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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb filouter

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The English translation of the French verb filouter is “to swindle” or “to cheat”. The infinitive form of filouter is pronounced as “fee-loo-tay”.

The origin of the word filouter can be traced back to the Old French word “filot”, which meant “a small cord” or “thread”. Over time, this word evolved to mean “to deceive or trick someone”, possibly in reference to someone pulling the strings like a puppeteer. In everyday French, filouter is most often used in the L’infinitif Présent tense (present infinitive) to indicate an ongoing or habitual action.

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

  1. Il aime bien filouter ses amis pour obtenir ce qu’il veut. (He likes to cheat his friends to get what he wants.)
  2. Elle est connue pour filouter ses clients en leur vendant de faux produits. (She is known for swindling her clients by selling them fake products.)
  3. Nous devons être vigilants pour ne pas nous faire filouter par ces vendeurs malhonnêtes. (We must be careful not to be swindled by these dishonest sellers.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je file Je file à toute vitesse. I sneak away quickly.
tu files Tu files sans bruit. You sneak quietly.
il file Il file à l’anglaise. He sneaks away without a sound.
elle file Elle file dans la rue. She slips away in the street.
on file On file dans la nuit. We sneak away in the night.
nous filons Nous filons en douce. We sneak away secretly.
vous filez Vous filez discrètement. You sneak away discreetly.
ils filent Ils filent en douce. They sneak away secretly.
elles filent Elles filent sans être vues. They sneak away without being seen.

Other Conjugations for Filouter.

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

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb filouter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Filouter – 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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