Reculer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of reculer — “to reverse” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for reculer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je recule d’un pas prudent.” — “I step back cautiously.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for reculer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of reculer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for reculer. reculer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — reculer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | recule |
| tu | recules |
| il/elle | recule |
| nous | reculons |
| vous | reculez |
| ils/elles | reculent |
The gerund of reculer is en reculant and the past participle is reculé. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of reculer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem recul- (the infinitive reculer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → recule, tu → recules, il/elle → recule, nous → reculons, vous → reculez, ils/elles → reculent. So reculer gives recule, recules, recule, reculons, reculez, reculent.
When to use the present tense of reculer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with reculer: “Je recule d’un pas prudent tous les jours.” — “I step back cautiously.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with reculer: “Tu recules d’un pas prudent en général.” — “You step back cautiously.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with reculer: “Il recule d’un pas prudent maintenant.” — “He steps back cautiously.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with reculer: “Nous reculons d’un pas prudent demain.” — “We step back cautiously.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with reculer: “Ils reculent d’un pas prudent souvent.” — “They step back cautiously.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: reculer now, reculer later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je recule d’un pas prudent tous les jours.” — “I step back cautiously.”
Future: “Je reculerai d’un pas prudent demain.” — “I will step back cautiously tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu recules d’un pas prudent maintenant.” — “You step back cautiously.”
Future: “Tu reculeras d’un pas prudent demain.” — “You will step back cautiously tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous reculons d’un pas prudent en classe.” — “We step back cautiously.”
Future: “Nous reculerons d’un pas prudent demain.” — “We will step back cautiously tomorrow.”
Example sentences: reculer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of reculer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je recule d’un pas prudent tous les jours.” — “I step back cautiously.”
- “Tu recules d’un pas prudent chaque matin.” — “You step back cautiously.”
- “Il recule d’un pas prudent souvent.” — “He steps back cautiously.”
- “Nous reculons d’un pas prudent maintenant.” — “We step back cautiously.”
- “Vous reculez d’un pas prudent en général.” — “You step back cautiously.”
- “Ils reculent d’un pas prudent le week-end.” — “They step back cautiously.”
Common mistakes with reculer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je reculer d’un pas prudent.”
Right: “Je recule d’un pas prudent.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form recule.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu recule d’un pas prudent.”
Right: “Tu recules d’un pas prudent.”
After tu you need recules, not the je form recule. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je reculerai d’un pas prudent.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je recule d’un pas prudent tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (reculerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai reculé d’un pas prudent tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je recule d’un pas prudent tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: reculer in the present tense
What is the je form of reculer in the Present indicative?
- A) recules
- B) reculons
- C) recule
- D) reculez
What is the tu form of reculer in the Present indicative?
- A) reculent
- B) reculez
- C) reculons
- D) recules
What is the il/elle form of reculer in the Present indicative?
- A) reculez
- B) reculons
- C) recule
- D) reculent
What is the nous form of reculer in the Present indicative?
- A) reculent
- B) recule
- C) recules
- D) reculons
What is the vous form of reculer in the Present indicative?
- A) reculent
- B) recule
- C) recules
- D) reculez
What is the ils/elles form of reculer in the Present indicative?
- A) recules
- B) reculent
- C) reculons
- D) recule
What is the gerund of reculer?
- A) en reculant
- B) reculé
- C) reculerai
- D) recule
What does reculer mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to go
- C) to have
- D) to reverse
Answer key
- C) recule — the je form of reculer in the present indicative is recule.
- D) recules — the tu form of reculer in the present indicative is recules.
- C) recule — the il/elle form of reculer in the present indicative is recule.
- D) reculons — the nous form of reculer in the present indicative is reculons.
- D) reculez — the vous form of reculer in the present indicative is reculez.
- B) reculent — the ils/elles form of reculer in the present indicative is reculent.
- A) en reculant — the gerund of reculer is en reculant.
- D) to reverse — reculer means “to reverse” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of reculer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is recule and the ils form is reculent.
When do I use the present tense of reculer?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (recule), while the future is for what will happen (reculerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of reculer?
On the full conjugation page for reculer, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of reculer in order, without looking: recule, recules, recule, reculons, reculez, reculent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using recule, ai reculé and reculerai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- reculer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- reculer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Avancer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Se depecher conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise reculer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise reculer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.