alléger

Alléger is a French verb meaning to make lighter in weight or burden, to reduce the amount of something, or to ease a situation. It is used both in a physical sense (to lighten a load) and in a figurative sense (to reduce costs, restrictions, or difficulty). Common constructions include alléger un fardeau, alléger les dépenses, or alléger le rythme and the pace of a process.

Etymology and related forms: Alléger comes from Old French aliger, rooted in the idea of making lighter. The underlying adjective léger (light) is related to Latin levis, and the verb carries the sense of transforming heaviness into lightness. The past participle is allé gé in standard usage, j’ai allé gé; the root also yields the noun allègement (more commonly used) or, less frequently, allégement, both referring to the act or result of lightening or relief.

Conjugation: Alléger is a regular -er verb with a spelling adjustment to preserve the soft g before a, e, or i. Present tense forms include j’allège, tu allèges, il/elle allège, nous allégeons, vous allégez, ils/elles allègent. The past participle is allé gé (as in j’ai allé gé). The imperfect: j’allégeais, tu allégeais, il/allégeait, nous allégeions, vous allégiez, ils allégeaient. The future: j’allégerai, tu allégeras, il allégerait, nous allégerons, vous allégerez, ils allégeront.

Usage notes: Alléger is transitive and typically governs a direct object. It is common in contexts such as finances (alléger les impôts, le budget), administration (alléger une procédure), or daily life (alléger une charge mentale). Related noun forms include l’allègement and, less commonly, l’allégement, both denoting relief or reduction.