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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emprunter

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The English translation of the French verb emprunter is “to borrow.” The infinitive form of emprunter is pronounced “ahm-pruhn-TEH.”

The word emprunter comes from the Old French word “emprunter,” which means “to borrow.” It is derived from the Latin word “impruntare,” which also means “to borrow.”

In everyday French, emprunter is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense, which is the present tense infinitive form. This tense is used to express actions that are currently happening or actions that will happen in the future, without specifying a particular subject.

Some examples of emprunter in L’infinitif Présent tense are:

  1. Je dois emprunter de l’argent pour acheter une voiture. (I have to borrow money to buy a car.)
  2. Nous allons emprunter un livre à la bibliothèque. (We are going to borrow a book from the library.)
  3. Tu devrais emprunter une robe pour le mariage. (You should borrow a dress for the wedding.)

In these examples, emprunter is used to express the action of borrowing, without specifying who is doing the borrowing. It is often followed by a direct object, such as “de l’argent” (money), “un livre” (a book), or “une robe” (a dress).

In summary, emprunter is a versatile verb that is commonly used in everyday French to express the action of borrowing. Its origin can be traced back to Old French and Latin, and it is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense to express current or future actions without specifying a subject.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je emprunte Je emprunte de l’argent. I borrow money.
tu empruntes Tu empruntes mon livre. You borrow my book.
il emprunte Il emprunte la voiture. He borrows the car.
elle emprunte Elle emprunte un parapluie. She borrows an umbrella.
on emprunte On emprunte une idée. We borrow an idea.
nous empruntons Nous empruntons un chemin différent. We take a different path.
vous empruntez Vous empruntez beaucoup. You borrow a lot.
ils empruntent Ils empruntent des livres. They borrow books.
elles empruntent Elles empruntent de l’argent. They borrow money.

Other Conjugations for Emprunter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emprunter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Emprunter – 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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