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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb essayer

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The English translation of the French verb essayer is “to try” or “to attempt.” The infinitive form of essayer is pronounced as eh-seh-yay.

The word essayer comes from the French word “essai,” which means “trial” or “attempt.” It is most often used in everyday French in the l’infinitif présent tense, which is the simple present tense used to express an action that is ongoing or habitual.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Je vais essayer de finir le travail ce soir. (I am going to try to finish the work tonight.)
  2. Nous devons essayer de comprendre leur point de vue. (We must try to understand their point of view.)
  3. Tu devrais essayer de nouvelles activités pour te divertir. (You should try new activities to entertain yourself.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je essaie Je essaie de comprendre. I am trying to understand.
tu essaies Tu essaies toujours. You always try.
il essaie Il essaie de cuisiner. He is trying to cook.
elle essaie Elle essaie de gagner. She is trying to win.
on essaie On essaie de trouver. We are trying to find.
nous essayons Nous essayons de dormir. We are trying to sleep.
vous essayez Vous essayez de parler. You are trying to speak.
ils essaient Ils essaient de travailler. They are trying to work.
elles essaient Elles essaient de danser. They are trying to dance.

Other Conjugations for Essayer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb essayer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Essayer – 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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