Even though the French infinitive translates as "to + verb," the French infinitive sometimes needs to be preceded by a preposition. This phenomenon can be divided into two categories: verbs that must be followed by a preposition (see lesson) and the passive infinitive, which you will learn about in this lesson.
The passive infinitive occurs when a sentence is written in such a way that the infinitive has a passive, rather than active, meaning. This construction requires the preposition à. Compare these two sentences:
- Je veux dire quelque chose
J'ai quelque chose à dire
The passive infinitive occurs most commonly with indefinite words, including negative indefinites. This is not a definitive list, but it should give you a good idea about when and how to use the passive infinitive.
Indefinite pronouns
- Je cherche quelque chose à lire
I'm looking for something to read
En voici un autre à corriger
Here's another one to correct
Aimes-tu les films ? En voici plusieurs à voir
Do you like movies? Here are several to watch
Negative pronouns
- Il n'y a rien à manger
There's nothing to eat
Elle n'en a pas une seule à partager
She doesn't have a single one to share
Indefinite adjectives
- Je cherche une autre voiture à louer
I'm looking for another car to rent
Il regarde chaque peinture à vendre
He looks at each painting to be sold
Il y a maintes choses à faire demain
There are many things to do tomorrow
Negative adjectives
- Je n'ai aucun argent à te prêter
I don't have any money to loan you
Il n'y a pas un seul ordinateur à utiliser
There isn't a single computer to use
Il n'a nulle sagesse à communiquer
He has no wisdom to impart
Indefinite article or number
- Il me reste une maison à vendre
I have one house left to sell
Elle a trouvé un chien à adopter
She found a dog to adopt
J'ai acheté quatre tartes à partager avec le groupe
I bought four pies to share with the group
Presentatives
- C'est difficile à dire
It's hard to say
Il y a beaucoup de choses à faire à Paris
There are a lot of things to do in Paris
Voici les vêtements à laver
Here are the clothes to wash
Note that sometimes c'est and il est must be followed by de rather than à - learn more.
Sentence Fragments
The passive infinitive may also be used in fragments:
- À vendre
For sale
Maison à louer
House for rent
