operar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin operāre. Doublet of obrar, which was inherited.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [u.pəˈɾa]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [o.pəˈɾa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [o.peˈɾaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

operar (first-person singular present opero, first-person singular preterite operí, past participle operat); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /e/

1. to produce, to achieve
2. to operate (to perform surgery)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of operar (first conjugation)

infinitive			operar
gerund			operant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		operat		operada
		plural		operats		operades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	opero	operes	opera	operem	opereu	operen
	imperfect	operava	operaves	operava	operàvem	operàveu	operaven
	future	operaré	operaràs	operarà	operarem	operareu	operaran
	preterite	operí	operares	operà	operàrem	operàreu	operaren
	conditional	operaria	operaries	operaria	operaríem	operaríeu	operarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	operi	operis	operi	operem	opereu	operin
	imperfect	operés	operessis	operés	operéssim	operéssiu	operessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	opera	operi	operem	opereu	operin
	negative (no)	—	no operis	no operi	no operem	no opereu	no operin

Related terms

• cooperar
• operació
• operador
• operatiu

Further reading

• “operar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “operar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “operar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “operar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Interlingua

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Verb

operar

1. to operate

Conjugation

    Conjugation of operar

infinitive		operar
participle		present	perfect
		operante	operate
active		simple	perfect
	present	opera	ha operate
	past	operava	habeva operate
	future	operara	habera operate
	conditional	operarea	haberea operate
	imperative	opera	—
passive		simple	perfect
	present	es operate	ha essite operate
	past	esseva operate	habeva essite operate
	future	essera operate	habera essite operate
	conditional	esserea operate	haberea essite operate
	imperative	sia operate	—

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.pɛˈraːr/
• Rhymes: -aːr

Noun

operar m

1. verbal noun of opera

Occitan

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Verb

operar

1. to operate

Conjugation

    Lengadocian (Central Occitan)

		simple			compound
infinitive		operar			aver operat
gerund		operant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		operat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	operi	operas	opera	operam	operatz	operan
	imperfect	operavi	operavas	operava	operàvem	operàvetz	operavan
	preterite	operèri	operères	operèt	operèrem	operèretz	operèron
	future	operarai	operaràs	operarà	operarem	operaretz	operaràn
	conditional	operariái	operariás	operariá	operariam	operariatz	operarián
	conditional 2nd form1	operèra	operèras	operèra	opereram	opereratz	operèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	opere	operes	opere	operem	operetz	operen
	imperfect	operèssi	operèsses	operèsse	operèssem	operèssetz	operèsson
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			opera		operem	operatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Auvernhàs

		simple			compound
infinitive		operar			aver operat
gerund		operant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		operat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	opere	operes	opera	operam	operatz	operon
	imperfect	operave	operaves	operava	operaviam	operaviatz	operavon
	preterite	operere	opereres	operet	operem	operetz	opereron
	future	operarai	operaràs	operará	operarem	operaretz	operarán
	conditional	operariá	operariás	operariá	operariam	operariatz	operarián
	conditional 2nd form1	operèra	operèras	operèra	opereram	opereratz	operèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	opere	operes	opere	operassiam	operassiatz	operon
	imperfect	operesse	operesses	operesse	operessiam	operessiatz	operesson
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			opera		operassiam	operatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Gascon

		simple			compound
infinitive		operar			aver operat
gerund		operant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		operat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	operi	operas	opera	operam	operatz	operan
	imperfect	operavi	operavas	operava	operàvam	operàvatz	operavan
	preterite	operèi	operès	operè	operèm	operètz	operèn
	future	operarèi	operaràs	operarà	operaram	operaratz	operaràn
	conditional	operarí	operarés	operaré	operarem	operaretz	operarén
	conditional 2nd form1	operèra	operèras	operèra	opereram	opereratz	operèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	operi	operes	opere	operem	operetz	operen
	imperfect	operèssi	operèsses	operèsse	operèssem	operèssetz	operèssen
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			opera		operem	operatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Lemosin

		simple			compound
infinitive		operar			aver operat
gerund		operant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		operat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	opere	operas	opera	operam	operatz	operan
	imperfect	operava	operavas	operava	operàvam	operàvatz	operavan
	preterite	operei	opereras	operet	operèram	operèratz	opereran
	future	operarai	operaràs	operará	operarem	operaretz	operarán
	conditional	operariá	operariàs	operariá	operariam	operariatz	operarián
	conditional 2nd form1	operèra	operèras	operèra	opereram	opereratz	operèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	opere	operes	opere	operem	operetz	operen
	imperfect	operèsse	operèsses	operèsse	operèssem	operèssetz	operèssen
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			opera		operem	operatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Provençau

		simple			compound
infinitive		operar			aver operat
gerund		operant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		operat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	opere	operes	opera	operam	operatz	operan
	imperfect	operavi	operavas	operava	operàvem	operàvetz	operavan
	preterite	operère	operères	operèt	opereriam	opereriatz	operèron
	future	operarai	operaràs	operarà	operarem	operaretz	operaràn
	conditional	operariáu	operariás	operariá	operariam	operariatz	operarián
	conditional 2nd form1	operèra	operèras	operèra	opereram	opereratz	operèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	opere	operes	opere	operem	operetz	operan
	imperfect	operèsse	operèsses	operèsse	operessiam	operessiatz	operèsson
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			opera		operem	operatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

Derived terms

• operable
• operacion
• operant
• operator

Further reading

• Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana‎, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2025, page 483

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin operārī. Doublet of obrar, which was inherited.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /o.peˈɾa(ʁ)/ [o.peˈɾa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /o.peˈɾa(ʁ)/ [o.peˈɾa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /o.peˈɾa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /o.peˈɾa(ʁ)/ [o.peˈɾa(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /o.peˈɾa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ.pɨˈɾaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ.pɨˈɾaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɔ.pɨˈɾa.ɾi/

• Audio (Brazil (Caipira)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: o‧pe‧rar

Verb

operar (first-person singular present opero, first-person singular preterite operei, past participle operado)

1. to operate, function

Conjugation

    Conjugation of operar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	operar
Personal	operar	operares	operar	operarmos	operardes	operarem
Gerund
	operando
Past participle
Masculine	operado			operados
Feminine	operada			operadas
Indicative
Present	opero	operas	opera	operamos	operais	operam
Imperfect	operava	operavas	operava	operávamos	operáveis	operavam
Preterite	operei	operaste	operou	operamos1, operámos2	operastes	operaram
Pluperfect	operara	operaras	operara	operáramos	operáreis	operaram
Future	operarei	operarás	operará	operaremos	operareis	operarão
Conditional	operaria	operarias	operaria	operaríamos	operaríeis	operariam
Subjunctive
Present	opere	operes	opere	operemos	opereis	operem
Imperfect	operasse	operasses	operasse	operássemos	operásseis	operassem
Future	operar	operares	operar	operarmos	operardes	operarem
Imperative
Affirmative		opera	opere	operemos	operai	operem
Negative (não)		não operes	não opere	não operemos	não opereis	não operem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Further reading

• “operar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “operar”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
• “operar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “operar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “operar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025, →ISBN
• “operar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin operāre. Doublet of obrar, which was inherited.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /opeˈɾaɾ/ [o.peˈɾaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: o‧pe‧rar

Verb

operar (first-person singular present opero, first-person singular preterite operé, past participle operado)

1. to operate (to perform surgery)
2. to produce, to achieve

   Synonym: realizar

3. to operate (to deal in a commodity)
4. (reflexive) to undergo plastic surgery

   ¿Te has operado de algo?

   Have you undergone some plastic surgery?

   Mi hermana quiere operarse.

   My sister wants to have work done.

   Dicen que esta actriz porno está operada.

   They say that this porn actress has had plastic surgery.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of operar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			operar
gerund			operando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		operado		operada
		plural		operados		operadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	opero	operastú operásvos	opera	operamos	operáis	operan
	imperfect	operaba	operabas	operaba	operábamos	operabais	operaban
	preterite	operé	operaste	operó	operamos	operasteis	operaron
	future	operaré	operarás	operará	operaremos	operaréis	operarán
	conditional	operaría	operarías	operaría	operaríamos	operaríais	operarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	opere	operestú operésvos2	opere	operemos	operéis	operen
	imperfect (ra)	operara	operaras	operara	operáramos	operarais	operaran
	imperfect (se)	operase	operases	operase	operásemos	operaseis	operasen
	future1	operare	operares	operare	operáremos	operareis	operaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		operatú operávos	opere	operemos	operad	operen
	negative		no operes	no opere	no operemos	no operéis	no operen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of operar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive operar	dative	operarme	operarte	operarle, operarse	operarnos	operaros	operarles, operarse
	accusative	operarme	operarte	operarlo, operarla, operarse	operarnos	operaros	operarlos, operarlas, operarse
with gerund operando	dative	operándome	operándote	operándole, operándose	operándonos	operándoos	operándoles, operándose
	accusative	operándome	operándote	operándolo, operándola, operándose	operándonos	operándoos	operándolos, operándolas, operándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative opera	dative	opérame	opérate	opérale	opéranos	not used	opérales
	accusative	opérame	opérate	opéralo, opérala	opéranos	not used	opéralos, opéralas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative operá	dative	operame	operate	operale	operanos	not used	operales
	accusative	operame	operate	operalo, operala	operanos	not used	operalos, operalas
with formal second-person singular imperative opere	dative	opéreme	not used	opérele, opérese	opérenos	not used	opéreles
	accusative	opéreme	not used	opérelo, opérela, opérese	opérenos	not used	opérelos, opérelas
with first-person plural imperative operemos	dative	not used	operémoste	operémosle	operémonos	operémoos	operémosles
	accusative	not used	operémoste	operémoslo, operémosla	operémonos	operémoos	operémoslos, operémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative operad	dative	operadme	not used	operadle	operadnos	operaos	operadles
	accusative	operadme	not used	operadlo, operadla	operadnos	operaos	operadlos, operadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative operen	dative	opérenme	not used	opérenle	opérennos	not used	opérenles, opérense
	accusative	opérenme	not used	opérenlo, opérenla	opérennos	not used	opérenlos, opérenlas, opérense

Related terms

• cooperar
• operación
• operador
• operativo

Further reading

• “operar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025