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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empercher

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The English translation of the French verb empercher is “to prevent” or “to stop.” It is pronounced as “ahm-per-shay.”

The word “empercher” comes from the Latin word “impedicare,” meaning “to entangle” or “to obstruct.” It first appeared in the French language in the 12th century and has since evolved to its current meaning of preventing or stopping.

In everyday French, the infinitive form of empercher is most often used in the present tense as “empecher.”

Here are three simple examples of empecher being used in the present tense:

  1. Nous devons empecher la chute de l’arbre. (We must prevent the tree from falling.)
  2. Tu dois empecher les enfants de jouer avec le feu. (You must stop the children from playing with fire.)
  3. Les policiers ont réussi à empecher le cambriolage. (The police managed to prevent the burglary.)

In these examples, “empecher” is used to convey the idea of stopping or preventing something from happening. It is often used in a proactive sense, as opposed to simply reacting to a situation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je empêche Je m’empêche de pleurer. I prevent myself from crying.
tu empêches Tu m’empêches de dormir. You prevent me from sleeping.
il empêche Il l’empêche de sortir. He prevents him from going out.
elle empêche Elle l’empêche de parler. She prevents him from talking.
on empêche On l’empêche de manger. We prevent him from eating.
nous empêchons Nous empêchons les accidents. We prevent accidents.
vous empêchez Vous m’empêchez de faire ça. You prevent me from doing that.
ils empêchent Ils empêchent la pollution. They prevent pollution.
elles empêchent Elles empêchent la guerre. They prevent war.

Other Conjugations for Empercher.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empercher

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Empercher – 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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