Non-Personal Verb Forms in French

Understanding infinitives, participles, and gerunds in French

1. What Are Non-Personal Verb Forms?

In French grammar, non-personal verb forms (also called formes non personnelles du verbe) are verb forms that do not change according to the subject (I, you, he, she, etc.). They do not carry information about who is performing the action. There are three main non-personal verb forms in French: the infinitif, the participe, and the gérondif.

2. Simple Examples to Get Started

Here are a few quick examples to show you what non-personal verb forms look like in French:

• Infinitive: Parler (to speak) — Je veux parler. (I want to speak.)
• Past Participle: Parlé (spoken) — Il a parlé. (He spoke.)
• Present Participle: Parlant (speaking) — La femme parlant fort… (The woman speaking loudly…)
• Gerund: En parlant (by speaking / while speaking) — Elle apprend en parlant. (She learns by speaking.)

Notice that none of these forms change based on who is doing the action. They stay the same regardless of the subject.

3. The Elements of Non-Personal Verb Forms in French

Let’s explore each non-personal verb form in detail.

3.1 The Infinitive (L’Infinitif)

The infinitif is the base form of the verb — the form you find in a dictionary. It is equivalent to “to + verb” in English. In French, infinitives end in -er, -ir, or -re.