diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index b1b9b204..9217f8aa 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
+2009-02-23 Eitan Adler <eitanadlerlist@gmail.com>
+	* doc/man/Makefile.am: Fix make variable substitution to be more portable
+
 2009-02-23 Chris Allegretta <chrisa@asty.org>
 	* rcfile.c (parse_keybinding) - Define a var before tryung to use it.  Whoops!
 	* fix some redefinitions causing compiler warnings, from Eitan Adler.  Other
 	  (hopefully) fixes for uncasted malloc()s, reported by the same.
+	* doc/man/fr/Makefile.am: Add groff check fix to fr files.
 
 GNU nano 2.1.9 - 2009.02.16
 2009-02-16 Chris Allegretta <chrisa@asty.org>
diff --git a/doc/man/Makefile.am b/doc/man/Makefile.am
index e9326745..fbcdce86 100644
--- a/doc/man/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/man/Makefile.am
@@ -16,18 +16,18 @@ BUILT_SOURCES = nano.1.html rnano.1.html
 endif
 endif
 
-if GROFF_HTML
 nano_man_mans = nano.1 nanorc.5 rnano.1
+if GROFF_HTML
 htmlman_DATA = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
 htmlmandir = $(datadir)/nano/man-html
 nano_built_sources = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
 
 nano.1.html: nano.1
-	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $< > $@
+	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 nanorc.5.html: nanorc.5
-	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $< > $@
+	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 rnano.1.html: rnano.1
-	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $< > $@
+	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 
 EXTRA_DIST = $(nano_man_mans) $(nano_built_sources)
 else 
diff --git a/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am b/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am
index d898b102..7a430520 100644
--- a/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/man/fr/Makefile.am
@@ -2,20 +2,32 @@ mandir = @mandir@/fr
 
 if USE_NANORC
 man_MANS = nano.1 nanorc.5 rnano.1
+if GROFF_HTML
 BUILT_SOURCES = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
+endif
 else
 man_MANS = nano.1 rnano.1
+if GROFF_HTML
 BUILT_SOURCES = nano.1.html rnano.1.html
 endif
+endif
 
 nano_man_mans = nano.1 nanorc.5 rnano.1
+if GROFF_HTML
+htmlman_DATA = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
+htmlmandir = $(datadir)/nano/man-html/fr
+
 nano_built_sources = nano.1.html nanorc.5.html rnano.1.html
 
 nano.1.html: nano.1
-	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $< > $@
+	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 nanorc.5.html: nanorc.5
-	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $< > $@
+	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 rnano.1.html: rnano.1
-	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $< > $@
+	groff -t -mandoc -Thtml < $? > $@
 
 EXTRA_DIST = $(nano_man_mans) $(nano_built_sources)
+else
+EXTRA_DIST = $(nano_man_mans)
+endif
+