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A2 verb #4,500 most common 9 min read

reculer

Top 4,500

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips reculer in 30 Seconds

Explanation reculer in your Level:

At the A1 level, learners should focus on the most basic physical meaning of 'reculer': to move backward. Imagine you are walking and someone says 'Recule !' because you are about to step on something. It is a simple command. You will mostly use it in the present tense (je recule, tu recules) or the imperative. At this stage, do not worry about metaphorical meanings. Just remember it as the opposite of 'avancer' (to move forward). You might also hear it when someone is helping you park a car, though as an A1 learner, you might just need to recognize the sound of the word to know you need to move back. It is a regular -er verb, which makes it one of the easier verbs to conjugate. Focus on the physical space: moving your body or a chair backward. Avoid using it for 'returning' to a place, which is a common mistake for beginners. Always remember: 'reculer' is about the direction of the movement, not the destination.

At the A2 level, you begin to use 'reculer' in more varied contexts, specifically regarding driving and scheduling. You should be able to use it in the passé composé ('J'ai reculé') to describe something that happened in the past. You will learn that it takes 'avoir' as an auxiliary, despite being a verb of movement. At this level, you can use it transitively to move objects ('Peux-tu reculer ta chaise ?') or to talk about simple time changes ('On doit reculer l'heure'). You will also encounter the noun 'le recul' in simple phrases, though the verb remains your primary focus. You should be comfortable using 'reculer' with prepositions like 'pour' ('reculer pour voir') or 'de' ('reculer de deux mètres'). This level is about expanding from simple commands to describing actions in your daily life, such as parking a car or adjusting your position in a room.

By B1, you should understand the figurative uses of 'reculer'. This includes the idea of a government 'reculant' on a policy or an individual 'reculant devant un obstacle' (shrinking back from an obstacle). You will start to see this word in news articles and more complex conversations. You should also learn the famous idiom 'reculer pour mieux sauter', which means taking a step back to better prepare for a forward leap. At this level, your grammar should be precise enough to distinguish between 'reculer' and 'se retirer'. You should also be familiar with the adverbial phrase 'à reculons', which means doing something backward or reluctantly. You will use 'reculer' to discuss social issues, such as 'faire reculer la pauvreté' (reducing poverty). Your ability to use the verb in different tenses, including the future and the conditional, will allow you to discuss plans and hypothetical situations involving delays or retreats.

At the B2 level, 'reculer' becomes a tool for nuanced discussion. you will use it to describe trends, such as 'le recul du chômage' (the decline of unemployment) or 'les glaciers qui reculent' (retreating glaciers due to climate change). You should understand the difference between 'reculer' and more formal synonyms like 'ajourner' or 'différer' in professional settings. You will be expected to use 'reculer' in complex sentence structures, such as 'Bien qu'il ait reculé, il n'a pas abandonné' (Although he backed down, he didn't give up). You will also explore the philosophical side of 'le recul'—the necessity of having distance or perspective before making a decision. Your vocabulary will include related terms like 'une reculade' (a humiliating retreat or climbdown), often used in political commentary. You can now use the verb to participate in debates about progress and tradition, discussing whether society is 'avançant' or 'reculant'.

At the C1 level, your use of 'reculer' should be sophisticated and contextually precise. You will encounter the verb in high-level literature and academic texts, where it might describe the 'recul des frontières de la connaissance' (pushing back the boundaries of knowledge). You should be able to appreciate the subtle difference between 'reculer' and 'décliner' or 'régresser' in socio-economic analyses. You will use the noun 'recul' with ease to discuss critical thinking ('prendre du recul'). In writing, you might use 'reculer' to describe the movement of time or memory in a narrative. You should be able to handle the verb in the subjonctif and other advanced moods without hesitation. You will also understand its use in specific technical fields, such as photography (the 'recul' needed for a wide shot) or mechanics. At this level, 'reculer' is no longer just a verb of movement but a way to describe complex shifts in thought, policy, and history.

At the C2 level, you have a complete mastery of 'reculer' and its entire word family. You can use it to express the most delicate nuances of hesitation, concession, or spatial displacement. You are familiar with rare or archaic uses of the verb in classical French literature. You can discuss the etymological roots (from the Latin 'reculare') and how the word has evolved over centuries. You use 'reculer' in professional rhetoric to describe strategic maneuvers, both physical and metaphorical. You can effortlessly switch between 'reculer', 'se replier', 'abdiquer', and 'se dédire' depending on the exact shade of meaning required. You understand the cultural weight of the word in French history, from military retreats to the 'recul' of the French language in certain global contexts. Your command of the word allows you to use it with irony, metaphor, and poetic flair, making it a seamless part of your near-native or native-level fluency.

Practice it Examples Notes & Tips

reculer in 30 Seconds

Reculer means to move backward physically, like reversing a car or stepping away from something.
It also means to postpone or delay an event, such as moving a meeting to a later time.
Figuratively, it describes backing down from a challenge or a government withdrawing a proposed law.
It is a regular -er verb and uses 'avoir' in the past tense, even when describing movement.

The French verb reculer is a versatile and essential term that primarily describes the physical or metaphorical act of moving backward. At its core, it is the opposite of avancer (to move forward). While English speakers might use different verbs like 'retreat,' 'reverse,' 'postpone,' or 'shrink back' depending on the situation, French often consolidates these ideas into reculer. Understanding this word is crucial for navigating physical spaces, such as driving a car or walking in a crowded area, as well as for discussing abstract concepts like time management and personal resolve.

Physical Movement: In a literal sense, reculer is used when a person, animal, or object moves toward the rear. For example, if you are standing too close to a fire, someone might tell you to reculer. In the context of driving, it refers to putting the car in reverse to back out of a parking spot.

Attention, tu vas percuter le mur si tu continues de reculer sans regarder.

Temporal Displacement: When applied to time, reculer means to delay or postpone an event. If a meeting was scheduled for 2:00 PM but is moved to 4:00 PM, you are reculant l'heure de la réunion. This is also the term used for 'falling back' during daylight savings time changes.

Nous avons décidé de reculer la date du mariage à l'année prochaine.

Figurative Retreat: Metaphorically, the verb describes a loss of ground or a concession. In politics, a government might reculer on a specific reform due to public pressure. It also describes the act of hesitating or shrinking away from a challenge, often used with the preposition devant.

Il ne faut jamais reculer devant l'adversité si l'on veut réussir.

In everyday conversation, you will hear reculer used by drivers, athletes (especially in combat sports like boxing or fencing), and people discussing schedules. It implies a conscious or forced movement away from a current position, whether that position is physical, temporal, or ideological. Its usage is quite frequent across all levels of French society, from informal street talk about parking to high-level political debates about social progress.

Using reculer correctly requires an understanding of its grammatical flexibility. As a regular -er verb, its conjugation is straightforward, but its syntactic behavior changes depending on whether it is used transitively or intransitively. When used without a direct object, it describes the subject moving backward. When used with a direct object, it describes the subject moving something else backward.

Intransitive Usage (No Object): This is the most common form. The subject performs the action of moving back. Example: 'Le chien recule quand il a peur.' (The dog backs up when it is afraid). In the passé composé, it almost always takes avoir as the auxiliary verb, which can be surprising for English speakers who expect movement verbs to take être.

J'ai reculé de trois pas pour mieux voir le tableau.

Transitive Usage (With Object): When you move an object or a date, reculer takes a direct object. 'Reculer la chaise' (to move the chair back) or 'reculer le départ' (to postpone the departure). This usage is very common in professional and logistical contexts.

Peux-tu reculer ton siège ? Je n'ai pas assez de place pour mes jambes.

The Preposition 'Devant': To express 'shrinking back' or 'hesitating' in the face of something, use the preposition devant. This is often used in literary or formal contexts to describe courage or the lack thereof. 'Il ne recule devant rien' means 'He stops at nothing' or 'He is undeterred by anything.'

Elle n'a pas reculé devant les difficultés du projet.

Additionally, pay attention to the difference between reculer and se retirer. While reculer is the physical act of moving back, se retirer often implies a more formal withdrawal, like a soldier leaving a battlefield or a candidate leaving a race. However, in casual conversation, reculer is the go-to verb for any backward motion.

The word reculer is omnipresent in French life, appearing in various domains from the mundane to the highly specialized. If you spend time in France, you will encounter it in several distinct environments, each providing a different nuance to the word's meaning.

In the Driver's Seat: Perhaps the most common place to hear this word is in a car. Whether it's a driving instructor telling a student to 'reculer doucement' (reverse slowly) or a friend helping you park by shouting 'Recule ! Recule !' (Back up! Back up!), the word is synonymous with the reverse gear. Parking sensors in modern French cars are often associated with the 'radar de recul'.

Tu dois reculer encore un peu pour laisser de la place devant.

In Politics and News: Journalists frequently use reculer to describe shifts in power or policy. You might hear 'Le gouvernement a reculé sur la question des retraites' (The government backed down on the pension issue). It is also used to describe statistical declines: 'Le chômage a reculé ce mois-ci' (Unemployment decreased/fell back this month).

Les manifestants ont forcé la police à reculer jusqu'à la place principale.

In Sports and Physical Education: During a gym class or a sports match, coaches will use reculer to manage the positioning of players. In football (soccer), a defender might be told to 'reculer' to maintain the defensive line. In fencing, 'rompre' is the technical term for stepping back, but 'reculer' is the common term used by beginners and spectators.

Finally, in history classes, you'll hear it regarding military maneuvers. While 'battre en retraite' is the specific military term for a retreat, reculer is used to describe the physical movement of troops losing territory. This breadth of usage makes it a high-frequency verb that bridges the gap between technical jargon and everyday speech.

Even intermediate learners often stumble when using reculer, primarily due to interference from English or confusion with similar-sounding French verbs. Avoiding these pitfalls will make your French sound significantly more natural and precise.

Mistake 1: Confusing 'Reculer' and 'Retourner': English speakers often say 'go back' for both moving backward and returning to a place. In French, reculer ONLY means to move backward physically or metaphorically. If you want to say 'I am going back to Paris,' you must use retourner or revenir. Saying 'Je recule à Paris' would imply you are driving all the way to Paris in reverse gear!

Incorrect: Je dois reculer à la maison pour chercher mes clés. (I must reverse to the house...)
Correct: Je dois retourner à la maison.

Mistake 2: The Auxiliary Verb in Passé Composé: Many learners assume that because reculer is a verb of movement, it should take être in the past tense. This is incorrect. Reculer always takes avoir. Say 'J'ai reculé' and not 'Je suis reculé' (the latter would mean 'I am moved back' in a passive, often awkward sense).

Mistake 3: Misusing 'Reculer' for 'Décaler': When talking about moving a meeting or an appointment, reculer specifically means making it later. If you just mean 'shift' (either earlier or later), the better word is décaler. If you want to move something earlier, use avancer. Using reculer to mean 'move the time' generally can lead to scheduling confusion.

Si tu veux que la réunion commence plus tôt, tu dois l'avancer, pas la reculer.

Finally, be careful with the phrase 'à reculons'. It is an adverbial phrase meaning 'backwards' or 'reluctantly'. Beginners sometimes try to use 'reculer' as an adverb, but 'marcher à reculons' is the correct way to say 'to walk backwards'.

To truly master reculer, it helps to understand its neighbors in the French lexicon. Several words share semantic space but carry different connotations or are used in different registers.

Reculer vs. Se Retirer: Reculer is primarily about the direction of movement (backward). Se retirer is about the act of leaving or withdrawing from a space or a situation. You reculer from a flame because it's hot, but you se retirer from a room to have a private conversation.

Reculer vs. Battre en retraite: Battre en retraite is a fixed military idiom. While reculer can describe soldiers moving back, battre en retraite implies an organized strategic withdrawal. In a metaphorical sense, battre en retraite sounds more dramatic and final than reculer.

L'armée a dû battre en retraite après la perte de la colline.

Reculer vs. Différer / Ajourner: When talking about moving a date, reculer is common in daily speech. However, in formal or administrative French, différer or ajourner are preferred. Ajourner often implies a postponement to an indefinite future time, whereas reculer usually implies just shifting the time back.

Céder: While reculer describes the movement, céder describes the psychological act of giving in. If a negotiator recule, they are changing their position; if they cède, they are granting the other side's wish.

In summary, choose reculer for physical reverse movement or simple scheduling delays. Use its alternatives when you want to emphasize the formality of a withdrawal, the strategic nature of a retreat, or the psychological aspect of yielding to pressure.

How Formal Is It?

Formal

Neutral

Informal

Child friendly

Slang

Fun Fact

The word is etymologically related to the English word 'recoil', which also describes a backward movement (often from a gun).

Pronunciation Guide

UK /ʁə.ky.le/

US /ʁə.ky.le/

The stress is on the final syllable 'le'.

Rhymes With

parler manger aller donner penser aimer trouver regarder

Common Errors

Pronouncing 'u' like 'ou' (boot).
Pronouncing the final 'r' (it should be silent).
Making the first 'e' too strong (it should be very short).
Using an English 'r' instead of the French uvular 'r'.
Failing to distinguish 'reculer' from 'reculé' (though they sound the same, their grammar differs).

Difficulty Rating

Reading 2/5

Easy to recognize in texts due to its regular -er ending.

Writing 3/5

Requires knowledge of the 'avoir' auxiliary in the past tense.

Speaking 3/5

The French 'u' sound can be tricky for English speakers.

Listening 2/5

Distinct sound, usually clear in spoken context.

What to Learn Next

Prerequisites

avancer derrière marcher voiture heure

Learn Next

décaler différer ajourner se retirer rétrograder

Advanced

la reculade le reculon refluer se dédire abdiquer

Grammar to Know

Regular -er verb conjugation

Je recule, tu recules, il recule...

Auxiliary verb 'avoir' for movement

J'ai reculé (not Je suis reculé).

Transitive vs Intransitive verbs

Je recule (Intransitive) vs Je recule la chaise (Transitive).

Preposition 'devant' for figurative use

Reculer devant le danger.

Causative with 'faire'

Faire reculer la foule.

Examples by Level

Je recule la chaise.

I move the chair back.

Subject + verb + direct object.

Tu dois reculer.

You must move back.

Modal verb 'devoir' + infinitive.

Le chat recule.

The cat moves backward.

Intransitive usage in the present tense.

Reculez, s'il vous plaît !

Move back, please!

Imperative form for 'vous'.

Elle ne veut pas reculer.

She does not want to move back.

Negation with 'ne... pas'.

Nous reculons d'un pas.

We take a step back.

Present tense, 'nous' form.

Il recule la voiture.

He is reversing the car.

Transitive usage with a vehicle.

Pourquoi recules-tu ?

Why are you moving back?

Interrogative with inversion.

J'ai reculé pour mieux voir.

I moved back to see better.

Passé composé with 'avoir'.

Il a reculé son rendez-vous.

He postponed his appointment.

Transitive use meaning 'to postpone'.

Vous avez reculé dans le garage.

You backed into the garage.

Passé composé with a prepositional phrase.

Nous allons reculer la date.

We are going to move the date back.

Futur proche (aller + infinitive).

Elle a reculé devant le chien.

She stepped back from the dog.

Reculer + devant (physical).

Peux-tu reculer un peu ?

Can you move back a bit?

Usage of 'un peu' as an adverbial phrase.

Il recule toujours sa voiture ici.

He always reverses his car here.

Present tense with frequency adverb 'toujours'.

On doit reculer les montres ce soir.

We have to set the watches back tonight.

Context of daylight savings.

Le gouvernement a décidé de reculer.

The government decided to back down.

Figurative use in a political context.

Il ne faut pas reculer devant le danger.

One must not shrink from danger.

Impersonal 'il faut' + negation.

Elle marche souvent à reculons.

She often walks backwards.

Fixed phrase 'à reculons'.

Il a reculé pour mieux sauter.

He took a step back to leap further.

Classic French idiom.

La mer recule à marée basse.

The sea recedes at low tide.

Natural phenomenon context.

Nous avons fait reculer la pauvreté.

We have reduced poverty.

Causative 'faire reculer'.

Tu ne devrais pas reculer maintenant.

You shouldn't back out now.

Conditional mood for advice.

Le recul des glaciers m'inquiète.

The retreat of the glaciers worries me.

Noun form 'le recul'.

Le projet a reculé de plusieurs mois.

The project was delayed by several months.

Reculer + de [duration].

Il a reculé devant ses responsabilités.

He shirked his responsibilities.

Figurative 'reculer devant'.

La police a fait reculer la foule.

The police pushed back the crowd.

Causative construction.

Prendre du recul est nécessaire ici.

Taking some perspective is necessary here.

Idiomatic noun use 'prendre du recul'.

Ses cheveux commencent à reculer.

His hairline is starting to recede.

Idiomatic physical description.

L'ennemi recule sur tous les fronts.

The enemy is retreating on all fronts.

Military context.

On ne peut plus reculer l'échéance.

We can no longer delay the deadline.

Transitive use with 'échéance'.

Il a reculé d'un ton face à elle.

He lowered his tone/backed down a bit in front of her.

Metaphorical use regarding attitude.

Il recule les limites de la science.

He is pushing back the boundaries of science.

Abstract transitive use.

Sans reculer d'un iota, elle a persisté.

Without backing down an inch, she persisted.

Idiom 'ne pas reculer d'un iota'.

Le recul du français est un débat vif.

The decline of French is a heated debate.

Noun use in sociolinguistics.

L'entreprise a dû reculer ses ambitions.

The company had to scale back its ambitions.

Metaphorical transitive use.

Il a agi sans aucun recul critique.

He acted without any critical perspective.

Noun use in intellectual context.

Le temps semble reculer dans ce village.

Time seems to go backward in this village.

Poetic/literary use.

Elle a reculé par crainte des représailles.

She backed down for fear of retaliation.

Expressing cause with 'par'.

Le mur a été reculé pour agrandir la pièce.

The wall was moved back to enlarge the room.

Passive voice construction.

C'est une véritable reculade politique.

It is a true political climbdown.

Use of the pejorative noun 'reculade'.

L'histoire ne saurait reculer indéfiniment.

History cannot regress indefinitely.

Philosophical use of the verb.

Il recule devant l'abîme de sa propre âme.

He recoils before the abyss of his own soul.

Literary/Existential use.

Le recul de la banquise est irréversible.

The retreat of the ice pack is irreversible.

Scientific/Environmental context.

Il a fallu reculer le front de quelques lieues.

The front had to be moved back a few leagues.

Archaic measurement 'lieues'.

Elle ne recule devant aucun sacrifice.

She stops at no sacrifice.

Strong idiomatic expression of resolve.

Le recul temporel permet une analyse fine.

Temporal distance allows for a fine analysis.

Academic noun phrase.

Il recula, saisi d'une horreur indicible.

He drew back, seized by an unspeakable horror.

Passé simple (literary tense).

Common Collocations

reculer d'un pas

reculer l'échéance

faire reculer la maladie

radar de recul

marche arrière (reculer en)

reculer devant rien

reculer la date

reculer les frontières

un pas en arrière (reculer d'un)

reculer face à l'ennemi

Common Phrases

Recule !

— Back up! A common command used in danger or parking.

Recule ! La voiture arrive !

Faire machine arrière

— To backtrack or change one's mind about a decision.

Le maire a fait machine arrière sur le projet.

Prendre du recul

— To take a step back to gain perspective.

J'ai besoin de prendre du recul sur cette affaire.

À reculons

— Doing something backwards or with great reluctance.

Il y va à reculons.

Pas de recul possible

— No way to turn back; the point of no return.

Maintenant, il n'y a plus de recul possible.

L'heure de recul

— The hour we gain when clocks go back.

J'adore l'heure de recul en automne.

Reculer pour de bon

— To retreat permanently.

Ils ont reculé pour de bon cette fois.

Un bond en arrière

— A leap backward (metaphorical regression).

C'est un bond en arrière pour les droits civiques.

Reculer ses limites

— To push one's own limits further.

L'athlète cherche à reculer ses limites.

Sans reculer

— Without flinching or yielding.

Il a répondu sans reculer.

Often Confused With

reculer vs retourner

Returning to a location vs moving backward.

reculer vs reculer

Moving backward vs 'reculer' (to recoil, same word but different context).

reculer vs décaler

Shifting a schedule vs specifically moving it later.

Idioms & Expressions

"Reculer pour mieux sauter"

— To delay something to be better prepared for success later.

Il a quitté son job, c'est pour reculer pour mieux sauter.

common

"Ne reculer devant rien"

— To be willing to do anything, even something unethical or dangerous.

Elle ne recule devant rien pour obtenir ce poste.

common

"Faire reculer les murs"

— To expand a space or make something seem larger.

Les miroirs font reculer les murs dans ce petit salon.

literary

"Reculer d'un iota"

— To not budge or change one's mind even slightly.

Il refuse de reculer d'un iota sur le prix.

formal

"Reculer comme un écrevisse"

— To move backward like a crawfish (to retreat awkwardly).

Il recule comme un écrevisse dès qu'on lui pose une question.

informal

"Avoir du recul"

— To have perspective or hindsight.

Avec le recul, je pense que j'avais tort.

neutral

"Reculer l'heure"

— To turn back the clock (daylight savings).

N'oublie pas de reculer l'heure ce soir !

neutral

"Reculer devant l'obstacle"

— To lose heart or give up when things get hard.

Il ne faut pas reculer devant l'obstacle.

common

"Battre en retraite"

— To admit defeat and withdraw.

Face à ses arguments, j'ai dû battre en retraite.

neutral

"Un mouvement de recul"

— A sudden flinch or backward movement due to surprise/fear.

Elle a eu un mouvement de recul en voyant l'araignée.

neutral

Easily Confused

reculer vs revenir

Both translate as 'go back' in English.

'Revenir' means to come back to where the speaker is; 'reculer' is physical backward movement.

Reviens ici ! (Come back here!) vs Recule ! (Step back!)

reculer vs retirer

Both involve moving away.

'Retirer' is to take something away or to withdraw; 'reculer' is the direction of movement.

Il retire son chapeau vs Il recule d'un pas.

reculer vs rentrer

Both translate as 'go back' (to go back home).

'Rentrer' is specific to going back inside or home.

Je rentre chez moi vs Je recule ma voiture.

reculer vs avancer

Opposites often get swapped in early learning.

Avancer is forward; Reculer is backward.

Avance la voiture ! vs Recule la voiture !

reculer vs repousser

Both mean to delay.

'Repousser' is more common for pushing back a deadline or an enemy physically.

Il a repoussé l'offre vs Il a reculé la date.

Sentence Patterns

Je recule.

J'ai reculé [object].

J'ai reculé la table.

Il ne faut pas reculer devant [noun].

Il ne faut pas reculer devant l'effort.

Prendre du recul sur [noun].

Il faut prendre du recul sur cette décision.

Faire reculer [abstract noun].

Nous devons faire reculer l'ignorance.

Sans reculer d'un iota.

Elle n'a pas reculé d'un iota.

Reculer pour mieux sauter.

C'est une stratégie pour reculer pour mieux sauter.

Reculez de [distance].

Reculez de deux mètres.

Word Family

Nouns

le recul The act of moving back, perspective, or recoil of a gun.

une reculade A sudden and often cowardly retreat or change of mind.

Verbs

reculer To move backward.

Adjectives

reculé Remote, distant (in space or time).

How to Use It

frequency

Very common in daily life, especially regarding driving and scheduling.

Common Mistakes

Je suis reculé. → J'ai reculé.
Reculer takes the 'avoir' auxiliary in compound tenses.
Je recule à la France. → Je retourne en France.
'Reculer' is for backward motion, not returning to a place.
Reculer l'heure (meaning to move it earlier). → Avancer l'heure.
'Reculer' always means moving to a later time or further back.
Il a reculé de le chien. → Il a reculé devant le chien.
Use 'devant' to express moving away from something in fear or avoidance.
Marcher reculer. → Marcher à reculons.
Use the adverbial phrase 'à reculons' for the manner of walking.

Tips

Watch the Auxiliary

Always use 'avoir' in the passé composé. Saying 'Je suis reculé' is a common but major error.

Opposites Attract

Learn 'avancer' and 'reculer' together. They are the north and south poles of movement in French.

Daylight Savings

In the fall, remember the phrase 'On recule l'heure' to sound like a local.

Leap Further

Use 'reculer pour mieux sauter' when explaining why you are taking a break or a lower-level job.

The Tight U

Make sure your 'u' sound in 'reculer' is sharp and distinct from 'ou'.

Noun usage

Use 'le recul' in your essays to show you have 'perspective' on a topic.

Parking

If someone is helping you park, they will likely just shout 'Recule !' repeatedly.

Physical vs Time

Remember it works for both space and time. You can recule a chair and recule a meeting.

Formal Contexts

In a formal report, prefer 'ajourner' for meetings, but 'reculer' is fine for conversation.

Courage

Use 'ne recule devant rien' to describe a hero or a very ambitious person.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 're-culer' as 're-back'. The root 'cul' means 'backside'. So you are 're-backing' yourself away.

Visual Association

Imagine a car's reverse gear marked with a giant 'R' for Reculer.

Word Web

avancer voiture retraite perspective distance retard peur mouvement

Challenge

Try to use 'reculer' in three different ways today: once for a physical movement, once for a time delay, and once for a figurative retreat.

Word Origin

Derived from the Old French 'reculer', which comes from the word 'cul' (backside/buttock), from the Latin 'culus'.

Original meaning: Literally 'to go back on one's backside' or 'to push back the rear'.

Romance (Latin)

Cultural Context

Be aware that the root 'cul' is a vulgar word for 'ass' in French, though 'reculer' itself is perfectly polite and formal.

English speakers use 'back up' for cars, but 'reculer' is the only word for this in French. Don't say 'backer up'.

The idiom 'Reculer pour mieux sauter' is attributed to various French writers including Montaigne. The movie 'Le Recul' (The Recoil) is a common title for thrillers. Political slogans often use 'On ne reculera pas' (We will not back down).

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

Driving

Enclencher la marche arrière
Regarder dans le rétro
Reculer dans une place
Radar de recul

Scheduling

Reculer la date
Reculer l'heure
Repousser un rendez-vous
Ajourner la séance

Argument/Conflict

Reculer devant l'adversaire
Ne pas reculer d'un pouce
Faire une reculade
Céder du terrain

Physical space

Reculer d'un pas
Reculer la chaise
Pousser les murs
Faire de la place

Nature

La mer qui recule
Le recul des glaciers
La forêt qui recule
L'érosion

Conversation Starters

"Est-ce que tu as déjà dû reculer devant un grand défi ?"

"Préfères-tu avancer ou reculer l'heure en automne ?"

"Est-il facile de reculer avec ta voiture ?"

"Quand as-tu pris du recul pour la dernière fois sur ta vie ?"

"Pourquoi le gouvernement a-t-il reculé sur cette loi ?"

Journal Prompts

Décrivez une situation où vous avez dû reculer pour mieux sauter.

Est-ce qu'il y a une date que vous aimeriez reculer dans votre calendrier ?

Parlez d'un moment où vous avez reculé devant une peur.

Pourquoi est-il important de prendre du recul dans une dispute ?

Imaginez un monde où le temps commence à reculer.

Frequently Asked Questions

10 questions

It uses 'avoir'. Even though it is a verb of movement, it is not one of the 'house of être' verbs. Example: 'J'ai reculé'.

No, you should use 'retourner'. 'Reculer' only means moving backward physically or delaying a date.

'Reculer' specifically means moving something later in time. 'Décaler' means to shift the time, which could be earlier or later.

Yes, it is a standard verb. However, its root 'cul' is vulgar, but the verb 'reculer' itself is not offensive at all.

It is 'la marche arrière'. You use the verb 'reculer' to describe the action of using that gear.

It means to take a step back metaphorically to gain a better perspective on a situation.

Only in the sense of 'shrinking back' from something (reculer devant quelque chose), not in size.

Yes, it's very common to describe doing something with reluctance or literally walking backwards.

It is the parking sensor on a car that beeps as you get closer to an object while reversing.

Je recule, tu recules, il recule, nous reculons, vous reculez, ils reculent.