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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chicaner

Get the L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) tense conjugation of chicaner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb chicaner is “to quibble” or “to nitpick.” It is pronounced as “shee-kah-nay.”

The word chicaner comes from the French noun “chicane,” meaning “dispute” or “trickery,” and the suffix “-er” used to form verbs. It is most often used in everyday French in the L’infinitif Présent tense, which is the simple present tense.

Examples:

  1. Je déteste quand tu chicanes sur les détails. (I hate when you quibble over details.)
  2. Arrête de chicaner, ça n’a pas d’importance. (Stop nitpicking, it doesn’t matter.)
  3. Les enfants aiment souvent chicaner avec leurs frères et soeurs. (Children often like to quibble with their siblings.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je chicane Je chicane constamment. I constantly argue.
tu chicanes Tu chicanes trop. You argue too much.
il chicane Il chicane souvent. He argues often.
elle chicane Elle chicane beaucoup. She argues a lot.
on chicane On chicane pour rien. We argue for no reason.
nous chicanons Nous chicanons toujours. We always argue.
vous chicanez Vous chicanez avec vos amis. You argue with your friends.
ils chicanent Ils chicanent ensemble. They argue together.
elles chicanent Elles chicanent souvent. They argue often.

Other Conjugations for Chicaner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chicaner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the chicaner L’infinitif Présent tense conjugation! 

Chicaner – 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.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb chicaner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts