préalables

Préalables (plural of préalable) is a French noun meaning preliminary conditions, steps, or requirements that must be fulfilled before a process can proceed. The term is used across domains to denote prerequisites or antecedent actions.

Etymology: The word derives from pré- meaning “before” and the suffix -al, forming an adjective that has come to function as a noun in the plural préalables. The sense remains close to the idea of things that must come before something else.

Contexts: Préalables appear in education, administration, law, and project planning. In education, they may indicate requirements for admission or enrollment, though the more common term for that purpose is prérequis. For example, a program might specify that certain courses are préalables to advanced study. In legal or administrative language, actes préalables or procédures préalables refer to preliminary steps taken before a decision, contract, or regulatory action. In project management or research, préalables describe initial feasibility checks, tests, or conditions that must be satisfied before implementation.

Usage notes: Préalables is a formal or specialized term. In everyday language, prérequis is often preferred for explicit prerequisites of a course or program, while préalables can emphasize broader preliminary conditions or steps. Both can be qualified as obligatoires (mandatory) or facultatifs (optional) depending on the context.

See also: prérequis; condition préalable; actes préalables; procédures préalables.