gérer

Gérer is a French verb meaning to manage, administer, or handle. It is used transitively with a direct object, as in gérer une entreprise (to manage a company) or gérer un budget (to manage a budget). It can also convey dealing with or coping with a situation, for example gérer une crise or gérer ses émotions.

Etymology traces it to Old French gèrer, from Latin gerere, meaning to bear or carry. The sense broadened from carrying out duties or affairs to administering them in a practical sense. The noun form la gestion refers to management or administration, and related terms include le gérant (the manager) and la gérante, the feminine form.

Conjugation and forms: gèrer is a regular -er verb with standard endings in most tenses, though the present tense shows a grave accent in some forms: je gère, tu gères, il gère, nous gérons, vous gérez, ils gèrent. The past participle is géré, used with the auxiliary avoir: j’ai géré. Common moods include the imperfect je gérais, the future je gérerai, and the subjunctive que je gère, que tu gères, qu’il gère, que nous gérions, que vous gériez, qu’ils gèrent. The imperative forms are gère, gérons, gérez.

Usage notes: gérer emphasizes practical handling of resources, time, or people, and is often preferred in business, administration, or everyday problem-solving contexts. It is distinct from synonyms like diriger (to direct) or administrer (to administer) in that it highlights the ongoing management and balance of tasks and constraints.