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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dodiner

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The English translation of the French verb dodiner is “to nod” or “to doze off.” It is pronounced as “doh-dee-nay.”

The word dodiner comes from the Old French word “dodiner,” which meant “to rock back and forth.” It is derived from the Middle Dutch word “dudderen,” which means “to shake.” In modern French, dodiner is most often used in its figurative sense, meaning to nod off or fall asleep.

In the L’infinitif Présent tense, dodiner is conjugated as “dodiner.” Here are three examples of its usage in everyday French:

  1. Je n’arrête pas de dodiner en classe. (I can’t stop nodding off in class.)
  2. Le bébé dodine dans son berceau. (The baby is dozing off in his crib.)
  3. Après une longue journée de travail, je me suis installé dans mon fauteuil et j’ai dodiné devant la télévision. (After a long day at work, I settled into my armchair and dozed off in front of the television.)

English translations:

  1. I can’t stop nodding off in class.
  2. The baby is dozing off in his crib.
  3. After a long day at work, I settled into my armchair and dozed off in front of the television.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je dodine Je dodine sur la balançoire. I sway on the swing.
tu dodines Tu dodines lorsqu’il fait chaud. You sway when it’s hot.
il dodine Il dodine en écoutant de la musique. He sways while listening to music.
elle dodine Elle dodine avec le bébé. She rocks the baby.
on dodine On dodine avec nos amis. We rock with our friends.
nous dodinons Nous dodinons ensemble. We rock together.
vous dodinez Vous dodinez au rythme de la musique. You sway to the rhythm of the music.
ils dodinent Ils dodinent avec leurs enfants. They rock with their children.
elles dodinent Elles dodinent dans le hamac. They rock in the hammock.

Other Conjugations for Dodiner.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dodiner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dodiner – 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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