Use infinitive verbs in French after a conjugated verb, after a preposition, as a , or to give a command. An infinitive is the form of a verb that you find in a dictionary, and you can recognize it from its ending, which is very often -er, but which can also be -re or -ir. All verbs have an infinitive form, and its equivalent in English is the verb preceded by “to.” Take a look at the following infinitives, each with one of the three infinitive endings in French:
envoyer (to send)
apprendre (to learn)
revenir (to come back)
You may remember coming across the concept of infinitives when you learned how to conjugate verbs in the French present tense. Often, the infinitive ending of a verb (-er, -re, or -ir) gives you information about how to conjugate the verb. However, sometimes, you will see infinitive verbs used in French sentences, either alone or with another verb that has been conjugated. In English, most of the time, we have verbs that have both a subject and a tense — and their conjugated form reflects this. For example:
Paul chante.
Paul sings.
On the contrary, some verb forms, called , are not conjugated with a subject, but they can still modify a subject in the sentence. Consider the following sentence containing an infinitive:
Paul aime chanter.
Paul likes to sing.
In this post, we’ll show you how and when to use infinitive verbs in French. Ready? Let’s go!
Use French infinitives after a conjugated verb, after prepositions, to act as a subject, or to give a command. There are several instances where an infinitive verb will appear in French, so keep reading to find out what they are!
After a conjugated verb (except être(to be) and avoir(to have)), all verbs will be in the infinitive form!
Elle aime manger.
She likes to eat.
Il espère voyager cet été.
He hopes to travel this summer.
On va peut-être perdre !
We might lose!
When translating a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive from English to French, for example “I like to walk,” many learners incorrectly translate “to” with de, ending up with:
❌ J’aime de marcher.
This is wrong! You need to remember that infinitives already contain “to,” so “to walk” = marcher. Just say:
✅ J’aime marcher.
Let’s dig a bit deeper. Some of the most common types of French verbs after which we typically use an infinitive are:
Modal verbs
Some examples of French modal verbs include pouvoir(to be able to, can), vouloir(to want), devoir(to have to, must), falloir(to be necessary), and savoir(to know).
Je dois rentrer.
I must go back in.
Ma voisine sait coudre.
My neighbor can sew.
Verbs of movement, preference, opinion, and perception
It’s important to note that these verbs operate differently in French than in English! In English, we use the “-ing” form of the verb, but in French, it’s the infinitive.
Movement
Ils sortent courir pour se défouler.
They are going out running to let off steam.
Preference
Louis déteste accompagner sa petite sœur aux fêtes d'anniversaire !
Louis hates accompanying his little sister to birthday parties!
Opinion
Nous pensons déménager à la fin de l’année.
We are thinking of moving at the end of the year.
Perception
Tu entends tomber la pluie ?
Can you hear the rain falling?
For more examples of movement, preference, opinion, and perception verbs, check out our resource!
A French verb that follows a preposition is always in the infinitive. Some examples of French prepositions include: à(at) , dans(in), par(by), pour(for) , vers(towards), avec(with), de(to), sans(without), and sous(under).
Here are a few common cases where an infinitive directly follows a preposition:
Verbs + à and verbs + de
There are many verbs in French that take the prepositions à and de. In this case, the prepositions à and de will be followed by an infinitive verb. Check out our list of common French verbs + à or de followed by an infinitive.
Tu m’aides à faire la vaisselle ?
Are you helping me to wash the dishes?
Je te conseille d’ accepter sa proposition.
I advise you to accept his proposal.
Adjective + à or de
C’est facile de dessiner un chat !
It’s easy to draw a cat!
Noun + à / de
Défense de stationner.
No parking.
After pour and afin de(in order to)
In these instances, you use an infinitive to say “in order to.”
Elle va à la parapharmacie pour acheter de la teinture pour les cheveux.
She goes to the drugstore to buy hair dye.
Afin de ne pas rétrécir vos vêtements, lavez-les à basse température.
In order to not shrink your clothes, wash them at a low temperature.
In a negative sentence, ne pas(not) is always before the infinitive verb.
That being said, you will sometimes hear people say things like je regrette de n’avoir pas mangé(I regret not having eaten), which is a use of the French perfect infinitive. In this case, the negation will surround avoir.
avant de(before)and sans(without)
Take special care with these prepositions, because in English, in contrast to French, you wouldn’t use an infinitive.
Vous avez bien fermé la porte à clé avant de partir ?
Did you lock the door before leaving?
An infinitive verb can also act as a subject in a sentence, and this would usually be the equivalent of the “-ing” form of the verb in English. Take a look:
Peindre est ma passion.
Painting is my passion.
lit. (lit.) To paint is my passion.
Often, you will see or hear instructions, recommendations, or signs using the infinitive form. For example:
Ne pas toucher, peinture fraîche.
Do not touch, fresh paint.
Cuire 20 minutes à four doux.
Bake for 20 minutes in a medium oven.
Dans deux cents mètres, prendre la prochaine sortie à droite.
In two hundred meters, take the next exit on the right.
Here are the different ways in which you will use an infinitive in French:
after a conjugated verb (except the auxiliary verbs être and avoir)
after the prepositions à, de, pour, afin de, avant de, and sans
as a noun
to give an order
Now that you are an expert, why not test your knowledge of French infinitives, as well as of the other non-finite verb forms participles and gerunds, with these activities!
