The Infinitive For Intermediate learners

What Is the Infinitive in French?

The basic, unconjugated form of a verb in French is called an infinitive, which is comparable to the English words "to speak," "to eat," and "to go." It is the form you will find in a dictionary, and it remains the same regardless of the subject, mood, or tense. Because it appears in so many French constructions, including those that follow auxiliary verbs, prepositions, and fixed expressions, the infinitive is crucial. The basis for learning French verbs is an understanding of the infinitive, which enables students to recognize a verb's meaning prior to learning its conjugation.

French infinitives usually end in -er, -ir, or -re. Examples of infinitives include parler (to speak), finir (to finish), aller (to go), avoir (to have), and être (to be).

Uses of the infinitive

The infinitive can be used in several important ways in French.

a) As the main verb after another verb

In sentences like "I want to eat" in English, the infinitive in French is used after certain verbs, such as vouloir (to want), pouvoir (can), devoir (must), or aller (to go).

Example

Je veux manger.

I want to eat.

Elle peut parler anglais.

She can speak English.

Nous allons finir le travail.

We are going to finish the work.

b) As the subject of a sentence

The infinitive can act like a noun and be the subject of a sentence.

Example

Manger est important.

Eating is important.

Étudier chaque jour aide beaucoup.

Studying every day helps a lot.

Voyager élargit l'esprit.

Traveling broadens the mind.

c) After prepositions

After prepositions like à, de, pour, sans, avant de, the verb must remain in the infinitive form.

Example

J'apprends à parler français.

I am learning to speak French.

Merci de venir.

Thank you for coming.

Il est parti sans dire au revoir.

He left without saying goodbye.

Je travaille pour réussir.

I work to succeed.

Avant de manger, lave tes mains.

Before eating, wash your hands.

d) After adjectives

In French, the infinitive is often used after certain adjectives to describe how easy, difficult, necessary, or possible an action is.

This structure is impersonal: it does not refer to a specific person, but to the action in general.

Structure: Il est + adjective + de + infinitive

Common adjectives used with this structure

difficile (difficult)

facile (easy)

important (important)

nécessaire (necessary)

possible (possible)

utile (useful)

intéressant (interesting)

Example

Il est difficile de comprendre cette règle.

It is difficult to understand this rule.

Il est important de parler chaque jour.

It is important to speak every day.

Negation

When the infinitive is used in a negative construction, ne…pas surrounds the infinitive:

Example

Il est important de ne pas oublier.

It is important not to forget.

J'ai décidé de ne pas partir.

I decided not to leave.

Infinitive vs Conjugated Verb

Infinitive

The infinitive is the base form of a verb. It does not change for subject, tense, or mood. It is used after another verb, a preposition, or as the subject of a sentence.

Example

manger → J'aime manger le chocolat.

to eat → I like to eat chocolate.

aller → Nous allons aller au cinéma.

to go → We are going to go to the cinema.