- The infinitive can be used in many other ways:
- after certain adjectives
| content de happy to | |
| prêt à ready to | |
| Il est toujours prêt à rendre service. | He’s always ready to help. |
- after certain prepositions
| Pour aller à la gare? | How do you get to the station? |
| Il est parti sans dire au revoir. | He left without saying goodbye. |
- after certain set phrases involving a verb plus a noun
| avoir envie de faire quelque chose | to feel like doing something |
| avoir besoin de faire quelque chose | to need to do something |
| avoir peur de faire quelque chose | to be frightened of doing something |
| J’ai besoin de changer de l’argent. | I need to change some money. |
- in instructions that are aimed at the general public – for example, on signs or in cookery books
| Ajouter le sel et le poivre, et bien mélanger. | Add the salt and pepper, and mix well. |
| Conserver au frais. | Keep refrigerated. |
- as the subject or object of a sentence, when the infinitive corresponds to the -ing form in English used as a noun
| Fumer n’est pas bon pour la santé. | Smoking isn’t good for your health. |
| J’adore lire. | I love reading. |
TipYou can use the verb faire with an infinitive to refer to something you are having done by someone else.
| Je dois faire réparer ma voiture. | I have to get my car repaired. |
Key points
- Infinitives are found after certain adjectives, prepositions and set phrases, and in instructions to the general public.
- They can also function like nouns, as the subject or object of another verb.