préalable
French, noun/pʁe.a.labl/
préalable is spelled P-R-É-A-L-A-B-L-E (9 letters) and appears 14 times per million words in written French, the 5,230th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Préalable is a French masculine noun meaning “preliminary condition, prerequisite” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Prérequis, condition ou ensemble de conditions préliminaires à une action ou à des négociations, avant de…”.
What does préalable mean in English?
adjective
- 1
previous, prior; preliminary
noun
- 1
masculinepreliminary condition, prerequisite
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. Qui doit être dit, être fait ou être examiné avant toutes choses.
noun: 1. Prérequis, condition ou ensemble de conditions préliminaires à une action ou à des négociations, avant de conclure un traité, etc.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of préalable
- préalables plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce préalable?
- /pʁe.a.labl/
- \pʁe.a.labl\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to préalable
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is préalable in French?
préalable appears 14 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).