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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enjamber

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The English translation of the French verb enjamber is “to straddle” or “to step over.” The infinitive form of enjamber is pronounced as “ahn-zham-bay.”

Enjamber comes from the Old French word “enjambe,” which means “to straddle.” It is derived from the Latin root “in” meaning “in” and “gamba” meaning “leg.” In everyday French, enjamber is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense to describe physically stepping over something, such as a barrier or obstacle.

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

  1. Je dois enjamber cette clôture pour entrer dans le jardin. (I have to step over this fence to enter the garden.)
  2. Elle a enjambé la flaque d’eau pour ne pas se mouiller les pieds. (She straddled the puddle to avoid getting her feet wet.)
  3. Nous allons devoir enjamber cette rivière pour arriver au village. (We will have to straddle this river to reach the village.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je enjambre Je enjambe le ruisseau. I stride over the stream.
tu enjambres Tu enjambres les obstacles. You step over obstacles.
il enjambe Il enjambe la clôture. He climbs over the fence.
elle enjambe Elle enjambe avec aisance. She gracefully steps over.
on enjambe On enjambe les roches. We step over the rocks.
nous enjambons Nous enjambons la rivière. We straddle the river.
vous enjambez Vous enjambez les dunes. You hop over the dunes.
ils enjambent Ils enjambent les obstacles. They step over obstacles.
elles enjambent Elles enjambent le mur. They climb over the wall.

Other Conjugations for Enjamber.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enjamber

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enjamber – 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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