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Prepositions + Infinitive: pour and sans

FoundationHigherAQA

Revise Prepositions + Infinitive: pour and sans 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). Pour and sans are followed by an infinitive to mean in order to and without doing.

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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

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Higher

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Topic overview

Pour and sans are both followed by an infinitive, where English would use a different form entirely.

Pour plus an infinitive means in order to: je travaille pour réussir means I work in order to succeed. English often drops the words in order and says simply to succeed, but French always needs pour.

Sans plus an infinitive means without doing: il est parti sans dire au revoir means he left without saying goodbye. English uses the -ing form here, French uses the infinitive. This is the single most reliable rule about French prepositions — with the one exception of en, every preposition takes an infinitive.

Revision notes

Pour meaning in order to

Je travaille pour réussir — I work in order to succeed.

English often shortens this to simply to succeed, but French requires pour. Il économise pour acheter une voiture — he is saving to buy a car.

Sans meaning without

Il est parti sans dire au revoir — he left without saying goodbye.

English uses the -ing form after without; French uses the infinitive. Sans parler, sans manger, sans regarder — always the infinitive.

The general rule

Every French preposition is followed by an infinitive, with one exception.

The exception is en, which takes the present participle: en mangeant. Every other preposition — pour, sans, avant de, au lieu de — takes the infinitive.

Key points

  • Pour plus an infinitive means in order to.
  • English often drops in order.
  • Sans plus an infinitive means without doing.
  • English uses -ing where French uses the infinitive.
  • Every preposition takes an infinitive.
  • En is the one exception, taking -ant.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: I work in order to succeed. [2 marks]

Working

Je travaille pour réussiruse pour with the infinitive
Réussir stays in the infinitive after the prepositionexplain the structure

Example 2

Translate: he left without saying goodbye. [2 marks]

Working

Il est parti sans dire au revoiruse sans with the infinitive
French uses the infinitive where English uses the -ing formexplain the difference

Example 3

State the one preposition that does not take an infinitive. [2 marks]

Working

enname the preposition
It takes the present participle instead, as in en mangeantstate what it takes

Common mistakes

  • Using a present participle after sans.

    Sans dire, not sans disant.

  • Omitting pour.

    French requires it even when English drops in order.

  • Using -ant after prepositions generally.

    Only en takes the present participle.

  • Conjugating the verb after a preposition.

    It stays in the infinitive.

Exam tips

  • Use the infinitive after every preposition but en.
  • Include pour even when English omits it.
  • Remember en is the single exception.
  • Never conjugate a verb after a preposition.

Key terms

Pour
In order to, followed by an infinitive.
Sans
Without, followed by an infinitive.
Infinitive
The form required after prepositions.
En
The one preposition taking a present participle.

Related topics

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