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Definition 2024
ménager
ménager
See also: menager
French
Adjective
ménager m (feminine singular ménagère, masculine plural ménagers, feminine plural ménagères)
Noun
ménager m (plural ménagers, feminine ménagère)
Synonyms
Verb
ménager
- to husband, to conserve
- to treat gently, treat nicely
- to conserve, go easy on
- (reflexive) to go easy, take it easy
Conjugation
This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written ménage- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a “soft” /ʒ/ and not a “hard” /ɡ/). This spelling-change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and manger.
Conjugation of ménager (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | ménager | avoir ménagé | |||||
| gerund | en ménageant | en ayant ménagé | |||||
| present participle | ménageant /me.na.ʒɑ̃/ |
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| past participle | ménagé /me.na.ʒe/ |
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| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | ménage /me.naʒ/ |
ménages /me.naʒ/ |
ménage /me.naʒ/ |
ménageons /me.na.ʒɔ̃/ |
ménagez /me.na.ʒe/ |
ménagent /me.naʒ/ |
| imperfect | ménageais /me.na.ʒɛ/ |
ménageais /me.na.ʒɛ/ |
ménageait /me.na.ʒɛ/ |
ménagions /me.na.ʒjɔ̃/ |
ménagiez /me.na.ʒje/ |
ménageaient /me.na.ʒɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | ménageai /me.na.ʒe/ |
ménageas /me.na.ʒa/ |
ménagea /me.na.ʒa/ |
ménageâmes /me.na.ʒam/ |
ménageâtes /me.na.ʒat/ |
ménagèrent /me.na.ʒɛʁ/ |
|
| future | ménagerai /me.naʒ.ʁe/ |
ménageras /me.naʒ.ʁa/ |
ménagera /me.naʒ.ʁa/ |
ménagerons /me.naʒ.ʁɔ̃/ |
ménagerez /me.naʒ.ʁe/ |
ménageront /me.naʒ.ʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | ménagerais /me.naʒ.ʁɛ/ |
ménagerais /me.naʒ.ʁɛ/ |
ménagerait /me.naʒ.ʁɛ/ |
ménagerions /me.na.ʒə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
ménageriez /me.na.ʒə.ʁje/ |
ménageraient /me.naʒ.ʁɛ/ |
|
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior1 | Use the past historic tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il | que nous | que vous | qu’ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | ménage /me.naʒ/ |
ménages /me.naʒ/ |
ménage /me.naʒ/ |
ménagions /me.na.ʒjɔ̃/ |
ménagiez /me.na.ʒje/ |
ménagent /me.naʒ/ |
| imperfect1 |
ménageasse /me.na.ʒas/ |
ménageasses /me.na.ʒas/ |
ménageât /me.na.ʒa/ |
ménageassions /me.na.ʒa.sjɔ̃/ |
ménageassiez /me.na.ʒa.sje/ |
ménageassent /me.na.ʒas/ |
|
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect1 | Use the imperfect subjunctive tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nous | vous | – | |
| — | ménage /me.naʒ/ |
— | ménageons /me.na.ʒɔ̃/ |
ménagez /me.na.ʒe/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||