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)

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

Descendants

• → Romanian: ameliora

Further reading

• “améliorer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.