améliorer — French conjugation

to improve

Frequency#371RegularReflexives'améliorer — to improve oneself

Indicative

Present (Présent) Regular

Use the présent for habits, what is true now, and what is about to happen soon. A single set of endings covers what English often splits into “I speak” and “I am speaking”.

Elle parle arabe et français.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeamélioreI improve
tuamélioresyou improve
il/elleaméliorehe/she/it improves
nousamélioronswe improve
vousaméliorezyou (pl.) improve
ils/ellesaméliorentthey improve

Simple past (Passé simple) Regular

The passé simple narrates completed past events in a literary or very formal style. In everyday conversation people use the passé composé instead, so you mostly meet this form in books and journalism.

Ils virent le roi s'approcher.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeamélioraiI improved
tuaméliorasyou improved
il/elleaméliorahe/she/it improved
nousaméliorâmeswe improved
vousaméliorâtesyou (pl.) improved
ils/ellesaméliorèrentthey improved

Imperfect (Imparfait) Regular

The imparfait describes ongoing or repeated past actions and sets the background — how things were, what used to happen, weather, feelings. The passé composé, by contrast, marks single completed events.

Quand j'étais petit, j'allais souvent à la piscine.

PronounFrench
jeaméliorais
tuaméliorais
il/elleaméliorait
nousaméliorions
vousamélioriez
ils/ellesamélioraient

Conditional (Conditionnel) Regular

The conditionnel is for polite questions and requests, “would”-type hypotheticals, and what someone said would happen. It is also the usual consequent clause in si + imparfait → conditionnel patterns.

Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeamélioreraisI would improve
tuamélioreraisyou would improve
il/elleamélioreraithe/she/it would improve
nousaméliorerionswe would improve
vousamélioreriezyou (pl.) would improve
ils/ellesamélioreraientthey would improve

Future (Futur) Regular

The futur is for future plans and objective predictions. In speech, aller + infinitive is often clearer for the immediate future, while the simple future is common for facts further ahead or in writing.

Demain, nous dînerons chez eux.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jeamélioreraiI will improve
tuaméliorerasyou will improve
il/elleaméliorerahe/she/it will improve
nousamélioreronswe will improve
vousaméliorerezyou (pl.) will improve
ils/ellesaméliorerontthey will improve

Present perfect (Passé composé) Regular

The passé composé is the main spoken past for completed, bounded actions (often with a time adverb). Use avoir with most verbs; être is required for a fixed group of motion/inchange and all pronominal verbs, with participle agreement when necessary.

Elle est venue tôt, puis elle a téléphoné.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'ai amélioréI have improved
tutu as amélioréyou have improved
il/elleil/elle a amélioréhe/she/it has improved
nousnous avons amélioréwe have improved
vousvous avez amélioréyou (pl.) have improved
ils/ellesils/elles ont amélioréthey have improved

Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) Regular

The plus-que-parfait is the “earlier past”: one action was already over before another past moment. It answers “had already” when a story is anchored in a past time.

Déjà, il avait fini quand je suis arrivé.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'avais amélioréI had improved
tutu avais amélioréyou had improved
il/elleil/elle avait amélioréhe/she/it had improved
nousnous avions amélioréwe had improved
vousvous aviez amélioréyou (pl.) had improved
ils/ellesils/elles avaient amélioréthey had improved

Conditional perfect (Conditionnel passé) Regular

The conditionnel passé states what would have been true, plans that failed, and unreal past if-clauses (often with si + plus-que-parfait in the apodose).

J'aurais dit oui, mais c'était impossible.

PronounFrench
jej'aurais amélioré
tutu aurais amélioré
il/elleil/elle aurait amélioré
nousnous aurions amélioré
vousvous auriez amélioré
ils/ellesils/elles auraient amélioré

Future perfect (Futur antérieur) Regular

The futur antérieur marks an action that will be finished before a later future moment (by then I will have…). It can also suggest a conjecture about a recent past fact in formal or literary use.

D'ici samedi, j'aurai lu le rapport.

PronounFrenchEnglish
jej'aurai amélioréI will have improved
tutu auras amélioréyou will have improved
il/elleil/elle aura amélioréhe/she/it will have improved
nousnous aurons amélioréwe will have improved
vousvous aurez amélioréyou (pl.) will have improved
ils/ellesils/elles auront amélioréthey will have improved

Subjunctive

Present subjunctive (Subjonctif présent) Regular

The present subjunctive appears in subordinate clauses after desire, doubt, fear, need, and many impersonals, usually when the subject of the subordinate is different. Learn common triggers: il faut que, je veux que, je doute que…

Il faut qu'il parte avant midi.

PronounFrench
jeaméliore
tuaméliores
il/elleaméliore
nousaméliorions
vousamélioriez
ils/ellesaméliorent

Imperfect subjunctive (Subjonctif imparfait) Regular

The imparfait du subjonctif is a literary and formal past subjunctive. In modern speech, the present subjunctive usually replaces it for the same meaning.

Bien qu'il fût fatigué, il continua.

PronounFrench
jeaméliorasse
tuaméliorasses
il/elleaméliorât
nousaméliorassions
vousaméliorassiez
ils/ellesaméliorassent

Other forms

Imperative (Impératif) Regular

The imperative is for direct orders and advice to tu, nous, and vous. For many -er verbs, the tu form drops the final -s of the present (parle!); negatives use the subjunctive-like forms in practice.

Fermons la porte, s'il vous plaît !

PronounFrench
tuaméliore
nousaméliorons
vousaméliorez