The Infinitive in French

Non-Personal Verb Forms in French: Understanding the Infinitive

1. Simple Definition

In French, verbs can appear in two main categories: personal forms (which change depending on the subject) and non-personal verb forms (which do not change based on the subject). The infinitive is the most common non-personal verb form in French. It is the base form of a verb — the form you find in a dictionary — and it does not indicate who is doing the action or when.

Think of the infinitive as the “neutral” version of a verb. In French, infinitives typically end in -er, -ir, or -re.

2. Simple Examples

• parler — to speak
• finir — to finish
• prendre — to take
• être — to be
• avoir — to have

Notice how these forms do not tell us who is speaking, finishing, or taking. They are simply the raw, unchanged form of the verb.

3. Key Elements of the Infinitive in French

3.1 The Three Groups of Infinitives

French infinitives are traditionally divided into three groups based on their endings:

Group	Ending	Example	Meaning
1st group	-er	manger	to eat
2nd group	-ir	choisir	to choose
3rd group	-re / -ir / -oir	vendre / partir / voir	to sell / to leave / to see

The first group (-er verbs) is by far the largest and most regular. Most new verbs added to French belong to this group.

3.2 The Infinitive as a Verb Complement

One of the most common uses of the infinitive is after another conjugated verb. This is called an infinitive complement. Many French verbs are directly followed by an infinitive.

• Je veux manger. — I want to eat.
• Elle aime danser. — She likes to dance.
• Nous devons partir. — We must leave.
• Il peut venir. — He can come.

Notice that in French, there is no word equivalent to the English “to” before the second verb. The infinitive stands alone after modal-type verbs like vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, aimer, etc.

3.3 The Infinitive After Prepositions

In French, after prepositions (such as à, de, pour, sans, avant de), you always use the infinitive — never a conjugated verb or a gerund as in English.

• Il est important de travailler. — It is important to work.
• Elle apprend à lire. — She is learning to read.
• Il est parti sans dire au revoir. — He left without saying goodbye.
• Mange avant de dormir. — Eat before sleeping.

3.4 The Infinitive Used as a Noun

The infinitive can also function as a noun (subject or object of a sentence). This is quite common in French, especially in formal or written language.

• Voyager est enrichissant. — Traveling is enriching.
• Manger sainement est important. — Eating healthily is important.
• J’adore lire. — I love reading.

4. Why the Infinitive in French Is Important

Understanding the infinitive is essential for any French learner. Here is why:

• It is your starting point. Every French verb you look up in a dictionary is listed in its infinitive form. Knowing the infinitive helps you identify and learn new verbs.
• It is used constantly. In everyday French speech, the infinitive appears after modal verbs, prepositions, and in many fixed expressions.
• It simplifies grammar. Because the infinitive does not change, you do not need to worry about agreement or conjugation when using it. This makes it easier to build sentences.
• It is the base for conjugation. When you conjugate a verb, you often start from the infinitive stem. Recognizing the group (-er, -ir, -re) helps you apply the correct conjugation pattern.

5. Comparison with Other Languages

Let’s see how the French infinitive compares with its equivalents in Spanish and English:

Feature	French	Spanish	English
Infinitive endings	-er, -ir, -re	-ar, -er, -ir	base form (no specific ending)
Marker word	None (or preposition: à, de)	None (or preposition: a, de)	“to” before the verb
After modal verbs	Je veux manger	Quiero comer	I want to eat
After prepositions	Infinitive: sans parler	Infinitive: sin hablar	Gerund (-ing): without speaking
As a noun/subject	Manger est bon.	Comer es bueno.	Eating is good. (gerund preferred)

Key difference: In English, after a preposition, you use the gerund (-ing form). In French and Spanish, you use the infinitive. This is a very common mistake for English speakers learning French!

• English: without eating → French: sans manger (not sans mangeant)
• English: before leaving → French: avant de partir (not avant de partant)

6. Complete Example

Let’s look at a short paragraph that shows several uses of the infinitive in context:

« Le matin, j’aime prendre un café avant de partir au travail. Il est important de manger quelque chose. Je dois aussi faire du sport. Bouger chaque jour est bon pour la santé. »

Translation: “In the morning, I like to have a coffee before leaving for work. It is important to eat something. I also need to exercise. Moving every day is good for your health.”

Let’s break down each infinitive use:

• prendre — infinitive after the verb aimer (to like)
• partir — infinitive after the preposition avant de (before)
• manger — infinitive after the preposition de (part of the expression il est important de)
• faire — infinitive after the modal verb devoir (must/have to)
• Bouger — infinitive used as the subject of the sentence (like a noun)

7. Key Takeaways

• The infinitive is the base, unconjugated form of a French verb. It does not change according to subject or tense.
• French infinitives end in -er, -ir, or -re. The -er group is the most common.
• The infinitive is used after modal verbs (vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, aimer…) without any extra word in between.
• After prepositions (à, de, pour, sans, avant de…), always use the infinitive — not the -ing form as in English.
• The infinitive can act as a noun, serving as the subject or object of a sentence.
• Mastering the infinitive is one of the most practical steps for building correct and natural French sentences.

8. Sources

• Riegel, M., Pellat, J.-C., & Rioul, R. (2009). Grammaire méthodique du français. Presses Universitaires de France.
• Grevisse, M., & Goosse, A. (2011).
  

Grevisse, M., & Goosse, A. (2011). Le Bon Usage (15th ed.). De Boeck Supérieur.

Bescherelle. (2012). La Grammaire pour tous. Hatier.