Infinitive Phrases
French: KS3, topic 15.5.1
The Infinitive
The infinitive is "the dictionary form" of verbs.
The 3 infinitives
- Infinitives are classified into 3 groups depending on their endings.
- -ER (1st group)
- -IR (2nd group)
- -RE (3rd group)
Grammar Rules
- The infinitive is never altered in an infinitive phrase.
- J'aime faire du vélo
- Tu aimes faire du vélo
- Il/Elle aime faire du vélo
- Nous aimons faire du vélo
- Vous aimez faire du vélo
- Ils/Elles aiment faire du vélo
- When 2 verbs follow each other, the second verb is always in the infinitive.
- He likes to talk → Il aime parler.
- She can cook → Elle sait faire la cuisine.
Translating the infinitive
- The infinitive in French can be translated into English either with the gerund (i.e. the "-ing" form) or the infinitive (i.e. the "to" form).
- Il aime parler → He likes to talk / He likes talking.
Uses of the infinitive
- High frequency verbs: verbs such as aimer (to like), aller (to go), faire (to do), savoir (to know) are often used in the infinitive form.
- J'aime aller à la plage. ( I like going to the beach.)
- Verbs used with prepositions such as "de" and "à" must be followed by an infinitive.
- Je finis de faire la vaisselle. → I finish doing the washing up.
- Je commence à faire mes devoirs à six heures. → I start doing my homework at six.
Uses of the infinitive (cont.)
- Infinitive phrases can also be used to express future actions.
- Je vais aller en France cet été. → I am going to go to France this summer.
- J’ai l’intention d’aller en France cet été. → I intend to go to France this summer.
Test yourself on Infinitive Phrases
Which are the 3 groups of verbs in French?
Which infinitive phrase is correct?