déménager vs emménager vs amenager

The three French verbs déménager, amenager and emménager can cause a lot of confusion. In this post we’ll take a look at all three verbs and given examples of when to use each one. In short, démenager means to move out, aménager means to adjust or convert and emménager means to move in.

These there verbs are all similar, with the difference being the prefix letters: -dé, -a and -em. Before getting started let’s look at the three verbs in the present tense:

DÉMÉNAGERAMÉNAGEREMMÉNAGER
je déménage
tu déménages
il,elle,on déménage
nous déménageons
vous déménagez
ils, elles déménagent
j'aménage
tu aménages
il, elle, on aménage
nous aménageons
vous aménagez
ils, elles aménagent
j'emménage
tu emménages
il, elle, on emménage
nous emménageons
vous emménagez
ils, elle emménagent

déménager – to move out

Déménager means to move and specifically, to move out. In English we’d say, ‘I’m moving on December 3’. But, in French, ‘Je déménage le 3 décembre‘ implies the date of moving out. Another usage is ‘to move to’. Examples:

  • Je n’aime plus cet appartement. Je déménage le 15 avril. I don’t like this apartment anymore. I’m moving (out) on April 15.
  • L’entreprise va déménager son siège social à Londres. The company will move its headquarters to London.

emménager – to move in

The next verb we’ll look at is emménager. This verb also means to move but the underlying meaning is to move in. Here are some examples:

  • Je vais emménager dans un nouvel appartement la semaine prochaine. I’m going to move into a new apartment next week.
  • Martin a emménagé avec sa nouvelle petite amie. Martin moved in with his new girl friend.

aménager – to convert, adjust, develop

The verb aménager looks similar to the previous two verbs but has nothing to do with moving. Aménager has multiple usages including to convert, adjust and develop. Here are some example sentences:

  • Nous allons aménager cette pièce en chambre d’amis. We’re going to convert this room into a guest room.
  • Le gérant va aménager les horaires de travail de son employé. The manager is going to adjust his employees’ working hours.
  • Le gouvernement va aménager un quartier opprimé. The government is going to develop a downtrodden neighborhood.
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About David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.