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Verb conjugation

acculer

to corner someone, to prevent retreat or escape

Usage

Acculer means to corner or trap someone/something with their back against a wall, literally or, more often today, figuratively — acculé à la faillite (driven to bankruptcy), acculé à démissionner (forced to resign).

Examples
  • Les chasseurs ont acculé le cerf contre la falaise.The hunters cornered the deer against the cliff.
  • L'entreprise a été acculée à la faillite.The company was driven to bankruptcy.
  • Sous les questions, il s'est senti acculé.Under the questioning, he felt cornered.
Common mistake

Learners often mix up acculer (to corner/trap) with acculturer (to acculturate) purely because of the similar first syllables — they're unrelated in meaning.

Simple tenses

Present

jeaccule
tuaccules
il/elleaccule
nousacculons
vousacculez
ils/ellesacculent

Imperfect

jeacculais
tuacculais
il/elleacculait
nousacculions
vousacculiez
ils/ellesacculaient

Past historic (passé simple)

jeacculai
tuacculas
il/elleaccula
nousacculâmes
vousacculâtes
ils/ellesacculèrent

Future

jeacculerai
tuacculeras
il/elleacculera
nousacculerons
vousacculerez
ils/ellesacculeront

Conditional

jeacculerais
tuacculerais
il/elleacculerait
nousacculerions
vousacculeriez
ils/ellesacculeraient

Subjunctive

jeaccule
tuaccules
il/elleaccule
nousacculions
vousacculiez
ils/ellesacculent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

jeacculasse
tuacculasses
il/elleacculât
nousacculassions
vousacculassiez
ils/ellesacculassent

Imperative

tuaccule
nousacculons
vousacculez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

jeai acculé
tuas acculé
il/ellea acculé
nousavons acculé
vousavez acculé
ils/ellesont acculé

Plus-que-parfait

jeavais acculé
tuavais acculé
il/elleavait acculé
nousavions acculé
vousaviez acculé
ils/ellesavaient acculé

Passé antérieur

jeeus acculé
tueus acculé
il/elleeut acculé
nouseûmes acculé
vouseûtes acculé
ils/elleseurent acculé

Futur antérieur

jeaurai acculé
tuauras acculé
il/elleaura acculé
nousaurons acculé
vousaurez acculé
ils/ellesauront acculé

Conditionnel passé

jeaurais acculé
tuaurais acculé
il/elleaurait acculé
nousaurions acculé
vousauriez acculé
ils/ellesauraient acculé

Subjonctif passé

jeaie acculé
tuaies acculé
il/elleait acculé
nousayons acculé
vousayez acculé
ils/ellesaient acculé

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

jeeusse acculé
tueusses acculé
il/elleeût acculé
nouseussions acculé
vouseussiez acculé
ils/elleseussent acculé

Impératif passé

tuaie acculé
nousayons acculé
vousayez acculé

Other

Present participle

acculant

Past participle

acculé

Infinitive

acculer

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "acculer" mean?

"acculer" means "to corner someone, to prevent retreat or escape".

How do you conjugate "acculer" in the present tense?

The present of "acculer" is: je accule, tu accules, il/elle accule, nous acculons, vous acculez, ils/elles acculent.

What is the Passé composé of "acculer"?

The passé composé of "acculer" is: je ai acculé, tu as acculé, il/elle a acculé, nous avons acculé, vous avez acculé, ils/elles ont acculé.

What is the Imperative of "acculer"?

The imperative of "acculer" is: tu accule, nous acculons, vous acculez.