Abréger

Abréger is a French verb meaning to shorten, to reduce in length or duration, or to abbreviate. It is transitive and used for things such as time, texts, or speeches, and it can also mean to curtail plans or discussions.

The verb comes from Old French abregier/abreger, from Latin breviare, itself from brevis “short.” The modern form preserves the soft g before e in forms like abrégeons and abrégez. The related noun un abrégé denotes a concise summary or a shortened edition; une abréviation refers to an abbreviation or shortened form.

Conjugation and usage: present indicative forms are je abrége, tu abréges, il abrége, nous abrégeons, vous abrégez, ils abrégent. The passé composé is j’ai abrégé; the imperfect is j’abrégeais; the future is j’abrégerai. Examples: On peut abréger un discours pour gagner du temps; il a abrégé les débats afin de conclure rapidement.

Usage notes: abrégé is broader than résumer, which focuses on restating the essential points. Abréger emphasizes shortening by removing parts, whereas résumer emphasizes condensing content into a shorter form. The noun un abrégé can refer to a short edition or a brief summary, while une abréviation (with its noun form) denotes a shortened form or acronym used in writing. Similar or related verbs include raccourcir, réduire, and condenser.