manejar

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *manizāre. By surface analysis, man- (“hand”) +‎ -ejar (verb-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [mə.nəˈʒa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ma.neˈd͡ʒaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [ma.neˈʒa]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

manejar (first-person singular present manejo, first-person singular preterite manegí, past participle manejat); root stress: (Northern) /e̞/; (Balearic) /ə/; (Central) /ɛ/; (Northwestern, Valencia) /e/

1. (transitive) to handle, to manipulate
2. (transitive) to manage, to operate
3. (intransitive) to gesticulate
4. (pronominal) to move, shake, sway

Conjugation

    Central Catalan conjugation of manejar (first conjugation, j-g alternation)

infinitive			manejar
gerund			manejant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		manejat		manejada
		plural		manejats		manejades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	manejo	maneges	maneja	manegem	manegeu	manegen
	imperfect	manejava	manejaves	manejava	manejàvem	manejàveu	manejaven
	future	manejaré	manejaràs	manejarà	manejarem	manejareu	manejaran
	preterite	manegí	manejares	manejà	manejàrem	manejàreu	manejaren
	conditional	manejaria	manejaries	manejaria	manejaríem	manejaríeu	manejarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	manegi	manegis	manegi	manegem	manegeu	manegin
	imperfect	manegés	manegessis	manegés	manegéssim	manegéssiu	manegessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	maneja	manegi	manegem	manegeu	manegin
	negative (no)	—	no manegis	no manegi	no manegem	no manegeu	no manegin

Derived terms

• manejable
• manejadís
• manejament

Further reading

• “manejar”, 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

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• manear

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian maneggiare, from Vulgar Latin *manizāre. By surface analysis, mão (“hand”) +‎ -ejar (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of manear.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ma.neˈʒa(ʁ)/ [ma.neˈʒa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ma.neˈʒa(ʁ)/ [ma.neˈʒa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ma.neˈʒa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ma.neˈʒa(ʁ)/ [ma.neˈʒa(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ma.neˈʒa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐ.nɨˈʒaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐ.nɨˈʒaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐ.nɨˈʒa.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: ma‧ne‧jar

Verb

manejar (first-person singular present manejo, first-person singular preterite manejei, past participle manejado)

1. to manage
2. to handle

Conjugation

    Conjugation of manejar (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	manejar
Personal	manejar	manejares	manejar	manejarmos	manejardes	manejarem
Gerund
	manejando
Past participle
Masculine	manejado			manejados
Feminine	manejada			manejadas
Indicative
Present	manejo	manejas	maneja	manejamos	manejais	manejam
Imperfect	manejava	manejavas	manejava	manejávamos	manejáveis	manejavam
Preterite	manejei	manejaste	manejou	manejamos1, manejámos2	manejastes	manejaram
Pluperfect	manejara	manejaras	manejara	manejáramos	manejáreis	manejaram
Future	manejarei	manejarás	manejará	manejaremos	manejareis	manejarão
Conditional	manejaria	manejarias	manejaria	manejaríamos	manejaríeis	manejariam
Subjunctive
Present	maneje	manejes	maneje	manejemos	manejeis	manejem
Imperfect	manejasse	manejasses	manejasse	manejássemos	manejásseis	manejassem
Future	manejar	manejares	manejar	manejarmos	manejardes	manejarem
Imperative
Affirmative		maneja	maneje	manejemos	manejai	manejem
Negative (não)		não manejes	não maneje	não manejemos	não manejeis	não manejem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Further reading

• “manejar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “manejar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian maneggiare. Displaced the older Spanish manear, itself of the same origin (Vulgar Latin *manizāre). Compare English manage.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maneˈxaɾ/ [ma.neˈxaɾ]

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: ma‧ne‧jar

Verb

manejar (first-person singular present manejo, first-person singular preterite manejé, past participle manejado)

1. to handle
2. to manage

   Synonym: dirigir

3. (Canary Islands, Equatorial Guinea, Latin America, Philippines, US) to drive (a vehicle)

   Synonym: conducir

   ¿Tienes 23 años de edad y todavía no puedes manejar?

   You're 23 years old and still can't drive?

Conjugation

    Conjugation of manejar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			manejar
gerund			manejando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		manejado		manejada
		plural		manejados		manejadas
		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	manejo	manejastú manejásvos	maneja	manejamos	manejáis	manejan
	imperfect	manejaba	manejabas	manejaba	manejábamos	manejabais	manejaban
	preterite	manejé	manejaste	manejó	manejamos	manejasteis	manejaron
	future	manejaré	manejarás	manejará	manejaremos	manejaréis	manejarán
	conditional	manejaría	manejarías	manejaría	manejaríamos	manejaríais	manejarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	maneje	manejestú manejésvos2	maneje	manejemos	manejéis	manejen
	imperfect (ra)	manejara	manejaras	manejara	manejáramos	manejarais	manejaran
	imperfect (se)	manejase	manejases	manejase	manejásemos	manejaseis	manejasen
	future1	manejare	manejares	manejare	manejáremos	manejareis	manejaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		manejatú manejávos	maneje	manejemos	manejad	manejen
	negative		no manejes	no maneje	no manejemos	no manejéis	no manejen

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

    Selected combined forms of manejar

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 manejar	dative	manejarme	manejarte	manejarle, manejarse	manejarnos	manejaros	manejarles, manejarse
	accusative	manejarme	manejarte	manejarlo, manejarla, manejarse	manejarnos	manejaros	manejarlos, manejarlas, manejarse
with gerund manejando	dative	manejándome	manejándote	manejándole, manejándose	manejándonos	manejándoos	manejándoles, manejándose
	accusative	manejándome	manejándote	manejándolo, manejándola, manejándose	manejándonos	manejándoos	manejándolos, manejándolas, manejándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative maneja	dative	manéjame	manéjate	manéjale	manéjanos	not used	manéjales
	accusative	manéjame	manéjate	manéjalo, manéjala	manéjanos	not used	manéjalos, manéjalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative manejá	dative	manejame	manejate	manejale	manejanos	not used	manejales
	accusative	manejame	manejate	manejalo, manejala	manejanos	not used	manejalos, manejalas
with formal second-person singular imperative maneje	dative	manéjeme	not used	manéjele, manéjese	manéjenos	not used	manéjeles
	accusative	manéjeme	not used	manéjelo, manéjela, manéjese	manéjenos	not used	manéjelos, manéjelas
with first-person plural imperative manejemos	dative	not used	manejémoste	manejémosle	manejémonos	manejémoos	manejémosles
	accusative	not used	manejémoste	manejémoslo, manejémosla	manejémonos	manejémoos	manejémoslos, manejémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative manejad	dative	manejadme	not used	manejadle	manejadnos	manejaos	manejadles
	accusative	manejadme	not used	manejadlo, manejadla	manejadnos	manejaos	manejadlos, manejadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative manejen	dative	manéjenme	not used	manéjenle	manéjennos	not used	manéjenles, manéjense
	accusative	manéjenme	not used	manéjenlo, manéjenla	manéjennos	not used	manéjenlos, manéjenlas, manéjense

Derived terms

• manejable
• manejador
• manejo
• tejemaneje

Descendants

• → Aragonese: manexar
• → Asturian: manexar
• → Cebuano: maneho
• → Tagalog: maneho

Further reading

• “manejar”, 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
• “manejar”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
• “manejar”, in Diccionario Básico de Canarismos [Basic Dictionary of Canarianisms] (in Spanish), Canarian Academy of the Language [Spanish: Academia Canaria de La Lengua], 2010