changer

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English chaungere, chaungeour (“moneychanger”); equivalent to change +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒɚ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

changer (plural changers)

1. Someone or something who changes things.
2. Someone or something that changes or transforms itself.
3. A moneychanger; a person employed in changing or discounting money.

Usage notes

• Usually used together with another noun, eg, automatic tool changer, shape changer, mind changer.

Derived terms

• autochanger
• career changer
• CD changer
• channel changer
• diaper changer
• gamechanger, game changer
• gender changer
• money changer
• multichanger
• namechanger
• no changer
• record changer
• shapechanger
• tap changer
• voice changer

 

French

Etymology

From Old French changier. Cognate with Norman changi, Walloon candjî.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: changeai, changé, changée, changées, changés, changez

Verb

changer

1. (transitive) to exchange (something)
2. (transitive) to change (money, a job, one's circumstances etc.)
3. (transitive) to change, alter (something en into)
4. (transitive) to change (a diaper)
5. (intransitive) to change
6. (pronominal) to change (one's clothes), get changed

Conjugation

This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written change- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a "soft" /ʒ/ and not a "hard" /ɡ/). This spelling change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and manger.

Conjugation of changer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	changer
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	changeant /ʃɑ̃.ʒɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		changé /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	change /ʃɑ̃ʒ/	changes /ʃɑ̃ʒ/	change /ʃɑ̃ʒ/	changeons /ʃɑ̃.ʒɔ̃/	changez /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/	changent /ʃɑ̃ʒ/
	imperfect	changeais /ʃɑ̃.ʒɛ/	changeais /ʃɑ̃.ʒɛ/	changeait /ʃɑ̃.ʒɛ/	changions /ʃɑ̃.ʒjɔ̃/	changiez /ʃɑ̃.ʒje/	changeaient /ʃɑ̃.ʒɛ/
	past historic2	changeai /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/	changeas /ʃɑ̃.ʒa/	changea /ʃɑ̃.ʒa/	changeâmes /ʃɑ̃.ʒam/	changeâtes /ʃɑ̃.ʒat/	changèrent /ʃɑ̃.ʒɛʁ/
	future	changerai /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁe/	changeras /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁa/	changera /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁa/	changerons /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁɔ̃/	changerez /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁe/	changeront /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	changerais /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁɛ/	changerais /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁɛ/	changerait /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁɛ/	changerions /ʃɑ̃.ʒə.ʁjɔ̃/	changeriez /ʃɑ̃.ʒə.ʁje/	changeraient /ʃɑ̃ʒ.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	change /ʃɑ̃ʒ/	changes /ʃɑ̃ʒ/	change /ʃɑ̃ʒ/	changions /ʃɑ̃.ʒjɔ̃/	changiez /ʃɑ̃.ʒje/	changent /ʃɑ̃ʒ/
	imperfect2	changeasse /ʃɑ̃.ʒas/	changeasses /ʃɑ̃.ʒas/	changeât /ʃɑ̃.ʒa/	changeassions /ʃɑ̃.ʒa.sjɔ̃/	changeassiez /ʃɑ̃.ʒa.sje/	changeassent /ʃɑ̃.ʒas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	change /ʃɑ̃ʒ/	—	changeons /ʃɑ̃.ʒɔ̃/	changez /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

• change
• changeable
• changement
• changer de bord
• changer de cheval au milieu du gué
• changer de crèmerie
• changer de crémerie
• changer de disque
• changer de mains
• changer de refrain
• changer de registre
• changer d’air
• changer d’avis
• changer d’avis comme de chemise
• changer la donne
• changer son fusil d’épaule
• changeur
• inchangé
• plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
• se changer les idées

 

Related terms

• échange
• échanger

Further reading

• “changer”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Verb

changer

1. Alternative form of changier

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. In the present tense an extra supporting e is needed in the first-person singular indicative and throughout the singular subjunctive, and the third-person singular subjunctive ending -t is lost. In addition, g becomes j before an a or an o to keep the /dʒ/ sound intact. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of changer (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		changer			avoir changé
gerund		en chanjant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		chanjant
past participle		changé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	change	changes	change	chanjons	changez	changent
	imperfect	chanjoie, changeie, chanjoe, changeve	chanjoies, changeies, chanjoes, changeves	chanjoit, changeit, chanjot, changeve	changiiens, changiens	changiiez, changiez	chanjoient, changeient, chanjoent, changevent
	preterite	chanjai	chanjas	chanja	chanjames	chanjastes	changerent
	future	changerai	changeras	changera	changerons	changeroiz, changereiz, changerez	changeront
	conditional	changeroie, changereie	changeroies, changereies	changeroit, changereit	changeriiens, changeriens	changeriiez, changeriez	changeroient, changereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	change	changes	change	chanjons	changez	changent
	imperfect	chanjasse	chanjasses	chanjast	changissons, changissiens	changissoiz, changissez, changissiez	chanjassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	change	—	chanjons	changez	—