Using the subjunctive or infinitives

Using the subjunctive or infinitives
The subjunctive can be a difficult mode because of its various spellings and triggers. It can be difficult
to know whether a phrase with a que in it is a subjunctive trigger, or whether the subjunctive is
required. In some instances, it is much easier to use an infinitive instead, which can also help you
avoid mistakes. Here are a few notes on knowing which to use.
When the subject on either side of a subjunctive trigger is the same, you cannot use the subjunctive.
You must use an infinitive instead. You could not say:
Je veux que je sois plus sportif.
Instead of the subjunctive you must use an infinitive as in:
Je veux être plus sportif.
As you can see, we dropped the whole que clause and replaced it with a simple infinitive verb. In
more complex phrases, you can often replace the que with de and replace the subject-verb clause
with an infinitive.
Tu apprendras à condition que tu lises. à Tu apprendras à condition de lire.
You can also follow the same process for sentences using general subjects instead of specifying
someone in particular.
Il faut savoir parler correctement avant que l’on puisse visiter la France.
à Il faut savoir parler correctement avant de pouvoir visiter la France.
It may also be easier to simply rewrite the sentence and replace one of the subjects with an infinitive,
thus avoiding the subjunctive.
Je te donne un livre pour que tu comprennes le subjonctif.
à Je te donne un livre pour te faire comprendre le subjonctif.
When using impersonal expressions, you can drop the que and replace the subject-verb clause with
an infinitive verb.
Il faut que tu étudies avant de sortir. à Il faut étudier avant de sortir.
Remember that in all these uses of infinitives, when a negation modifies an infinitive, it will be placed
entirely before the infinitive instead of around it.
C’est possible d’étudier et de ne pas apprendre. Tout dépend de la façon dont on travaille.
You can also use infinitives to talk about something that happened in the past. Whenever an infinitive
is used after the word après, it will always be in the past infinitive.
© 2011 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages. The past infinitive is a composite tense just like passé composé. Like in the passé composé, the
past infinitive is made up of an auxiliary verb (either avoir or être) and a past participle. The rules for
choosing the auxiliary verb and making the past participle agree are the same as for the passé
composé.
The only difference between these tenses is the conjugation of the auxiliary verb. This is the defining
characteristic for all composite tenses. In the past infinitive, the auxiliary is not conjugated, but left in
its infinitive form. This means you are only choosing between avoir or être infinitives, plus the past
participle with its proper agreement.
Après avoir vu l’examen, il a souri. (After having seen/After seeing the test, he smiled.)
Notice that there is no subject in the past infinitive clause. The absence of a subject means the verb
is not conjugated. The past infinitive can be used anytime you want to indicate an action that has
already taken place.
Il est gentil d’avoir aidé avec l’étude de grammaire. (He is kind to have helped with the
grammar studies.)
There are many ways you can use infinitives to say something complicated or to vary your sentence
structure. Remember to not always use infinitives instead of the subjunctive. It’s a tense the French
are very proud of, and using it will earn you respect. Plus, as you have seen, using infinitives changes
the meaning of your sentence to some extent. Practice well so you are able to use several different
tenses and structures.
© 2011 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages.