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recaler

to fail (an exam)

verb reh-kah-LEH Rare

Also means

to wedge back in place

Usage Note

Recaler in its most common sense means to fail a student in an exam — the passive être recalé(e) is very frequent: elle a été recalée au bac (she failed her baccalauréat). The literal, less common sense is to re-wedge or re-block something. The noun recalage refers to the act of failing someone.

Examples

"Il a été recalé à son examen de conduite."

Natural Translation

He failed his driving test.

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