Opérait

Opérait is the imperfect indicative form of the French verb opérer. It denotes an ongoing or repeated action in the past, or a background action in narrative. The verb opérer has two main senses: to perform or carry out an operation, especially surgical, and to operate or function, including metaphorical uses such as to effect changes or to run an organization.

Grammatical note: opérait is the third-person singular imperfect: j'opérais, tu opérais, il opérait, nous opérions, vous opériez, ils opéraient. The form is used with pronouns such as il, elle, or on.

Etymology: opérer derives from the Latin operari meaning to work, itself related to opus (work). The French term shares its root with the English operate and related terms like operation.

Usage: In medical contexts, opérer means to perform surgery: Le chirurgien opérait le patient depuis plusieurs heures. In non-medical contexts, it can mean to carry out or effect, as in administrative or technical operations: L’administration opérait des réformes pour améliorer l’efficacité. The form opérait is common in standard French prose and is appropriate for narrative or descriptive writing.