répondu

Répondu is the past participle of the French verb répondre, meaning to answer or to respond. It is used to form compound tenses with the auxiliary avoir, as in j'ai répondu (I answered) or tu as répondu à la question (you answered the question). The form is also found in tenses such as j'avais répondu or ils auront répondu.

Etymology traces répondu to the verb répondre, which comes from Latin respondere, itself built from re- plus spondere, meaning to promise or to answer. The word entered Old French and evolved into modern French as répondre, with répondu as its past participle.

Usage and grammar notes: répondu conveys that an answer has been given, whether to a question, a request, a message, or a comment. In everyday French, a person may say: J'ai répondu à votre message. Elle a rapidement répondu à toutes les questions. When used in compound tenses with être, as in pronominal forms, the participle may agree in gender and number with the subject (for example, ils se sont répondus / elles se sont répondues), though this agreement behavior mirrors the general rules for participles with être.

In comparative terms, répliquer or répondre are related verbs, but répliquer carries a harsher nuance of retort, while répondre is neutral and widely used in both spoken and written French. Similar words exist in other Romance languages, such as respondió in Spanish and rispose in Italian.

Répondu remains a common and versatile form in French verb conjugation, essential for expressing past actions of answering, replying, or responding.