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

2. 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

3. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.)

8. 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.)

9. 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.

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

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

12. 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)

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

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

15. 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?)

16. 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.)