le prochain meeting. In religious or ethical phrases, ton prochain denotes one’s neighbor, illustrating a moral sense embedded in everyday language.

Overall, proche and prochain are integral to expressing order, time, and social relation in French, with prochain marking the imminent next element and prochainement signaling imminence of an event.