Français III H Leçon 3A - Structures Prepositions with the infinitive Reciprocal reflexives

Infinitive constructions – where the first verb is conjugated and the second verb is an infinitive, are common in French. conjugated verb infinitive Je veux aller à l’école. Nous aimons faire du ski

Some conjugated verbs are followed directly by an infinitive Some conjugated verbs are followed directly by an infinitive. Others are followed by the preposition à or de before the infinitive. J’ adore jouer au foot. J’ apprends à faire la cuisine. Je finis de mettre la table.

Verbs followed directly by infinitive: adorer aimer aller détester devoir espérer pouvoir préférer savoir vouloir

Verbs followed by à before infinitive: aider à s’amuser à apprendre à arriver à commencer à continuer à hésiter à se préparer à réussir à

Verbs followed by de before infinitive: arrêter de décider de éviter de finir de s’occuper de oublier de permettre de refuser de rêver de venir de

Place object pronouns before infinitives. J’ai décidé de les télécharger. (I decided to download them.) Il est arrivé à le lui donner. (He managed to give it to him.)

The infinitive is also used after the prepositions pour and sans. Nous sommes venus pour t’aider. (We came to help you.) Elle part sans manger. (She’s leaving without eating.)

Reciprocal reflexives Reciprocal reflexives express a shared action between two or more people or things. In this context, the pronoun means (to) each other or (to) one another.

Common reciprocal verbs s’adorer s’aimer (bien) to adore one another to love (to like) one another s’aider to help one another

se dire se connaître se donner to know one another to tell one another to give one another

s’entendre bien (avec) s’embrasser s’écrire to kiss one another to write one another s’entendre bien (avec) to get along well (with one another)

se parler se quitter se regarder to leave one another to speak to one another se regarder to look at one another

se rencontrer se retrouver se téléphoner to meet one another (make an acquaintance) to meet one another (planned) se téléphoner to phone one another

Examples Reflexive: Il se regarde dans le miroir. (He looks at himself in the mirror.) Reciprocal: Alain et Diane se regardent. (Alain and Diane look at each other.) Annick et Joël s’écrivent tous les jours. (Annick et Joel write one another every day.) Vous vous donnez souvent rendez-vous le lundi? (Do you arrange to meet often on Mondays?)

Passé composé with reciprocal verbs: Like reflexive verbs, reciprocal verbs use the auxiliary verb être. Ils se sont aidés. (They helped each other.) * Elles se sont parlé. (They spoke to each other.) * Agreement does not happen when the subject of the reciprocal verb is also the indirect object.)