récentes

Récentes is the feminine plural form of the French adjective récent, meaning “recent” or “latest.” It is used to describe feminine plural nouns and agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The word conveys timeliness and freshness, and is common in journalism, academia, and general writing when referring to newly produced information or events.

Etymology and form: récent comes from Latin recens, meaning “fresh, new,” and entered French through Old French and Middle French. The full paradigm of the adjective includes récent (masc. sing.), récentes (fem. pl.), récents (masc. pl.), and récente (fem. sing.). The feminine plural récentes is used specifically with feminine plural nouns.

Usage notes: Récentes is typically used to qualify nouns that are feminine and plural. It can describe information, studies, discoveries, events, publications, and other items that are newly occurred or released. For example, on a news site you might find “des informations récentes” or “plusieurs études récentes,” signaling that the items are current.

Substantive use: In standard French, récentes is primarily an adjective. It is uncommon but possible in informal speech or specific contexts for récentes to function as a short form referring to the recent things previously mentioned, though this use is less frequent and may sound elliptical.

See also: récents, récente, récent, récence.

Overall, récentes is a common, neutral descriptor in French for feminine plural nouns when indicating freshness or recency.