Verb + infinitive constructions

In English we constantly link two verbs together: I want to eat, I like to play, I must to … no — I must go. French does the same thing, and the rule is wonderfully simple:

Conjugate the FIRST verb to match the subject. Leave the SECOND verb as an infinitive (the unchanged dictionary form).

An infinitive is the form you look up in a dictionary. In English it usually starts with "to" — to eat, to finish, to sell. In French it is a single word with one of three endings:

Group	Infinitive ending	Example	English
1st group	-er	manger	to eat
2nd group	-ir	finir	to finish
3rd group	-re	vendre	to sell

The infinitive never changes — that is the whole point. Once a sentence already has a conjugated verb, every following verb stays in this frozen infinitive form.

French	Word-by-word	Natural English
Je veux manger.	I want to-eat	I want to eat.
Tu aimes jouer.	You like to-play	You like to play.
Il peut partir.	He can to-leave	He can leave.
Nous devons travailler.	We must to-work	We have to work.

Notice that the first verb (veux, aimes, peut, devons) carries all the work — it shows who is doing the action and when. The second verb just names the action and sits there unchanged.

Worked mini-example. Build "We want to watch a film." Step 1: conjugate the first verb vouloir (to want) for nous (we) → nous voulons. Step 2: add the second verb as an infinitive → regarder (to watch). Step 3: finish the sentence. Result: Nous voulons regarder un film. You did not conjugate regarder — it stays as the infinitive.

Three irregular verbs do most of the heavy lifting in this topic. They are sometimes called modal verbs, and they all link directly to an infinitive — no à, no de, nothing in between.

1. vouloir (to want). Use it for wishes and polite requests.

• Je veux partir. (I want to leave.)
• Tu veux manger ? (Do you want to eat?)
• The polite form je voudrais (I would like) is far more common in real conversation: Je voudrais réserver une table. (I'd like to book a table.)

2. pouvoir (to be able to / can). Use it for ability and permission.

• Je peux nager. (I can swim.)
• Tu peux m'aider ? (Can you help me?)
• The polite form pourriez-vous …? (could you …?) is useful: Pourriez-vous répéter ? (Could you repeat?)

3. devoir (to have to / must). Use it for obligation.

• Je dois travailler. (I have to work.)
• Nous devons partir maintenant. (We must leave now.)

All three are irregular, so their conjugations must simply be learned — see the diagram above. Memorise the je, tu, il singular forms first, then the nous, vous, ils forms.

Worked mini-example. Translate "She must finish her homework." First verb = devoir for elle → elle doit. Second verb stays infinitive → finir (to finish). Add the object: ses devoirs (her homework). Result: Elle doit finir ses devoirs.

Two everyday constructions use a conjugated verb plus an infinitive to shift you in time. They are among the most useful structures in the whole syllabus because they let you talk about the future and the recent past without learning a single new tense ending.

aller + infinitive — the 'near future' (le futur proche). Conjugate aller (to go) in the present, then add an infinitive. It means 'going to do something', just like English.

French	English
Je vais manger.	I am going to eat.
Tu vas sortir ce soir ?	Are you going to go out tonight?
Il va pleuvoir.	It is going to rain.
Nous allons voyager en France.	We are going to travel to France.
Ils vont arriver demain.	They are going to arrive tomorrow.

The present tense of aller is: je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont. It is irregular, so learn it by heart.

venir de + infinitive — the 'recent past'. Conjugate venir (to come) in the present, add de, then an infinitive. It means 'to have just done' something.

French	English
Je viens de manger.	I have just eaten.
Tu **viens d'**arriver ?	Have you just arrived?
Elle vient de partir.	She has just left.
Nous venons de finir.	We have just finished.

The present tense of venir is: je viens, tu viens, il/elle vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils/elles viennent. Remember that de becomes d' before a vowel (je viens d'arriver — I have just arrived).

Worked mini-example. "I am going to study, but I have just eaten." Future half: aller for je + étudier → je vais étudier. Recent-past half: venir de for je + manger → je viens de manger. Result: Je vais étudier, mais je viens de manger.

Here is the part beginners worry about most — and the good news is that a short list covers almost everything you need for 0520. When a conjugated verb is followed by an infinitive, the link between them is one of three things:

Pattern A — no link (verb + infinitive directly). These verbs slot straight onto the infinitive with nothing in between.

Verb	Example	English
vouloir (to want)	Je veux partir.	I want to leave.
pouvoir (can)	Je peux venir.	I can come.
devoir (must)	Je dois étudier.	I must study.
aller (to go)	Je vais manger.	I am going to eat.
aimer (to like)	J'aime lire.	I like to read.
adorer (to love)	J'adore danser.	I love to dance.
détester (to hate)	Je déteste attendre.	I hate to wait.
préférer (to prefer)	Je préfère rester.	I prefer to stay.
espérer (to hope)	J'espère gagner.	I hope to win.

A memory hook: verbs of liking and wanting, and the modals, take no link. If you can put "to ___" smoothly in English after "want / can / must / like / love / hate / prefer / hope", French uses no linking word.

Pattern B — verb + à + infinitive. A smaller set needs à before the infinitive. The most common at this level:

Verb	Example	English
commencer à (to begin to)	Je commence à comprendre.	I'm beginning to understand.
apprendre à (to learn to)	J'apprends à nager.	I'm learning to swim.
réussir à (to manage / succeed in)	Je réussis à finir.	I manage to finish.
aider à (to help to)	Il aide à ranger.	He helps to tidy up.
continuer à (to continue to)	Je continue à travailler.	I continue to work.
inviter … à (to invite to)	Je l'invite à dîner.	I invite him to dinner.

Pattern C — verb + de + infinitive. Another set needs de (which becomes d' before a vowel):

Verb	Example	English
essayer de (to try to)	J'essaie de finir.	I'm trying to finish.
décider de (to decide to)	Je décide de partir.	I decide to leave.
oublier de (to forget to)	J'oublie de téléphoner.	I forget to phone.
refuser de (to refuse to)	Je refuse de payer.	I refuse to pay.
finir de (to finish doing)	Je finis de manger.	I finish eating.
venir de (to have just)	Je viens de partir.	I have just left.
avoir besoin de (to need to)	J'ai besoin de dormir.	I need to sleep.

There is no fool-proof rule for which verb takes which link — they are learned verb by verb. But notice that the most frequent everyday verbs (the modals, plus liking/wanting verbs) take no link at all, so you can speak confidently from day one and add the à/de verbs gradually.

Worked mini-example. "I'm trying to learn to swim." Outer verb essayer takes de: j'essaie de …. Inner verb apprendre takes à: apprendre à nager. Chain them: J'essaie d'apprendre à nager. (Notice de → d' before the vowel of apprendre.)

Once you can build a two-verb sentence, you need to know where the other little words go — the negative ne … pas, object pronouns like le / la / les, and adverbs.

Negatives — wrap the CONJUGATED verb. The ne … pas sandwich goes around the first (conjugated) verb, leaving the infinitive outside.

French	English
Je ne veux pas manger.	I don't want to eat.
Tu ne peux pas sortir.	You can't go out.
Nous **n'**allons pas voyager.	We are not going to travel.
Elle ne vient pas d'arriver.	She has not just arrived.

Note ne becomes n' before a vowel (n'allons). The same pattern works for ne … jamais (never) and ne … plus (no longer): je ne veux plus attendre (I don't want to wait any more).

Object pronouns — in front of the INFINITIVE. When a pronoun (le — it/him, la — it/her, les — them, me — me, te — you) is the object of the second verb, it goes directly before the infinitive, not before the conjugated verb.

French	English
Je veux le voir.	I want to see it/him.
Tu peux **m'**aider ?	Can you help me?
Je vais les acheter.	I am going to buy them.
Il décide de la vendre.	He decides to sell it.

So the order is: [subject] [conjugated verb] (link) [pronoun] [infinitive].

Adverbs — usually after the conjugated verb. Short, common adverbs slot in after the first verb: je veux vraiment partir (I really want to leave), je vais souvent nager (I often go swimming).

Worked mini-example. "I don't want to buy them." Start with the verb + infinitive: je veux acheter. Add the negative around the conjugated verb: je ne veux pas …. Put the pronoun les (them) before the infinitive: … pas les acheter. Result: Je ne veux pas les acheter.