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

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Verb

améliorer

1. (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		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
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: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (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.