Published May 8, 2020 • Updated June 13, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson, teaching French online since 2014
The French infinitive mood (l’infinitif) is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb. It’s the form you’ll find in a dictionary, such as parler (to speak), finir (to finish), and prendre (to take). French infinitives are used in many ways, including as the subject of a sentence, in instructions and signs, after verbs of perception, and in the infinitif passé.
Common uses of the French infinitive
| Use | French example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Subject of a sentence | Apprendre le chinois n’est pas facile. | Learning Chinese is not easy. |
| Instructions and signs | Ne pas marcher sur le gazon. | Do not walk on the grass. |
| Verbs of perception | J’ai entendu le chien aboyer. | I heard the dog barking. |
| Questions and headings | Quoi faire ? | What can we do? |
| Infinitif passé | Après avoir fini, nous pourrons regarder le film. | After finishing, we’ll be able to watch the film. |
The infinitive as the subject of a sentence
When an infinitive functions as the subject of a sentence, English often uses the -ing form of the verb.
Suivre un cours de français est une bonne idée.
Taking a French class is a good idea.
Apprendre le chinois n’est pas facile.
Learning Chinese is not easy.
Travailler le week-end n’est pas amusant.
Working on weekends is not fun.
Giving directions and signage
French often uses the infinitive in recipes, medicine labels, public signs, and written instructions.
Prendre trois fois par jour.
Take three times a day.
Ne pas marcher sur le gazon.
Do not walk on the grass.
Negating the infinitive with ne… pas
When negating an infinitive, ne pas comes directly before the infinitive.
Elle m’a dit de ne pas arriver avant 21 h.
She told me not to arrive before 9:00 p.m.
Il m’a dit de ne pas mettre les pieds sur la table.
He told me not to put his feet on the table.
Cooking instructions
Recipes commonly use infinitives to describe each step.
Râper le gruyère.
Grate the Gruyère cheese.
Casser deux œufs.
Crack two eggs.
After verbs of perception
After verbs such as voir (to see) and entendre (to hear), French uses an infinitive where English often uses an -ing form.
J’ai vu les enfants traverser la rue.
I saw the children crossing the street.
J’ai entendu le chien aboyer.
I heard the dog barking.
Forming questions
The infinitive sometimes appears in short questions, headings, and similar expressions.
Quoi faire ?
What can we do?
Quoi dire ?
What’s there to say?
Infinitif passé
The infinitif passé expresses an action that happened before another action. It is formed with the infinitive of avoir (to have) or être (to be) followed by a past participle.
| Structure | French example | English |
|---|---|---|
| avoir + past participle | Après avoir fini, nous pourrons regarder le film. | After finishing, we’ll be able to watch the film. |
| avoir + past participle | Je vous remercie d’avoir préparé ce repas ! | Thank you for preparing this meal! |
| avoir + past participle | Merci d’avoir pris le temps de nous rencontrer. | Thanks for taking the time to meet us. |
| être + past participle | Je vous remercie d’être venu ! | Thank you for coming! |
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