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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décapiter

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The English translation of the French verb décapiter is “to decapitate.” It is pronounced as “day-kah-pee-tay.”

The word décapiter comes from the Latin word “caput,” meaning “head,” and the prefix “de-,” meaning “down.” It entered the French language in the 14th century.

In everyday French, décapiter is most often used in the infinitive form as a verb, and in the present tense, it becomes “décapiter.” It is typically used with the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) in compound tenses.

Here are three simple examples of décapiter in the present tense and their English translations:

  1. Je vais décapiter le poulet pour le dîner. (I am going to decapitate the chicken for dinner.)
  2. Ils décapitent les animaux avant de les mettre en vente. (They decapitate the animals before putting them up for sale.)
  3. Elle décapite les fleurs fanées de son jardin. (She decapitates the wilted flowers in her garden.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décapite Je décapite le poulet. I behead the chicken.
tu décapites Tu décapites le monstre. You behead the monster.
il décapite Il décapite les ennemis. He beheads the enemies.
elle décapite Elle décapite les fleurs. She beheads the flowers.
on décapite On décapite les victimes. We behead the victims.
nous décapitons Nous décapitons les criminels. We behead the criminals.
vous décapitez Vous décapitez les têtes. You behead the heads.
ils décapitent Ils décapitent les traîtres. They behead the traitors.
elles décapitent Elles décapitent les animaux. They behead the animals.

Other Conjugations for Décapiter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décapiter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décapiter – 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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