Can the infinitive be implied?

William C.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Can the infinitive be implied?

Can the infiniive be implied in this construction? For example: J’aurais pu traduire le titre, mais j'ai décidé de ne pas. (I could have translated the title but I decided not to.)

This question relates to:French lesson "Using negations with infinitive verbs in French indirect speech (French Negations)"

Asked 6 years ago

Like0Answer3

CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi William,

You have to finish the sentence with 'to do it' or it seems unfinished in French.

I would prefer, however,

"...mais j'ai décidé de ne pas le faire" not to repeat 'traduire' which I was taught to avoid at school...

Hope this helps!

Like26 years ago

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

No, I don't think that would work in French. You would need to say:

J'aurais pu traduire le titre, mais j'ai décidé de ne pas le traduire. -- I could have translated the title, but I decided not to translate it.

Like06 years ago

William C.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I understand!

Thanks Chris and Cécile

Like06 years ago

William C. asked:

Can the infinitive be implied?

Can the infiniive be implied in this construction? For example: J’aurais pu traduire le titre, mais j'ai décidé de ne pas. (I could have translated the title but I decided not to.)

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