préparée

Préparée is the feminine form of the past participle of the French verb préparer, meaning to prepare. When used as an adjective, préparée agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: préparé (masculine singular), préparée (feminine singular), préparés (masculine plural), préparées (feminine plural). This agreement is the core feature distinguishing the feminine form from the masculine.

Usage and examples

As an adjective, préparée describes something that has already been prepared. Examples include une soupe préparée (a prepared soup) and une étude préparée (a prepared study). In a sentence, the form changes with the noun: le repas préparé, la soupe préparée, les plats préparés, les sauces préparées. It also appears in relative clauses and with object pronouns in the feminine: la soupe que j’ai préparée (the soup that I prepared).

In compound tenses, préparée is used with feminine direct objects, for instance: Je l’ai préparée correctement. The placement of the feminine ending often depends on whether the direct object precedes the auxiliary verb.

Culinary and general usage

In culinary and retail contexts, the masculine plural form plats préparés is common to denote ready-made meals. The feminine plural préparées is used when referring to feminine-noun phrases, such as desserts préparées or recettes préparées.

Etymology

Préparée derives from the verb préparer, via the Latin root parare. The feminine ending -ée marks agreement for feminine nouns in modern French, a pattern shared by many past participles used adjectivally.