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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calligraphier

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The English translation of the French verb calligraphier is “to calligraph” or “to do calligraphy.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kah-lee-gra-fee-ay.”

The word calligraphier is derived from the Greek words “kallos” meaning “beauty” and “graphos” meaning “to write.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and has been used to refer to the art of beautiful writing ever since.

In everyday French, calligraphier is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense to describe the action of creating calligraphic writing. It is commonly used in the context of art, handwriting, and design.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Je veux apprendre à calligraphier. (I want to learn calligraphy.)
  2. Elle s’est spécialisée dans l’art de calligraphier des invitations de mariage. (She specializes in the art of calligraphing wedding invitations.)
  3. Tu devrais apprendre à calligraphier tes signatures. (You should learn how to calligraph your signatures.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je calligraphie Je calligraphie mes lettres. I calligraph my letters.
tu calligraphies Tu calligraphies tes invitations. You calligraph your invitations.
il calligraphie Il calligraphie ses poèmes. He calligraphs his poems.
elle calligraphie Elle calligraphie des cartes. She calligraphs cards.
on calligraphie On calligraphie à la main. We handwrite.
nous calligraphions Nous calligraphions des lettres. We were calligraphing letters.
vous calligraphiez Vous calligraphiez vos diplômes. You are calligraphing your diplomas.
ils calligraphient Ils calligraphient des posters. They are calligraphing posters.
elles calligraphient Elles calligraphient des citations. They are calligraphing quotes.

Other Conjugations for Calligraphier.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calligraphier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Calligraphier – 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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