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The infinitive is the verb form generally used after a preposition in French.
À (to) and de (from, about) are the most common prepositions in French.
In many expressions, the choice of the preposition à or de before an infinitive is purely idiomatic;
that is, it is unrelated to meaning. In such cases, one must memorize which preposition is used.
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à + infinitive
When the following verbs are followed by an infinitive, the preposition à is required.
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![audio](../images/gr/sound.gif) |
Tex a du mal à trouver l'inspiration. |
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Tex finds it difficult to find inspiration. |
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aider à, to help to |
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encourager à, to encourage to |
s'amuser à, to have fun at |
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s'habituer à, to get used to |
apprendre à, to learn to |
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hésiter à, to hesitate to |
arriver à, to succeed in, to manage to |
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inviter à, to invite to |
s'attendre à, to expect to |
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se mettre à, to start to |
avoir du mal à, to find it difficult to |
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se préparer à, to prepare to |
chercher à, to try to, to attempt to |
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renoncer à, to give up |
commencer à, to start to |
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réussir à, to succeed at |
continuer à/de, to continue to (either à or de) |
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servir à, to be used for |
se décider à, to make up one's mind to |
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tenir à, to be anxious to, to be eager to |
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de + infinitive
When the following verbs are followed by an infinitive, the preposition de is required.
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![audio](../images/gr/sound.gif) |
Tex arrête d'écrire, parce qu'il rêve d'embrasser Tammy. |
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Tex stops writing, because he is dreaming of kissing Tammy. |
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(s')arrêter de, to stop |
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oublier de, to forget to |
choisir de, to choose to |
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permettre (à quelqu'un) de, to permit someone to |
conseiller de, to advise to |
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persuader de, to persuade to |
se contenter de, to content oneself with |
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se presser de, to hurry to |
continuer à/de, to continue to (either à or de) |
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promettre de, to promise to |
décider de, to decide to |
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proposer de, to propose to |
s'efforcer de to try hard to, to endeavor to |
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refuser de, to refuse to |
essayer de, to try to |
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rêver de to dream of |
s'excuser de, to apologize for |
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se soucier de, to care about |
finir de, to finish |
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se souvenir de, to remember to |
mériter de, to deserve, to be worth |
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Most idiomatic expressions with avoir also require de + infinitive:
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![audio](../images/gr/sound.gif) |
Oh, Tex a l'air de rêver. |
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Oh, Tex seems to be dreaming. |
Tex a peur de se réveiller. |
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Tex is afraid of waking up. |
Tex a envie de dormir. |
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Tex feels like sleeping. |
Tex a besoin de se reposer. |
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Tex needs to rest. |
Tex a honte d'être américain. |
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Tex is ashamed of being American. |
Tex a tort d'être susceptible. |
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Tex is wrong in being touchy / should not be touchy. |
Tex a raison d'être fier. |
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Tex is right to be proud. |
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The infinitive may be used to complete the sense of an adjective or a pronoun.
Generally infinitives following a noun or adjective are preceded by the preposition de.
(Tex est content de voir Tammy dans ses rêves érotiques. Tex is glad to see Tammy in his erotic dreams.)
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However, adjectives and nouns are followed by the preposition à + infinitive to indicate a passive sense or a function:
"cette eau est bonne à boire" (this is drinking water), "ce livre est amusant à lire" (this book is fun to read), "c'est triste à voir" (it's a sorry sight), "c'est difficile à dire" (this is difficult to say).
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pour, afin de, avant de, sans, par + infinitive
The infinitive expresses purpose when it is used after pour or afin de (in order to).
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In the case of avant de (before) and sans (without),
the English translation is often a conjugated verb (before they left), or a present participle (without speaking), rather than the English infinitive.
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The infinitive follows the preposition par (by) after the verbs commencer (to start) and finir (to finish).
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![audio](../images/gr/sound.gif) |
pour/afin de |
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Tex s'allonge sur son lit pour lire. |
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Tex lies down on his bed to read. |
avant de |
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Avant de s'endormir, Tex lit toujours un poème érotique. |
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Before going to sleep, Tex always reads an erotic poem. |
sans |
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Il ne peut pas dormir sans rêver de Tammy. |
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He can not sleep without dreaming of Tammy. |
par |
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Il finit par rêver de Tammy toute la nuit. |
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He ends up dreaming of Tammy all night long. |
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après (past infinitive constructions)
The infinitive of avoir or être plus the past participle of a verb is used after the preposition après (after) to describe a preceding action in the past. Note the past participle agreement in past constructions with être.
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![audio](../images/gr/sound.gif) |
Après avoir rêvé de Tammy, Tex retrouve son inspiration. |
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After dreaming of Tammy, Tex finds his inspiration again. |
Après être devenue la muse de Tex, Tammy est passée à la postérité! |
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After becoming Tex' muse, Tammy is immortalized! |
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