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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détourner

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The English translation of the French verb détourner is “to divert” or “to turn away”. It is pronounced as “day-toor-nay”.

The verb détourner comes from the Old French word “déturner” which means “to turn away” and is derived from the Latin word “dēvertere” which has the same meaning. In everyday French, détourner is most often used in its infinitive form, “détourner”, in the L’infinitif Présent tense.

Here are three simple examples of détourner in the L’infinitif Présent tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Je vais détourner mes yeux pour ne pas voir la scène. (I am going to divert my eyes so I don’t see the scene.)
  2. Tu dois détourner ton attention des distractions et te concentrer sur tes études. (You must turn away your attention from distractions and focus on your studies.)
  3. Nous allons détourner cette route à cause des travaux. (We are going to divert this road because of the construction.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je détourne Je détourne le regard. I look away.
tu détournes Tu détournes les yeux. You look away.
il détourne Il détourne l’argent. He diverts the money.
elle détourne Elle détourne les fonds. She embezzles the funds.
on détourne On détourne la conversation. We change the subject.
nous détournons Nous détournons la loi. We bend the law.
vous détournez Vous détournez les yeux. You avert your gaze.
ils détournent Ils détournent les dons. They misappropriate donations.
elles détournent Elles détournent les ressources. They divert resources.

Other Conjugations for Détourner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détourner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Détourner – 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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