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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enlier

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The English translation of the French verb enlier is “to bind” or “to tie”. It is pronounced as “ah-nyay”.

Enlier comes from the Old French word “enlacier”, which means “to entwine” or “to wrap up”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense, which is the present tense of the infinitive form. This form is used to describe actions that are ongoing or not yet completed.

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

  1. Je vais enlier les cadeaux pour Noël. (I am going to wrap the gifts for Christmas.)
  2. Nous devons enlier les branches pour en faire un bouquet. (We must tie the branches together to make a bouquet.)
  3. Tu peux enlier tes cheveux en une tresse. (You can tie your hair in a braid.)

Overall, enlier is a versatile verb that can be used to describe the act of binding, tying, wrapping, or intertwining. It is commonly used in everyday conversation in French and is an important verb to know for describing physical actions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je enlie Je enlie les chaussures. I tie the shoes.
tu enlies Tu enlies les mains. You tie your hands.
il enlie Il enlie les cadeaux. He ties the gifts.
elle enlie Elle enlie ses cheveux. She ties her hair.
on enlie On enlie les cordes. We tie the ropes.
nous enlions Nous enlions les nœuds. We tie the knots.
vous enliez Vous enliez le colis. You tie the package.
ils enlient Ils enlient les plantes. They tie the plants.
elles enlient Elles enlient les ballons. They tie the balloons.

Other Conjugations for Enlier.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enlier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enlier – 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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