French Infinitive - L'infinitif
What is the infinitive of a verb? How is it used?
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb, sometimes called the name of the verb. In English the infinitive is to + verb: to be, to see, to eat, etc. The French infinitive is a single word with one of the following endings: -er, -ir, or -re: parler, dormir, rendre, voir, etc. We usually learn French verbs in the infinitive, since that is what you start with in order to conjugate them.
The infinitive can be used several different ways without any conjugation. Note that the French infinitif is often translated as the English present participle.
| I. | As a noun - the subject or object of a sentence | ||
| Voir, c'est croire. | Seeing is believing. | ||
| Apprendre le japonais n'est pas facile. | Learning Japanese isn't easy. | ||
| II. | After a preposition (also see verbs with prepositions) | ||
| Il essaie de te parler. | He is trying to talk to you. | ||
| C'est difficile à croire. | It's hard to believe. | ||
| Sans être indiscret... | Without meaning to pry... | ||
| III. | After a conjugated verb (also see lesson on dual-verb word order) | ||
| J'aime danser. | I like to dance. | ||
| Nous voulons manger. | We want to eat. | ||
| Je fais laver la voiture (causative) | I'm having the car washed. | ||
| IV. | In place of the imperative for impersonal commands (as in instructions or warnings) - learn more | ||
| Mettre toujours la ceinture de sécurité. | Always wear (your) seatbelt. | ||
| Ajouter les oignons à la sauce. | Add the onions to the sauce. | ||
| V. | In place of the subjunctive when the main clause has | ||
| A. | the same subject as the subordinate clause | ||
| J'ai peur que je ne réussisse pas. ==> J'ai peur de ne pas réussir. |
I'm afraid of not succeeding. | ||
| Il est content qu'il le fasse. ==> Il est content de le faire. |
He's happy to be doing it. | ||
| B. | an impersonal subject (if the subject is implied) | ||
| Il faut que vous travailliez. ==> Il faut travailler. |
It's necessary to work. | ||
| Il est bon que tu y ailles. ==> Il est bon d'y aller. |
It's good that you're going. | ||
| Notes on word order with the infinitive | |||
| 1. | When used with an object or adverbial pronoun, the pronoun always precedes the infinitive. | ||
| Tu dois y aller. | You have to go (there). | ||
| Fermer la fenêtre. La fermer. | Close the window. Close it. | ||
| 2. | When used with a negative adverb, both parts precede the infinitive. | ||
| Ne pas ouvrir la fenêtre. | Don't open the window. | ||
| Ne jamais laisser un enfant seul. | Never leave child unattended. | ||
| Test on using infinitives Related French lessons |
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