altérer

French

Verb

altérer

1. To alter; change; fiddle with
2. To cause thirst

Conjugation

• This verb is conjugated like céder. It is a regular -er verb, except that its last stem vowel alternates between /e/ (written ‘é’) and /ɛ/ (written ‘è’), with the latter being used before mute ‘e’.
• One special case is the future stem, used in the future and the conditional. Before 1990, the future stem of such verbs was written altérer-, reflecting the historic pronunciation /e/. In 1990, the French Academy recommended that it be written altèrer-, reflecting the now common pronunciation /ɛ/, thereby making this distinction consistent throughout the conjugation (and also matching in this regard the conjugations of verbs like lever and jeter). Both spellings are in use today, and both are therefore given here.

   Conjugation of altérer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		altérer			avoir or être altéré
gerund		en altérant			Use the gerund of avoir or être followed by the past participle
present participle		altérant
past participle		altéré
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il	nous	vous	ils
simple tenses	present	altère	altères	altère	altérons	altérez	altèrent
	imperfect	altérais	altérais	altérait	altérions	altériez	altéraient
	past historic1	altérai	altéras	altéra	altérâmes	altérâtes	altérèrent
	future	altèrerai or altérerai	altèreras or altéreras	altèrera or altérera	altèrerons or altérerons	altèrerez or altérerez	altèreront or altéreront
	conditional	altèrerais or altérerais	altèrerais or altérerais	altèrerait or altérerait	altèrerions or altérerions	altèreriez or altéreriez	altèreraient or altéreraient
compound tenses	present perfect	Use the present tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
	past anterior1	Use the past historic tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
	future perfect	Use the future tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
	conditional perfect	Use the conditional tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il	que nous	que vous	qu’ils
simple tenses	present	altère	altères	altère	altérions	altériez	altèrent
	imperfect1	altérasse	altérasses	altérât	altérassions	altérassiez	altérassent
compound tenses	past	Use the present subjunctive of avoir or être followed by the past participle
	pluperfect1	Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir or être followed by the past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
		—	altère	—	altérons	altérez	—
1literary tenses