mélanger

Mélanger is a French verb meaning to mix, blend, or mingle substances, colors, ingredients, or ideas. It can refer to physical actions such as combining components in cooking or chemistry, as well as to more abstract processes like mixing opinions or cultures. The verb is transitive, requiring a direct object in most uses, and it can also be used reflexively with se mélanger to indicate that things or people become mixed or confused.

Etymology and form: Mélanger comes from the verb mêler, which itself derives from Latin miscēre, “to mix.” The modern infinitive Mélanger is formed with the characteristic -ger ending that preserves the soft [ʒ] sound before a and e in the stem.

Conjugation and usage: In the present tense, the forms are je mélange, tu mélanges, il mélange, nous mélangeons, vous mélangez, ils mélangent. The past tense is formed with avoir: j’ai mélangé. The subjunctive present is que je mélange, and the imperative forms are mélange, mélangeons, mélangez. Common collocations include mélanger qc avec qc (to mix something with something), bien mélanger (to mix well), and mélanges homogènes or mélanges hétérogènes for homogeneous or heterogeneous mixtures.

Senses and examples: Physically, mélanger describes combining ingredients, powders, liquids, or colors, as in mélanger la farine et le sucre or mélanger les peintures pour obtenir une teinte uniforme. Figuratively, it can mean to confuse or jumble ideas or statements, as in mélanger les faits, or to mingle people in a crowd: les invités se mélangent.

See also: Mélange (the resulting mixture or concept), mélangeur (device or person that mixes), and related terms for mixing in chemistry, cooking, and art.