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ménager

to handle carefully

verb meh-nah-ZHEH Rare
Mind & Emotions Attitudes

Also means

to spare, to manage

Usage Note

Ménager means to treat something or someone carefully so as not to damage or offend them: ménager ses forces ('to conserve one's energy'), ménager la chèvre et le chou ('to sit on the fence', lit. to spare both the goat and the cabbage). It is also related to the adjective ménager ('domestic'), as in les travaux ménagers ('housework').

Examples

"Il faut ménager ses forces pour la fin."

Natural Translation

You must save your energy for the end.

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