Infinitives
1 Definition The infinitive is the basic form of a
verb
such as to
give in English or donner in French from
which other forms are derived.
The infinitive never changes its ending (as do conjugated
forms such as donne , donnerez ,
donnons etc.) and does not take a
subject
(you
cannot say *je donner , la
femme donner , etc.).
2 Tense The infinitive can be used to express actions in either the present or
the past. The present infinitive of a verb refers to
any individual verb used in its basic infinitive form:
Je voudrais venir à la soirée
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I'd like to come to the party
La police nous a empêchés d’ aller en ville.
The police prevented us from going into town.
Je cherche à le joindre au téléphone depuis ce matin.
I’ve been trying to get him on the phone since this morning.
Il n’a pas réussi à me convaincre.
He didn’t manage to convince me.
Elle l’a convaincu de changer d’avis.
She convinced him to change his mind.
La situation au Moyen-Orient continue à s’aggraver.
The situation in the Middle East continues to worsen.
The past infinitive is made up of the infinitive of
the
auxiliary
verb avoir or être
plus a
past participle
:
Il regrette d'avoir perdu le
document
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He regrets having lost the document
Pour utiliser ce nouveau logiciel il est important d’ avoir lu ce livre.
To use this new software it is important to have read this book.
Il m’a remercié de l’avoir aidé.
He thanked me for having helped him.
La firme a été critiquée pour ne pas avoir informé rapidement les consommateurs de ce problème.
The firm was criticized for not having informed comsumers quickly enough about the problem.
Il est nécessaire d’ avoir travaillé en moyenne 17 heures par semaine pour recevoir cette allocation.
It is necessary to have worked on average 17 hours per week to receive this benefit.
Je suis déçu d’ avoir raté la représentation.
I’m disappointed to have missed the performance.
As the past infinitive in English always takes have as an auxiliary,
be careful when forming the past infinitive of être
verbs or
pronominal verbs
:
Elle est heureuse d'être venue
à la soirée
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She is happy to have come this evening
Il avait continué à travailler dans cette entreprise, sans vraiment s’être demandé pourquoi.
He’d continued working in this company, without really asking himself why.
Elle avait passé une semaine à Manchester sans être venue nous voir.
She’d spent a week in Manchester without having come to see us.
Ils avaient réservé des billets sans s’être renseignés sur la date des vacances scolaires.
They had reserved tickets without having checked the dates of the school holidays.
Elle regrette de ne pas être restée à l’exposition plus longtemps.
She regrets not having stayed at the exhibition for longer.
Après être restée à l’hôpital pendant une semaine, elle est rentrée chez elle.
After staying in hospital for a week, she went back home.
3 Uses The infinitive is most commonly used:
3.1 With modals etc.
In a construction involving a
modal verb
or other preceding verb:
Je dois être au bureau à neuf
heures
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I must be at the office at nine o'clock
J'ai oublié de fermer les rideaux
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I forgot to close the curtains
La police nous a empêchés d’ aller en ville.
The police prevented us from going into town.
Je cherche à le joindre au téléphone depuis ce matin.
I’ve been trying to get him on the phone since this morning.
Il n’a pas réussi à me convaincre.
He didn’t manage to convince me.
Elle l’a convaincu de changer d’avis.
She convinced him to change his mind.
La situation au Moyen-Orient continue à s’aggraver.
The situation in the Middle East continues to worsen.
3.2 After adjective constructions
After a construction involving an
adjective
:
Je serais très heureuse d'aider
votre mère
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I'd be very happy to help your mother
Elle n'est pas prête à y aller
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She's not prepared to go there
Il est important de faire ces réparations.
It’s important to carry out these repairs.
Il n’est pas facile de trouver un emploi dans ce domaine.
It’s not easy finding a job in this area.
Il est tout à fait capable de réussir ses examens.
He’s quite capable of passing his exams.
Il avait tort de lui parler comme ça.
He was wrong to talk to her like that.
Il est difficile de garder quatre enfants.
It’s hard looking after four children.
3.3 After prepositions
After any
preposition
other than en :
Il a dit cela pour plaisanter
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He said that as a joke
Elle a préparé un sandwich pour ne pas avoir faim.
She made a sandwich so she wouldn’t be hungry.
J’ai mis de la musique pour me détendre.
I put some music on to relax.
Il voudrait te donner quelques documents avant de partir.
He’d like to give you a few documents before he leaves.
Il lui faudra beaucoup de volonté pour atteindre son objectif.
He’ll need a lot of willpower to achieve his objective.
J’ai fait un gâteau pour fêter son anniversaire.
I made a cake to celebrate his birthday.
3.4 As subject of a sentence
As the
subject
of a sentence. Note that the infinitive is generally used
on its own and not introduced by de :
Fumer nuit gravement à la santé
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Smoking seriously damages your health
Augmenter les taux d'intérêt
n'est jamais une démarche populaire
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Putting up interest rates is never a popular step
Ne rien donner à manger au chien.
Do not give the dogs anything to eat.
Garder quatre enfants, c’est difficile à faire.
Looking after four children is hard to do.
Faire du pain nécessite un certain apprentissage.
Making bread requires a certain amount of learning.
Choisir un cadeau pour elle c’est toujours difficile.
Choosing a present for her is always difficult.
Partir vers l’étranger demande de longues préparations.
Going abroad requires a lot of preparation.
3.5 In documents, notices etc.
In documents, notices etc. giving orders or instructions, as an alternative
to the
imperative
:
Pour plus de renseignements, voir
page 28
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For more information, see page 28
Ne pas marcher sur la pelouse
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Do not walk on the grass
Eteindre le moteur avant de faire le plein.
Switch off engine when filling tank.
Prendre deux cuillerées de ce syrop trois fois par jour.
Take 10mg of this medicine three times a day.
Ne pas gêner la fermeture des portes.
Do not obstruct the doors when closing.
Ne pas marcher sur la pelouse.
Do not walk on the grass.
Ne jamais laisser les allumettes à portée de main des enfants.
Never leave matches within the reach of children.
3.6 In the past infinitive
The past infinitive is most commonly used in a construction involving
après :
Après avoir vérifié que toutes
les fenêtres étaient fermées, il est rentré chez lui
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After checking that all the
windows were shut, he went home
Après être arrivés au restaurant,
nous avons commandé quelque chose à boire
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On arriving at the restaurant,
we ordered something to drink
Je ne me souviens pas d’ avoir rencontré cette personne.
I don’t remember having met this person.
Pour utiliser ce nouveau logiciel il est important d’ avoir lu ce livre.
To use this new software it is important to have read this book.
Après être monté dans le train, il a commencé à lire son journal.
After getting on the train, he started reading his newspaper.
Il m’a remercié de l’avoir aidé.
He thanked me for having helped him.
La firme a été critiquée pour ne pas avoir informé rapidement les consommateurs de ce problème.
The firm was criticized for not having informed comsumers quickly enough about the problem.
