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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clamper

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The English translation of the French verb clamper is “to clamp”. The infinitive form of clamper is pronounced as “klam-pey”.

The language origin of clamper can be traced back to the Old French word “clamper”, meaning “to seize or grab forcefully”. It is most often used in everyday French in the L’infinitif Présent tense, which is the basic form of the verb and is usually used to express an action that is not yet completed.

Here are three simple examples of how clamper is used in the L’infinitif Présent tense:

  1. Je vais clamper la tente avant qu’il ne pleuve. (I am going to clamp the tent before it rains.)
  2. Tu devrais clamper tes mains pour éviter de te brûler. (You should clamp your hands to avoid getting burned.)
  3. Nous allons clamper les câbles pour qu’ils ne soient pas emmêlés. (We are going to clamp the cables so that they don’t get tangled.)

English translations:

  1. I am going to clamp the tent before it rains.
  2. You should clamp your hands to avoid getting burned.
  3. We are going to clamp the cables so that they don’t get tangled.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je clamp Je clamp les objets. I clamp objects.
tu clampes Tu clampes trop fort. You clamp too hard.
il clamp Il clamp les cordes. He clamps the ropes.
elle clamp Elle clamp les papiers. She clamps the papers.
on clampe On clampe lourdement. We clamp heavily.
nous clampons Nous clampons en silence. We clamp in silence.
vous clampez Vous clampez les pieds. You clamp your feet.
ils clampent Ils clampent les bois. They clamp the wood.
elles clampent Elles clampent les tissus. They clamp the fabric.

Other Conjugations for Clamper.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clamper

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Clamper – 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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