Opèrent

Opèrent is the third-person plural present indicative form of the French verb opérer. In English, it is commonly translated as "they operate" or "they perform," and it is used for both literal procedures and more abstract acts of carrying out or effecting something.

The verb opérer comes from Latin operare, meaning "to work" or "to perform." In French it acquired senses related to physical operations, such as surgical procedures, as well as more general meanings like to carry out a task, to bring about a change, or to operate a machine.

In everyday use, opérer covers a range of contexts. Medically, it describes surgeons performing operations, as in “Les chirurgiens opèrent demain.” In technical or organizational contexts, it can mean to carry out actions or to effect changes, for example “les autorités opèrent des mesures pour réduire les émissions.” The sense of working or functioning also appears in phrases like “opérer un choix” (to make a choice) or “opérer une transformation.”

Grammatical notes: opérer is a regular -er verb, so its present tense forms follow the standard pattern: j’opère, tu opères, il opère, nous opérons, vous opérez, ils opèrent. The form opèrent is not the passé simple, whose third-person plural form is opérèrent. The past participle is opéré, used with auxiliary avoir in compound tenses.

See also: opérer, opération, opérateur, opératoire.