Skip to content
VirtusAcademy

The Infinitive Used as a Noun

FoundationHigherAQA

Understand The Infinitive Used as a Noun for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). A French infinitive can act as a noun, where English would use the -ing form.

Free downloads

These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

WorksheetFoundation · PDFMark SchemeFoundation · PDF

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

French uses the infinitive where English often uses the -ing form, and this catches students out constantly.

After a preposition such as avant de, sans or pour, French uses the infinitive: avant de manger means before eating, sans parler means without speaking, pour aller means in order to go. Translating -ing directly produces something that is simply wrong in French.

The infinitive also follows certain verbs directly with no preposition — j'aime nager, je veux partir, je dois travailler. And it can act as a noun in its own right, so voir, c'est croire means seeing is believing. The single rule worth holding onto is that where English uses -ing, French usually needs the infinitive.

Revision notes

After prepositions

Avant de, sans, pour and au lieu de are all followed by the infinitive.

Avant de manger — before eating. Sans parler — without speaking. Pour aller — in order to go. English uses -ing here, French uses the infinitive.

After certain verbs

Aimer, vouloir, devoir, pouvoir, préférer and others take a direct infinitive with no preposition.

J'aime nager. Je veux partir. Je dois travailler. Il peut venir. The second verb stays in the infinitive form.

The infinitive as a noun

The infinitive can act as a noun, particularly in general statements.

Voir, c'est croire — seeing is believing. Fumer est dangereux — smoking is dangerous. Again English uses -ing where French uses the infinitive.

Key points

  • French uses the infinitive where English uses -ing.
  • Avant de is followed by an infinitive.
  • Sans and pour take the infinitive.
  • Aimer and vouloir take a direct infinitive.
  • No preposition is needed after these verbs.
  • The infinitive can act as a noun.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: before eating. [2 marks]

Working

avant de mangeruse avant de for before
The infinitive manger is used, not an -ing formuse the infinitive after the preposition

Example 2

Translate: I want to leave. [2 marks]

Working

Je veux partiruse vouloir for want
Partir stays in the infinitive with no preposition after veuxkeep the second verb as an infinitive

Example 3

Explain what is wrong with translating 'without speaking' word for word. [2 marks]

Working

English uses the -ing form after withoutstate the English structure
but French requires the infinitive after sans, giving sans parlerstate the French requirement

Common mistakes

  • Using a present participle where an infinitive is needed.

    Sans parlant is wrong; it must be sans parler.

  • Adding a preposition after aimer or vouloir.

    J'aime nager, not j'aime à nager.

  • Forgetting the de in avant de.

    It is avant de manger, not avant manger.

  • Translating -ing literally.

    French almost always needs the infinitive instead.

Exam tips

  • Use the infinitive after avant de, sans and pour.
  • Take no preposition after aimer, vouloir and devoir.
  • Remember -ing in English usually means infinitive in French.
  • Learn avant de as a single unit.

Key terms

Infinitive
The base form of a verb, such as manger.
Preposition
A word such as sans or pour, followed by an infinitive.
Present participle
The -ant form, rarely used where English uses -ing.
Modal verb
A verb such as vouloir taking a direct infinitive.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.