FlexiLingoIn one line
When two verbs share a subject, only the first is conjugated. The rest stay infinitives.
The table
| First verb — conjugated | + infinitive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
je veux /ʒə vø/ | partir /paʁ.tiʁ/ | I want to leave |
je peux /ʒə pø/ | partir /paʁ.tiʁ/ | I can leave |
je dois /ʒə dwa/ | partir /paʁ.tiʁ/ | I must leave |
j'aime /ʒɛm/ | partir /paʁ.tiʁ/ | I like leaving |
je déteste /ʒə de.tɛst/ | partir /paʁ.tiʁ/ | I hate leaving |
je vais /ʒə vɛ/ | partir /paʁ.tiʁ/ | I'm going to leave — the near future |
The second verb never changes — not with the subject, not with the tense:
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
je veux partir | /ʒə vø paʁ.tiʁ/ | |
tu veux partir | /ty vø paʁ.tiʁ/ | |
nous voulons partir | /nu vu.lɔ̃ paʁ.tiʁ/ | |
ils veulent partir | the same partir in all four | /il vœl paʁ.tiʁ/ |
Exceptions
| Exception | What happens |
|---|---|
Some verbs want à /a/ between | apprendre à parler /a.pʁɑ̃dʁ a paʁ.le/ commencer à travailler /kɔ.mɑ̃.se a tʁa.va.je/ réussir à finir /ʁe.y.siʁ a fi.niʁ/ |
Some want de /də/ | essayer de partir /e.sɛ.je də paʁ.tiʁ/ oublier de manger /u.bli.e də mɑ̃.ʒe/ arrêter de parler /a.ʁɛ.te də paʁ.le/ |
aller /a.le/ + infinitive means the future | Je vais partir. /ʒə vɛ paʁ.tiʁ/ = "I'm going to leave", not "I go to leave" |
| In the negative, only the first verb | Je ne veux pas partir. /ʒə nə vø pa paʁ.tiʁ/ |
| An object pronoun goes before the infinitive | Je veux le voir. /ʒə vø lə vwaʁ/ not Je le veux voir /ʒə lə vø vwaʁ/ |
| The object belongs to the SECOND verb | so it takes its article from the second verb too: J'aime le café /ʒɛm lə ka.fe/ but J'aime boire du café /ʒɛm bwaʁ dy ka.fe/ → exprimer-gouts /ɛks.pʁi.me.ɡu/ |
vouloir · pouvoir · devoir · aimer · détester · aller need no preposition at all — they take the infinitive directly.
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I want to leave | Je veux partir. | /ʒə vø paʁ.tiʁ/ |
| I can speak French | Je peux parler français. | /ʒə pø paʁ.le fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ |
| I must finish the work | Je dois finir le travail. | /ʒə dwa fi.niʁ lə tʁa.vaj/ |
| I like reading a book | J'aime lire un livre. | /ʒɛm liʁ œ̃ livʁ/ |
| I like listening to music | J'aime écouter de la musique. | /ʒɛm e.ku.te də la my.zik/ |
| I don't want to leave | Je ne veux pas partir. | /ʒə nə vø pa paʁ.tiʁ/ |
| I'm learning to speak French | J'apprends à parler français. | /ʒa.pʁɑ̃.z‿a paʁ.le fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ |
| I'm trying to understand | J'essaie de comprendre. | /ʒe.sɛ də kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Je veux pars. | Je veux partir. | The second verb is not conjugated |
Elle aime mange. | Elle aime manger. | Same rule |
Je ne veux partir pas. | Je ne veux pas partir. | pas wraps the first verb |
J'apprends parler français. | J'apprends à parler français. | apprendre wants à |
Je le veux voir. | Je veux le voir. | The pronoun goes before the infinitive |
Where English helps, and where it does not
the shape is the same; the little word is not
English already does this. "I want to leave", "I can leave", "I like leaving" — the second verb is not conjugated there either. The pattern needs no explaining.
The problem is the word English puts in the middle.
| English | French | |
|---|---|---|
| I want to leave | Je veux partir. /ʒə vø paʁ.tiʁ/ | no à /a/ |
| I can leave | Je peux partir. /ʒə pø paʁ.tiʁ/ | no à /a/ — English agrees here |
| I'm learning to speak | J'apprends à parler. /ʒa.pʁɑ̃.z‿a paʁ.le/ | needs à /a/ — English agrees by accident |
| I'm trying to understand | J'essaie de comprendre. /ʒe.sɛ də kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | needs de /də/, not à /a/ |
English uses "to" for all of them, so it cannot tell you which French verbs take à, which take de, and which take nothing. Three answers, one English word — which is why the preposition has to be learnt with the verb rather than reasoned out.
The verbs that need a preposition
`à` or `de` — learnt with the verb itself
With à:
| Verb | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
apprendre à | to learn to | /a.pʁɑ̃dʁ a/ |
commencer à | to start to | /kɔ.mɑ̃.se a/ |
continuer à | to carry on | /kɔ̃.ti.ny.e a/ |
réussir à | to manage to | /ʁe.y.siʁ a/ |
aider à | to help to | /ɛ.de a/ |
hésiter à | to hesitate to | /e.zi.te a/ |
With de:
| Verb | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
essayer de | to try to | /e.sɛ.je də/ |
oublier de | to forget to | /u.bli.e də/ |
arrêter de | to stop | /a.ʁɛ.te də/ |
décider de | to decide to | /de.si.de də/ |
finir de | to finish | /fi.niʁ də/ |
refuser de | to refuse to | /ʁə.fy.ze də/ |
There is no rule dividing them. They are learnt with the verb — the same way English speakers simply know it is "depend on" and not "depend of", with no reason available.