#CGF “Cours de grammaire française

Cours002: Past Infinitive

The past infinitive is used to express something that has already happened. Verbs such as ‘s’excuser’ , ‘regretter’, and ‘remercier’ are often used in this tense.  It is formed with the infinitive of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the past participle of the main verb.  And the past participle can have agreement as well, with either the subject or the object, depending on the sentence. Whenever après is followed by a verb, it is always a past infinitive.  And note that negative expressions precede an infinitive.

Examples:
1. Je vous remercie d’être venus. I thank you for coming (or having come.)

2. Excusez-moi d’être arrivé(e) en retard. Excuse me for arriving (or having arrived) late.

3. Après avoir fini mes études, je veux 
devenir professeur.
After finishing (or having finished) my studies, I want to become a teacher.

3. Elle regrette de ne pas avoir posé de questions. She regrets not asking (or having asked) any questions.

Courtesy: Les Scarabées’16.

Posted on the  WhatsApp Group of My French World by Emmanuel Adebayo