L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Introduction to the verb commencer
The English translation of the French verb commencer is “to begin” or “to start.” It is pronounced “koh-mahn-say” in its infinitive form.
The word commencer comes from the Latin word “cominitiare” which means “to initiate” or “to start.” It entered the French language in the 12th century.
In everyday French, commencer is most often used in the l’infinitif présent tense to indicate an action that is currently happening or about to happen. It can also be used in the imperative form to give a command or instruction.
Here are three simple examples of commencer used in the l’infinitif présent tense and their English translations:
- Je vais commencer à étudier pour mon examen. (I am going to start studying for my exam.)
- On doit commencer à se préparer pour le dîner. (We need to start getting ready for dinner.)
- Elle aime commencer sa journée avec une tasse de café. (She likes to begin her day with a cup of coffee.)
Table of the L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of commencer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Usage | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | commence | Je commence à travailler. | I start to work. |
tu | commences | Tu commences à comprendre. | You start to understand. |
il | commence | Il commence à pleuvoir. | It starts to rain. |
elle | commence | Elle commence à lire. | She starts to read. |
on | commence | On commence la réunion. | We start the meeting. |
nous | commençons | Nous commençons le travail. | We start the work. |
vous | commencez | Vous commencez à chanter. | You start to sing. |
ils | commencent | Ils commencent à jouer. | They start to play. |
elles | commencent | Elles commencent à danser. | They start to dance. |
Other Conjugations for Commencer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer (this article)
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Commencer – About the French L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense
Forming the Infinitive Present
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
As a Verb’s Dictionary Form
After Modal Verbs
As an Imperative
In Infinitive Clauses
Interactions with Other Tenses
Present Tense
Future Tense
Conditional Tense
Passé Composé
Imperfect Tense
Subjunctive and Conditional Moods
Summary
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