L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balader

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The English translation of the French verb balader is “to stroll” or “to wander.” The infinitive form of balader is pronounced “ba-la-dey.”

The word balader comes from the Old French word “balester,” meaning “to throw or launch.” Over time, it evolved to mean “to move around” and eventually took on the meaning of “to stroll” or “to wander.”

In everyday French, balader is most often used in the l’infinitif présent (present infinitive) tense as a simple action verb. It can be used in both a literal and figurative sense, to describe physically moving around or taking a leisurely walk, as well as mentally wandering or daydreaming.

Here are three simple examples of balader in the l’infinitif présent tense, with their English translations:

  1. Je vais balader dans le parc cet après-midi. (I am going to stroll in the park this afternoon.)
  2. Nous aimons nous balader en ville le soir. (We like to wander around the city in the evening.)
  3. Elle passe son temps à se balader dans ses pensées. (She spends her time daydreaming.)

Table of the L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of balader

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me balade Je me balade en ville. I stroll around the city.
tu te balades Tu te balades souvent. You often take walks.
il se balade Il se balade dans le parc. He takes a walk in the park.
elle se balade Elle se balade en forêt. She takes a walk in the forest.
on se balade On se balade en vélo. We go for a bike ride.
nous nous baladons Nous nous baladons au bord de la mer. We take a walk by the sea.
vous vous baladez Vous vous baladez dans le quartier. You walk around the neighborhood.
ils se baladent Ils se baladent ensemble. They take a walk together.
elles se baladent Elles se baladent en ville. They stroll around the city.

Other Conjugations for Balader.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader 

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader 

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader 

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader 

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader 

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader 

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader  (this article)

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Balader – About the French L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense

BEFORE you continue…. why not take a deep dive into all the French tenses with my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
The French “l’infinitif présent” (Infinitive Present) tense is not a true verb tense in the same way that the present, past, or future tenses are. Instead, it’s the base form of a verb, and it has several important uses and interactions with other tenses.

Forming the Infinitive Present

To form the infinitive present of a verb, you typically take the unconjugated form of the verb (the form you’d find in a French dictionary) and remove the ending. For regular verbs, you remove the -er, -ir, or -re ending, and you’re left with the infinitive. For example:
   – Parler (to speak)
   – Finir (to finish)
   – Vendre (to sell)

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

As a Verb’s Dictionary Form

The most common use of the infinitive present is to represent a verb in its base form. It’s the form you would find in a dictionary or verb conjugation table.

After Modal Verbs

When you use modal verbs like “pouvoir” (can), “vouloir” (want), or “devoir” (must), the verb that follows is in its infinitive form. For example:
     – Je veux manger. (I want to eat.)
     – Il peut parler français. (He can speak French.)

As an Imperative

In informal commands, the infinitive is often used. For example:
     – Ferme la porte. (Close the door.)

In Infinitive Clauses

In complex sentences, especially after certain conjunctions, the infinitive is used to express actions that are separate from the main verb. For example:
     – J’ai besoin de manger avant de partir. (I need to eat before leaving.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Tense

The infinitive present can be used with the present tense to express ongoing actions or habitual actions. For example:
     – J’aime manger des croissants. (I like eating croissants.)

Future Tense

When combined with the future tense of “aller,” the infinitive present can express future actions. For example:
     – Je vais manger au restaurant demain. (I am going to eat at the restaurant tomorrow.)

Conditional Tense

The infinitive present is often used with the conditional to express actions that would happen in a hypothetical situation. For example:

     – Il mangerait s’il avait faim. (He would eat if he were hungry.)

Passé Composé

When forming compound tenses like “passé composé,” the auxiliary verb (être or avoir) is conjugated, and the main verb remains in its infinitive form. For example:
     – J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
     – Elle est partie. (She left.)

Imperfect Tense

The infinitive present can be combined with the imperfect tense to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. For example:
     – Quand j’étais enfant, j’aimais jouer. (When I was a child, I liked to play.)

Subjunctive and Conditional Moods

In some complex sentences, the infinitive can be used with the subjunctive and conditional moods, especially when expressing uncertainty, possibility, or doubt.

Summary

The infinitive present in French serves as the base form of a verb and is used in various contexts, including after modal verbs, in imperative commands, in infinitive clauses, and in combination with other tenses to convey a wide range of meanings and actions. Its flexibility makes it a fundamental part of French grammar.

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