améliorer
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French ameillorer, from a prefixed version of Late Latin meliōrāre, a verb based on Latin melior (“better”). The modern French form was modified under Latin influence, hence the otherwise-unexpected /lj/ (instead of /j/ < /ʎ/).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a.me.ljɔ.ʁe/
audio (file)
Verb
améliorer
- (transitive) to improve, better, ameliorate
Conjugation
Conjugation of améliorer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | améliorer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | améliorant /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | amélioré /a.me.ljɔ.ʁe/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | améliore /a.me.ljɔʁ/ | améliores /a.me.ljɔʁ/ | améliore /a.me.ljɔʁ/ | améliorons /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɔ̃/ | améliorez /a.me.ljɔ.ʁe/ | améliorent /a.me.ljɔʁ/ |
| imperfect | améliorais /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɛ/ | améliorais /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɛ/ | améliorait /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɛ/ | améliorions /a.me.ljɔ.ʁjɔ̃/ | amélioriez /a.me.ljɔ.ʁje/ | amélioraient /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | améliorai /a.me.ljɔ.ʁe/ | amélioras /a.me.ljɔ.ʁa/ | améliora /a.me.ljɔ.ʁa/ | améliorâmes /a.me.ljɔ.ʁam/ | améliorâtes /a.me.ljɔ.ʁat/ | améliorèrent /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɛʁ/ | |
| future | améliorerai /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁe/ | amélioreras /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁa/ | améliorera /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁa/ | améliorerons /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁɔ̃/ | améliorerez /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁe/ | amélioreront /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | améliorerais /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁɛ/ | améliorerais /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁɛ/ | améliorerait /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁɛ/ | améliorerions /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁjɔ̃/ | amélioreriez /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁje/ | amélioreraient /a.me.ljɔ.ʁə.ʁɛ/ | |
| (compound tenses) | present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior2 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) | present | améliore /a.me.ljɔʁ/ | améliores /a.me.ljɔʁ/ | améliore /a.me.ljɔʁ/ | améliorions /a.me.ljɔ.ʁjɔ̃/ | amélioriez /a.me.ljɔ.ʁje/ | améliorent /a.me.ljɔʁ/ |
| imperfect2 | améliorasse /a.me.ljɔ.ʁas/ | améliorasses /a.me.ljɔ.ʁas/ | améliorât /a.me.ljɔ.ʁa/ | améliorassions /a.me.ljɔ.ʁa.sjɔ̃/ | améliorassiez /a.me.ljɔ.ʁa.sje/ | améliorassent /a.me.ljɔ.ʁas/ | |
| (compound tenses) | past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | améliore /a.me.ljɔʁ/ | — | améliorons /a.me.ljɔ.ʁɔ̃/ | améliorez /a.me.ljɔ.ʁe/ | — | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
Related terms
- améliorable
- amélioration
- mélioratif
Further reading
- “améliorer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.