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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bricoler

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The English translation of the French verb bricoler is “to tinker” or “to do odd jobs.” The infinitive form of bricoler is pronounced “bree-koh-lay.”

The word bricoler comes from the French noun “bricolage,” which means “do-it-yourself” or “handyman” work. It is derived from the verb “bricole,” which means “to putter” or “to fiddle with.”

In everyday French, bricoler is often used in the l’infinitif présent tense to describe a person who enjoys tinkering or doing small projects. It can also be used to describe someone who is improvising or finding creative solutions to problems.

Here are three examples of how bricoler is used in the l’infinitif présent tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Je passe mes week-ends à bricoler dans mon garage. (I spend my weekends tinkering in my garage.)
  2. Mon père adore bricoler et il peut réparer n’importe quoi. (My father loves tinkering and he can fix anything.)
  3. En voyage, il faut souvent bricoler pour résoudre des imprévus. (When traveling, you often have to improvise to solve unexpected problems.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je bricole Je bricole le weekend. I do DIY on weekends.
tu bricoles Tu bricoles souvent. You often do DIY.
il bricole Il bricole son vélo. He fixes his bike.
elle bricole Elle bricole sa maison. She does DIY for her house.
on bricole On bricole ensemble. We do DIY together.
nous bricolons Nous bricolons pour Noël. We will do DIY for Christmas.
vous bricolez Vous bricolez avec vos enfants. You do DIY with your children.
ils bricolent Ils bricolent pour gagner de l’argent. They do DIY to earn money.
elles bricolent Elles bricolent pour se détendre. They do DIY to relax.

Other Conjugations for Bricoler.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bricoler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bricoler – 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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