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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb filer

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The English translation of the French verb filer is “to spin” or “to thread.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “fee-lay”.

Filer comes from the Latin word “filum” meaning “thread” and has been used in the French language since the 12th century. It is most often used in everyday French in the L’infinitif Présent tense, which is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb.

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

  1. Je sais filer la laine pour faire des pulls tricotés à la main. (I know how to spin wool to make hand-knitted sweaters.)
  2. Mon chat adore filer après les oiseaux dans le jardin. (My cat loves to chase after birds in the garden.)
  3. Nous allons devoir filer si nous voulons arriver à l’heure au cinéma. (We’ll have to hurry if we want to make it to the movie theater on time.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je file Je file à toute vitesse. I spin / I go fast.
tu files Tu files à la boulangerie. You go to the bakery.
il file Il file droit devant. He goes straight ahead.
elle file Elle file un bas. She is spinning a stocking.
on file On file vers la gare. We are heading to the train station.
nous filons Nous filons vers l’aventure. We are heading for adventure.
vous filez Vous filez au supermarché. You go to the supermarket.
ils filent Ils filent à toute allure. They are going very fast.
elles filent Elles filent sur la piste de danse. They are dancing on the dance floor.

Other Conjugations for Filer.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb filer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Filer – 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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