The infinitif

The infinitive, or infinitif in French, is the unconjugated form of a verb.

In English, infinitives are preceded by the word ‘to’. (The infinitive form of the verb 'drink', for example, is 'to drink'.) In French, however, infinitives have their own distinct form.

When you learn a verb for the first time, you will usually encounter it in its infinitive form. (This is how they are listed in our verb lists, for example.) The ending of each verb in its infinite form provides clues as to how to conjugate the verb (more on this below). Once you know the conjugations, you can use that verb in any case or tense.

However, there are also several situations in which we use the infinitif form of the verb.

When a verb refers to another verb, the second verb must take the infinitive form. For instance, if you wanted to say 'I ate the cake' in French, you must conjugate manger in the first person passé composé form: 'J'ai mangé le gâteau'. But if you were to say 'I wanted to eat the cake', you would instead conjugate vouloir (to want) and leave manger in the infinitive form: 'J'ai voulu manger le gâteau'.

Laissez-moi voir. - Let me see.

J'espère venir plus tard. - I hope to come later.

Va chercher ton sac. - Go and get your bag.

C'est important d'être attentif. - It's important to pay attention.

Il sera difficile de trouver le temps. - It will be difficult to find the time.

Sauter à la corde est l'un des meilleurs moyens de brûler des calories. - Skipping is one of the best ways to burn calories

Chanter est bon pour la santé mentale. - Singing is good for your mental health.

In addition to the imperative, you can also issue orders in French by using the infinitive. This is more often the case for polite, impersonal instructions.

Ne pas marcher sur la pelouse. - Don't walk on the grass.

Lire attentivement les instructions. - Read the instructions thoroughly.

Note that while English generally uses the gerund form of a verb after a preposition, in French we use the infinitive.

Avant de jouer, assurez-vous d'avoir lu les règles. - Before playing the game, make sure you've read the rules.

Après avoir quitté la ville, on ne l'a plus jamais revu. - After leaving town, he was never seen again.

Infinitives in the first group category end in -er, while infinitives in the second group end in -ir. Infinitives in the third group have a few different spellings, so it's worth learning these separately.

Below are some common verbs belonging to each group, and their corresponding infinitive form.