améliorer
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French ameillorer, from a prefixed version of Late Latin meliōrāre, a verb based on Latin meliārī (“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) Audio (Switzerland (Valais)): (file) Audio (France (Toulouse)): (file) Audio (France (Vosges)): (file) Audio (France (Saint-Étienne)): (file) Audio (France (Lyon)): (file) Audio (France (Somain)): (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
Descendants
- → Romanian: ameliora
Further reading
- “améliorer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.