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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb estimer

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The English translation of estimer is “to estimate” or “to value”. It is pronounced as “eh-stee-may”.

The verb estimer comes from the Latin word aestimare, meaning “to value” or “to esteem”. It is most often used in everyday French to express the act of valuing or estimating something, whether it be a physical object or an abstract concept.

  1. Je vais estimer la valeur de ma voiture avant de la vendre. (I am going to estimate the value of my car before selling it.)
  2. Les experts estiment que le coût de la rénovation sera élevé. (Experts estimate that the cost of the renovation will be high.)
  3. Nous n’avons pas fini d’estimer le nombre de participants à l’événement. (We have not finished estimating the number of participants for the event.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je estime Je estime mes compétences. I estimate my skills.
tu estimes Tu estimes ses actions. You estimate his actions.
il estime Il estime son travail. He estimates his work.
elle estime Elle estime son intelligence. She estimates her intelligence.
on estime On estime le temps qu’il faut. We estimate the time it takes.
nous estimons Nous estimons nos chances. We estimate our chances.
vous estimez Vous estimez mon opinion. You estimate my opinion.
ils estiment Ils estiment leur importance. They estimate their importance.
elles estiment Elles estiment sa valeur. They estimate its value.

Other Conjugations for Estimer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb estimer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Estimer – 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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