Key points about infinitives in French
An The basic form of the verb. In French, all infinitives end in '-er', '-ir' or '-re'. in French is the ‘to’ form of a A word used to describe an action or state of being. in English, such as jouer which means 'to play'.
Infinitives in French end in -er, -ir or -re.
Infinitives can form the The person or thing in the sentence that is doing the action. of a sentence.
Use infinitives to give opinions, after A verb that is usually followed by an infinitive, such as pouvoir (to be able to), vouloir (to want to), and devoir (must). and in certain phrases.
What is an infinitive?
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb. It is the ‘to’ form of a verb in English. An example of an infinitive in French is Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to play).
Video: How to use the infinitive in French
Watch this video to learn more about using infinitives in French.
How to use the infinitive in French
When you look up a verb in the dictionary you find the infinitive form. In English it’s made up of two words: to swim.
But in French it’s just one, nager.
And if you want to say something more about verbs like nager then there is a group of verbs that do just that.
They’re called modal verbs. Modal verbs indicate ability, permission or obligation. In English they are words like: can, will and must.
In French the most common are: vouloir - to want, devoir - to have to, pouvoir - to be able.
When you put a modal verb and an infinitive together this is what happens…
je veux - I want and nager to swim…
je veux nager - I want to swim.
je dois means I have to.
Je dois nager - I have to swim.
je peux means I can. Je peux nager - I can swim.
And it’s not just swimming.
Je veux manger - I want to eat.
Je dois travailler - I have to work.
Je peux venir - I can come.
You can say what you must, can and want to do with je dois, je peux and je veux.
In French, there are three main groups of infinitive endings:
-er infinitives such as Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to eat)
-ir infinitives such as Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to finish)
-re infinitives such as Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (to sell)
The infinitive is usually translated in English as ‘to + verb’, but it can also be a verb without ‘to’, or a verb ending with ‘-ing’.
Je veux boire de l’eau. - I want to drink some water.
Tu peux ouvrir la fenêtre ? - Can you open the window?
Ils aiment lire. - They like reading.
Lots of common French verbs, used in any tense, are followed immediately by an infinitive:
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to like | J’aime aller à la plage. - I like going to the beach. |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to hate | Nous détestons ranger notre chambre. - We hate tidying our rooms. |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to prefer | Il ééait étudier à la bibliothèque. - He would prefer to study at the library. |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to have to | Tu dois apprendre une nouvelle langue. - You must learn a new language. |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | to be able to | Elle peut partir en vacances si elle veut. - She can go on holiday if she wants. |
Using infinitives as the subject of a sentence
Infinitives can also be the subject of a sentence, where in English a verb ending in ‘-ing’ would be used.
For example:
Parler français est très utile. - Speaking French is very useful.
Manger des légumes est bon pour la santé. - Eating vegetables is good for your health.
Using infinitives with modal verbs
Infinitives often come after modal verbs. Use modal verbs to express ability, permission, obligation or desire (things you want to do).
Examples of modal verbs in English are can, must or want.
The following tables show some different parts of the modal verbs devoir (to have to, must), pouvoir (to be able to, can), vouloir (to want) and savoir (to know how to) that can be used with infinitives.
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to have to, must
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I have to/I must |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you (singular, informal) have to/you must |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he has to / he must |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | she has to / she must |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | one/it has to / one/it must |
For example:
Je dois faire mes devoirs tous les jours. - I have to do my homework every day.
Quand tu reviens chez toi, dois-tu aider ta mère ? -When you get home do you have to help your mum?
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to be able to, can
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I can |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you (singular, informal) can |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he can |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | she can |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | it/one can |
For example:
On peut jouer au rugby dans mon collège. - One can play rugby in my school.
Je ne peux pas sortir aujourd’hui. - I cannot go out today.
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to want
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I want |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you (singular, informal) want |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he wants |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | she wants |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | it/one wants |
For example:
Tu veux aller au cinéma ? - Do you want to go to the cinema?
Je veux manger dans un restaurant espagnol. - I want to eat in a Spanish restaurant.
- Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to know (how to)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | I know |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | you (singular, informal) know |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | he knows |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | she knows |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | it/one knows |
For example:
Je sais parler le français. - I know how to speak French.
Il ne sait pas. - He doesn’t know.
Using infinitives - Mini quiz
What are the French translations of the following phrases?
Speaking French is useful.
Parler le français est utile.
I must do my homework.
Je dois faire mes devoirs.
Impersonal verb phrases with the infinitive
A common impersonal verb phrase that you use with the infinitive is Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (it must/it is necessary to).
For example:
Il faut aller à la banque. - It is necessary to go to the bank.
Il faut faire de l’exercice regulièrement. - It is necessary to exercise regularly.
Quiz - Infinitives in French
Practise what you've learned about using infinitives in French with this quiz.
Higher Tier - Useful impersonal verb phrases
There are some other impersonal verb phrases that are useful to know at Higher Tier.
Using 'il vaut mieux' and 'il vaut la peine de'
The following are useful verb phrases, used with infinitives:
il vaut mieux + infinitive - it is better + verb
il vaut la peine de + infinitive - it is worth + verb
For example:
Il vaut mieux faire de l’exercice regulièrement. - It is better to exercise regularly.
Il vaut la peine de regarder ce film. - It is worth watching this film.
Impersonal verbs with adjectives and the infinitive
Some impersonal verbs with adjectives are also used with the infinitive:
il est difficile de + infinitive - it is difficult to + verb
il est facile de + infinitive - it is easy to + verb
il est interdit de + infinitive - it is forbidden to + verb
For example:
Il est difficile de travailler tout le temps. - It is difficult to work all the time.
Il est interdit de porter des bijoux au collège. - It is forbidden to wear jewellery at school.
Useful impersonal verb phrases - Mini quiz
What are the French translations of the following phrases?
It is worth working hard.
Il vaut mieux travailler dur.
It is forbidden to use a mobile phone at school.
Il est interdit d’utiliser un portable au collège.
Higher Tier - Quiz - Infinitives
Practise what you've learned about infinitives in French with this Higher Tier quiz.
Now you’ve learned about infinitives in French, why not explore regular verbs in the present tense?
More on Infinitives
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