risquer

Risquer is a French verb meaning to expose something to the possibility of loss or harm, to take a risk, or to dare. It can be used transitively with a direct object (risquer qch) or with de + infinitive (risquer de + infinitif) to indicate that a situation or event may occur.

Risquer is a regular -er verb. In the present tense: je risqué? no, je risque; tu risques; il/elle risque; nous risquons; vous risquez; ils/elles risquent. The past participle is risqué, used with auxiliary avoir to form compounds such as j’ai risqué. The imperfect is je risquais, the future je risquerai, and the conditional je risquerais. The subjunctive present is que je risque, que tu risques, qu’il risque, que nous risquions, que vous risquiez, qu’ils risquent. The imperative forms are risquez, risquons, risquons.

In usage, risquer often conveys a voluntary exposure to danger or loss, as in risquer sa vie (to risk one’s life) or risquer de perdre quelque chose (to risk losing something). It can describe probabilities, for example il risque de pleuvoir (it may rain). Common expressions include prendre un risque, courir un risque, and risquer gros. The adjective risqué (and feminine risquée) means risky or daring, and the noun le risque denotes the risk itself.

Related terms include expositions or danger-related verbs such as exposer, mettre en danger, and the notion of hazards in risk assessment. Overall, risquer is a versatile verb used to discuss deliberate risk-taking, probabilities, and the potential for negative outcomes.