← All verbs
Verb conjugation

aggraver

to worsen (to make worse); to worsen (to become worse)

Usage

Aggraver means to make something worse — a situation, an illness, a conflict (aggraver la situation). It's an everyday verb in news and conversation, and a key legal term: une circonstance aggravante is a factor that increases the severity of a crime's punishment.

Examples
  • Ses excuses n'ont fait qu'aggraver la situation.His apologies only made the situation worse.
  • Le stress aggrave souvent les symptômes de la maladie.Stress often worsens the symptoms of the illness.
  • Le vol a été jugé avec des circonstances aggravantes.The theft was tried with aggravating circumstances.
Common mistake

Learners confuse aggraver (to worsen a situation) with the English "aggravate" meaning "to annoy" — in French, aggraver only means to make a bad situation worse, never to irritate a person (use agacer or énerver for that).

Often confused with empirer.

Simple tenses

Present

jeaggrave
tuaggraves
il/elleaggrave
nousaggravons
vousaggravez
ils/ellesaggravent

Imperfect

jeaggravais
tuaggravais
il/elleaggravait
nousaggravions
vousaggraviez
ils/ellesaggravaient

Past historic (passé simple)

jeaggravai
tuaggravas
il/elleaggrava
nousaggravâmes
vousaggravâtes
ils/ellesaggravèrent

Future

jeaggraverai
tuaggraveras
il/elleaggravera
nousaggraverons
vousaggraverez
ils/ellesaggraveront

Conditional

jeaggraverais
tuaggraverais
il/elleaggraverait
nousaggraverions
vousaggraveriez
ils/ellesaggraveraient

Subjunctive

jeaggrave
tuaggraves
il/elleaggrave
nousaggravions
vousaggraviez
ils/ellesaggravent

Subjunctive (imperfect)

jeaggravasse
tuaggravasses
il/elleaggravât
nousaggravassions
vousaggravassiez
ils/ellesaggravassent

Imperative

tuaggrave
nousaggravons
vousaggravez

Compound tenses

Passé composé

jeai aggravé
tuas aggravé
il/ellea aggravé
nousavons aggravé
vousavez aggravé
ils/ellesont aggravé

Plus-que-parfait

jeavais aggravé
tuavais aggravé
il/elleavait aggravé
nousavions aggravé
vousaviez aggravé
ils/ellesavaient aggravé

Passé antérieur

jeeus aggravé
tueus aggravé
il/elleeut aggravé
nouseûmes aggravé
vouseûtes aggravé
ils/elleseurent aggravé

Futur antérieur

jeaurai aggravé
tuauras aggravé
il/elleaura aggravé
nousaurons aggravé
vousaurez aggravé
ils/ellesauront aggravé

Conditionnel passé

jeaurais aggravé
tuaurais aggravé
il/elleaurait aggravé
nousaurions aggravé
vousauriez aggravé
ils/ellesauraient aggravé

Subjonctif passé

jeaie aggravé
tuaies aggravé
il/elleait aggravé
nousayons aggravé
vousayez aggravé
ils/ellesaient aggravé

Subjonctif plus-que-parfait

jeeusse aggravé
tueusses aggravé
il/elleeût aggravé
nouseussions aggravé
vouseussiez aggravé
ils/elleseussent aggravé

Impératif passé

tuaie aggravé
nousayons aggravé
vousayez aggravé

Other

Present participle

aggravant

Past participle

aggravé

Infinitive

aggraver

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "aggraver" mean?

"aggraver" means "to worsen (to make worse); to worsen (to become worse)".

How do you conjugate "aggraver" in the present tense?

The present of "aggraver" is: je aggrave, tu aggraves, il/elle aggrave, nous aggravons, vous aggravez, ils/elles aggravent.

What is the Passé composé of "aggraver"?

The passé composé of "aggraver" is: je ai aggravé, tu as aggravé, il/elle a aggravé, nous avons aggravé, vous avez aggravé, ils/elles ont aggravé.

What is the Imperative of "aggraver"?

The imperative of "aggraver" is: tu aggrave, nous aggravons, vous aggravez.