How to Conjugate the Verb "Améliorer" (to Improve)

If you really want to "improve" your French, then you need to learn the verb améliorer, which means "to improve." It's a regular verb and that makes it easy to conjugate. Follow this French lesson and you'll be conjugating améliorer like a pro.

Conjugating the French Verb Améliorer

The French verb améliorer is a tricky one to pronounce. With practice, you'll get it. It sounds like [a may lyuh ray]. While the pronunciation is a bit of a challenge, conjugating it is not.

That is because améliorer is a regular -er verb, so it follows the pattern used for verbs like aider (to help) and accepter (to accept). You will simply change the ending according to the rules used for all regular -er verbs.

To conjugate améliorer, you need to change the ending to match the subject pronoun -- the j', tu, il, nous, etc. -- and the tense of the sentence. For example, to say "I improve," you will say "j'améliore." 

This chart will help you study the conjugations for the various forms of améliorer. It includes the present, future, imperfect past, and present participle tenses. You should focus on the present and future as well as the passé composé below.

Subject	Present	Future	Imperfect
j'	améliore	améliorerai	améliorais
tu	améliores	amélioreras	améliorais
il	améliore	améliorera	améliorait
nous	améliorons	améliorerons	améliorions
vous	améliorez	améliorerez	amélioriez
ils	améliorent	amélioreront	amélioraient

The Present Participle of Améliorer 

As with other French verbs, améliorer has a present participle, which is amélioant. Beyond usage as a verb, it can also become an adjective, gerund, or even a noun. Essentially, it transforms the word from "to improve" into "improving."

Another Past Tense of Améliorer 

Passé composé is the most common form of past tense used in the French language. This makes your conjugations of améliorer easier. Instead of memorizing all the imperfect forms, you can concentrate on this one.

In order to form the phrase properly, you will need the auxiliary verb, which is avoir in this case. You also need to know the past participle of améliorer, which is amélioré.

With those elements, you can then say "I improved." In French, this is "j'ai améliore." Likewise, to say "we improved," you will say "nous avons améliore." The "ai" and "avons" in the examples are the conjugates of the verb avoir.

More Conjugations of Améliorer

Those are the easy conjugations and the ones you will use most often. There are other forms of the verb that you should at least be aware of.

Consider adding the subjunctive and conditional forms to your French studies as they both express mood and are in frequent use. The subjunctive verb mood expresses that the verb has a certain degree of uncertainty. The conditional verb mood implies that the action will only happen under certain circumstances.

The passé simple and imperfect subjunctive forms of améliorer are less important. These are used primarily in formal writing.

Subject	Subjunctive	Conditional	Passé Simple	Imperfect Subjunctive
j'	améliore	améliorerais	améliorai	améliorasse
tu	améliores	améliorerais	amélioras	améliorasses
il	améliore	améliorerait	améliora	améliorât
nous	améliorions	améliorerions	améliorâmes	améliorassions
vous	amélioriez	amélioreriez	améliorâtes	améliorassiez
ils	améliorent	amélioreraient	améliorèrent	améliorassent

You will need to know one more conjugation for améliorer and that is the imperative form. This is used in short sentences that demand or request something. The difference here is that you're not required to use the subject pronoun. Instead of "nous améliorons," you can simply say "améliorons."

	Imperative
(tu)	améliore
(nous)	améliorons
(vous)	améliorez

Améliorer Put to Use

Let's use améliorer in context with a couple of sample sentences.

• I want to improve my French before I leave. Je veux améliorer mon français avant de partir.
• We're going to do some improvements at our house. Nous allons améliorer notre maison.

You might also be interested in words that are similar to améliorer as these will be useful in expanding your French vocabulary.

• améliorable (adj) - improvable
• une amélioration - improvement, betterment
• améliorant (adj) - soil-improving