IB Diploma French B SL · Grammar backbone 8 of 10 — Infinitive & participle constructions
IB French B Grammar
Infinitive & participle constructions
When one verb governs another in French, the second verb is usually an infinitive — but the link between them changes. Some verbs join directly, some need à, and some need de. On top of that sit the gerund (en + -ant), après avoir/être, and the causative faire. This lesson maps them all.
verb + (à / de) + infinitiveen + -ant · après avoir + past participle · faire + infinitive
IB Diploma French B (SL): this grammar is the backbone of all five prescribed themes — identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet — and it powers every receptive, productive and interactive task.
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to pick the right link, some to build the construction. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
Direct link
Verb + infinitive directly
Many common verbs take the infinitive with no preposition at all — verbs of wishing, liking, movement and the modals:
Je veuxaller. — I want to go. (wishing)
J'aimelire. — I like to read. (liking)
Je doispartir. — I must leave. (modal)
The pattern:vouloir, aimer, pouvoir, devoir, aller, préférer + infinitive — the two verbs sit side by side.
Link with à
Verb + à + infinitive
A big group of verbs demand à before the infinitive. Learn these as fixed pairs:
commencer à — to begin to · apprendre à — to learn to
réussir à — to succeed in · aider à — to help to
continuer à — to continue to · hésiter à — to hesitate to
Example:Je commence à travailler — I begin to work.
Quick check
Which link?
?Complete: Je commence ___ travailler. ("I begin to work.")
Link with de
Verb + de + infinitive
Another large group demands de. Again, learn them as pairs:
finir de — to finish · essayer de — to try to
décider de — to decide to · oublier de — to forget to
refuser de — to refuse to · venir de — to have just
Special star:venir de + infinitive means "to have just (done)": Je viens de manger = I have just eaten.
Type it
Your turn — the à-verb
1Translate "I begin to work" — use commencer à.
Hint: Je commence + à + the infinitive travailler.
"To have just"
venir de + infinitive
The construction venir de + infinitive is the neat French way to say something has just happened — the very recent past:
Je viens de manger. — I have just eaten.
Il vient d'arriver. — He has just arrived.
Nous venons de finir. — We have just finished.
Watch the elision: before a vowel de becomes d' — viens d'arriver, not de arriver.
Quick check
"I have just eaten"
?Which means "I have just eaten"?
Sort it
Which preposition?
Type it
Your turn — "have just"
2Translate "I have just arrived" — use venir de + arriver.
Hint: Je viens + d' (elision before a vowel) + arriver.
The gerund
en + -ant = "while / by doing"
The present participle is formed from the nous stem + -ant: mangeant, travaillant. Put en in front and you get the gerund, meaning "while / by doing":
En mangeant — while eating / by eating
En travaillant — while working / by working
Both actions, one subject:Il chante en travaillant — He sings while working. The gerund describes how or when the main action happens.
Quick check
"while eating"
?Which is "while eating" (the gerund of manger)?
Type it
Your turn — the participle
3Write the present participle of manger (to eat).
Hint: the nous stem mange- + the participle ending -ant.
After having done
après avoir / être + past participle
To say "after having (done)", use après + avoir or être in the infinitive + the past participle:
Après avoir mangé — after having eaten
Après être arrivé — after having arrived
Same rule as the perfect tense: most verbs take avoir; movement / reflexive verbs take être (après être arrivé). The subject must be the same in both halves.
Quick check
"after having eaten"
?Which is "after having eaten"?
Game · Match
Match the expression to its meaning
Tap an expression on the left, then its meaning on the right.
EXPRESSION
en + -ant
venir de
après avoir
avant de
faire + inf
pour
MEANING
after having
in order to
while / by doing
to have (sth) done
to have just
before doing
Before & in order to
avant de + inf · pour + inf
Two more high-frequency infinitive links:
avant de + infinitive — before doing: avant de partir = before leaving.
pour + infinitive — in order to: Je travaille pour réussir = I work in order to succeed.
Symmetry: where après uses avoir/être + past participle ("after having done"), avant de simply takes a plain infinitive ("before doing").
Type it
Your turn — après avoir
4Write "after having eaten" in French — use après avoir + past participle.
Hint: après avoir + the past participle of manger (mangé).
The causative
faire + infinitive = "to have (sth) done"
When you don't do the action yourself but get it done, use faire + infinitive — the causative:
Je fais construire une maison. — I'm having a house built.
Elle fait réparer la voiture. — She's getting the car repaired.
Key idea:faire + infinitive means someone else carries out the action — you cause it to happen. Compare Je construis une maison (I build it myself) with Je fais construire une maison (I have it built).
Quick check
The causative in action
?Which means "I'm having a house built" (I don't build it myself)?
Sort it
à or de before the infinitive?
Sort each verb by the preposition it takes before an infinitive.
Takes 'à' before infinitive
Takes 'de' before infinitive
Type it
Your turn — the de-verb
5Translate "I try to understand" — use essayer de + comprendre.
Hint: J'essaie + de + the infinitive comprendre.
Recap
Your infinitive-construction toolkit
Direct:vouloir, aimer, devoir, pouvoir, aller + infinitive (no preposition).