opéraient

Opéraient is a French verb form, the imperfect indicative (imparfait) of the verb opérer. Opérer means to operate, to perform, or to function, and can also refer to undergoing surgery or carrying out actions, especially in a mechanical, institutional, or procedural sense. The infinitive opérer comes from Latin operare, through Old French.

Morphology and conjugation: opérer is a regular -er verb. In the imperfect, the stem is opér- and the endings are those of the imperfect: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Therefore, for ils/elles the form is opéraient. For reference, other imperfect forms include j’opérais, tu opérais, il opérait, nous opérions, vous opériez.

Usage: opéraient is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or backgrounded in narrative. In medical contexts, it can denote ongoing surgical procedures in the past, while in mechanical or procedural contexts it can describe devices or systems that were functioning over a period. Examples include: “Ils opéraient sur plusieurs patients” (they were operating on several patients) and “Les machines opéraient sans interruption” (the machines were operating without interruption).

Related forms: opérer yields the noun opération (operation) and the agent noun opérateur (operator). The present participle opérant exists as well, used in some contexts to mean “operating,” and the adjective opératoire relates to operations or surgery.

Notes: opéraient, like other imparfait forms, is common in literary or historical writing and in narrations describing ongoing past activity. In contemporary speech, it is still standard but often replaced by other tenses when appropriate.