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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb comparer

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The English translation of the French verb comparer is “to compare.” It is pronounced “kom-pa-ray.”

The word comparer comes from the Latin word “comparare,” meaning “to compare” or “to match.” It entered the French language in the 14th century and has remained a commonly used verb since then.

In everyday French, the verb comparer is often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense, which is the simple present tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that regularly occur in the present or general truths.

Example 1: Je aime comparer les prix avant d’acheter. (I like to compare prices before buying.)
Example 2: Elle adore comparer les styles de mode. (She loves to compare fashion styles.)
Example 3: On doit toujours comparer les options avant de prendre une décision. (One should always compare options before making a decision.)

In these examples, comparer is used to express the action of comparing in a general sense. The verb remains in its infinitive form and is used with the subject pronouns je, elle, and on in the present tense. The English translations reflect this tense and use “to” before the verb.

In summary, the French verb comparer comes from the Latin word “comparare” and means “to compare.” It is most commonly used in the L’infinitif Présent tense to express the action of comparing in a general sense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je compare Je compare les prix. I compare the prices.
tu compares Tu compares des choses. You compare things.
il compare Il compare les options. He compares the options.
elle compare Elle compare les offres. She compares the offers.
on compare On compare les résultats. We compare the results.
nous comparons Nous comparons les notes. We compare the grades.
vous comparez Vous comparez les produits. You compare the products.
ils comparent Ils comparent les avantages. They compare the advantages.
elles comparent Elles comparent les services. They compare the services.

Other Conjugations for Comparer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb comparer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Comparer – 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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