Semi-Auxiliary Verbs in French

Quick Answer

In French, some verbs take on a special grammatical role when followed by another verb in the infinitive. These are called verbes semi-auxiliaires(semi-auxiliary verbs). They help express nuances of time, mood, intention, obligation, or possibility, and they work alongside a main verb, forming a multi-word verb phrase.

examples
Elle veut partir maintenant. She wants to leave now.
Nous devons finir ce projet avant demain. We have to finish this project before tomorrow.
Ils laissent dormir les enfants. They're letting the children sleep.

examples

Elle veut partir maintenant.

She wants to leave now.

Nous devons finir ce projet avant demain.

We have to finish this project before tomorrow.

Ils laissent dormir les enfants.

They're letting the children sleep.

In this article, you'll learn what semi-auxiliary verbs are and how they differ from true auxiliary verbs in French. C'est parti !(Let's go!)

Questions This Article Answers

What are semi-auxiliary verbs in French?

How are semi-auxiliary verbs different from auxiliary verbs?

What does aller mean when used as a semi-auxiliary verb?

What does venir mean when used as a semi-auxiliary verb?

Where do pronouns go with semi-auxiliary verbs?

How do you negate a semi-auxiliary verb?

Can semi-auxiliary verbs appear in different tenses?

What Are Semi-Auxiliary Verbs?

Les verbes semi-auxiliaires(semi-auxiliary verbs) are verbs that act as helpers to the main verb. Unlike the true auxiliary verbs avoir(to have) and être(to be), they don't form compound tenses. Instead, they combine with the main verb to form multi-word verb phrases that express things like intention, necessity, permission, or possibility.

The semi-auxiliary verb is often conjugated, while the main verb that follows must stay in the infinitive form.

The Most Common Semi-Auxiliary Verbs in French

Below are the most frequently used semi-auxiliary verbs. Each must be followed by an infinitive to qualify as a semi-auxiliary.

Semi-Auxiliary Verb	English
aller	to be going to (do something)
devoir	must (do something), to have to (do something)
faire	to make (someone do something), to have (someone do something)
laisser	to let (someone do something)
pouvoir	can (do something), to be able to (do something)
venir	just (did something)
vouloir	to want to (do something)

examples
Tu vas adorer ce restaurant ! You're going to love this restaurant!
Je dois finir ce rapport avant midi. I have to finish this report before noon.
Le professeur fait répéter les élèves après lui. The teacher makes the students repeat after him.
Les policiers laissent partir le suspect. The police officers are letting the suspect go.
Nous pouvons résoudre ce problème ensemble. We can solve this problem together.
Joël vient d'arriver à l'aéroport. Joël just arrived at the airport.
Je veux apprendre le polonais. I want to learn Polish.

Semi-auxiliary verbs can also function as main verbs, depending on whether they are followed by an infinitive or not. For example, vouloir(to want) is a main verb in Je veux un chien.(I want a dog.), but a semi-auxiliary verb in Je veux apprendre le polonais.(I want to learn Polish.)

Meaning and Usage of the Most Common Semi-Auxiliary Verbs

Aller

The semi-auxiliary verb aller is used to form the futur proche(near future). The futur proche expresses what's going to happen soon or is certain to happen in the future.

examples
Je vais manger les restes plus tard. I'm going to eat the leftovers later.
Pierre va partir dans cinq minutes. Pierre is going to leave in five minutes.

Want to learn more about the futur proche in French? Check out this article!

The Near Future in French

Devoir

The semi-auxiliary verb devoir expresses obligation, necessity, or probability depending on the context.

examples
Tu dois respecter les règles. You must follow the rules.
Il doit être en Italie, vu les selfies à Pise qu'il a postés aujourd'hui. He must be in Italy, judging by the Pisa selfies he posted today.

Faire

The semi-auxiliary verb faire is used to express causation—that is, making someone do something or having something done. When faire is used this way, it can imply either direct causation (to make someone do something) or delegated action (to have something done).

examples
Nous faisons peindre la maison en bleu. We’re having the house painted blue.
Je fais apprendre le français à mon frère. I’m making my brother learn French.

Note that in French, the person or thing performing the action expressed by the main verb (in the examples below, les élèves) comes:

before or after the infinitive if it's a full noun or noun phrase
before the semi-auxiliary verb if it's a pronoun

In English, this same person or thing always comes between the semi-auxiliary and main verb.

examples
Le professeur fait répéter les élèves après lui. The teacher makes the students repeat after him.
Le professeur les fait répéter après lui. The teacher makes them repeat after him.

Laisser

The semi-auxiliary verb laisser is used to express permission, tolerance, or the idea of letting someone do something.

examples
Il laisse parler son ami sans l'interrompre. He lets his friend speak without interrupting him.
Nous laissons les personnes âgées s'asseoir dans le métro. We let elderly people sit down on the subway.

Note that, like with faire, the person or thing performing the action expressed by the main verb (in the example below, les enfants) comes:

before or after the infinitive if it's a full noun or noun phrase
before the semi-auxiliary verb if it's a pronoun

examples
Je laisse sortir les enfants. I let the children go out.
Je les laisse sortir. I let them go out.

Pouvoir

The semi-auxiliary verb pouvoir is used to express ability, possibility, or permission.

examples
Je peux venir demain si tu veux. I can come tomorrow if you want.
Vous pouvez entrer maintenant. You can come in now.

Venir

The semi-auxiliary verb venir followed by de(of, from) and an infinitive expresses an action that just took place. This construction, called the passé récent(recent past), is used to describe something that happened not long ago.

examples
Je viens de manger. I just ate.
Elle vient d'arriver à l'aéroport. She just arrived at the airport.

Want to learn more about the passé récent in French? Check out this article!

The Recent Past in French

Vouloir

The semi-auxiliary verb vouloir is used to express desire, intention, or willingness to do something.

examples
Je veux apprendre le chinois. I want to learn Chinese.
Elle veut partir en vacances cet été. She wants to go on vacation this summer.

In polite speech, vouloir is often used in the conditional mood to soften a request or suggestion.

examples
Je voudrais parler au directeur. I would like to speak to the manager.
Nous voudrions partir plus tard. We would like to leave later.

Want to know more about these Most Common Semi-Auxiliary Verbs in French? Discover their various uses—not just as semi-auxiliaries—along with translations and examples on FrenchDictionary:

Aller

Devoir

Faire

Laisser

Pouvoir

Venir

Vouloir

Pronouns and Negation with Semi-Auxiliaries

When you use a semi-auxiliary verb followed by an infinitive, the placement of pronouns and negation follows the same general patterns as with other "verb + infinitive" structures, but a few details are worth noting.

Pronouns with Semi-Auxiliaries

When a direct object pronoun, indirect object pronoun, or reflexive pronoun accompanies a verb phrase that includes a semi-auxiliary verb, the pronoun is usually placed before the main verb, not before the semi-auxiliary verb.

examples
Je veux le voir. I want to see him.
Elle doit nous aider. She has to help us.
Nous allons lui parler. We're going to talk to him.

However, with the semi-auxiliary verbs faire and laisser, the object pronoun referring to the person or thing performing the action expressed by the infinitive is placed before the semi-auxiliary verb, not before the infinitive verb.

examples
Je la fais manger. I'm making her eat.
Je les laisse entrer. I'm letting them come in.

Negation with Semi-Auxiliaries

To make a sentence with a semi-auxiliary negative, place ne … pas (not) around the semi-auxiliary verb (if it’s conjugated), not the main verb. This applies to other negative pairs such as ne … plus (not … anymore), ne … jamais (never), and ne … rien (not...anything).

examples
Je ne veux pas sortir. I don't want to go out.
Elle ne peut rien voir. She can't see anything.
Nous n'allons jamais oublier. We're never going to forget.
Je ne laisse plus mes enfants boire de soda. I don't let my children drink soda anymore.

Negation Before the Main Verb

Although the negation pair is normally placed around the conjugated semi-auxiliary verb in French, as explained above, it's also possible, although less common, to place both parts of the negation pair just before the main verb. Compare these two sentences:

Nous ne voulons pas dépendre des autres.(We don't want to depend on others.)

Nous voulons ne pas dépendre des autres.(We want to not depend on others.)

Both structures are grammatically correct but carry a stylistic or semantic nuance:

When negation surrounds the semi-auxiliary verb, as in the first sentence, it focuses on the intention or ability expressed by that semi-auxiliary verb.

When negation is used together just before the main verb, as in the second sentence, it tends to emphasize the action itself being negated (the idea of doing or not doing something).

Semi-Auxiliary Verbs in Other Tenses

Is it possible to use semi-auxiliary verbs in tenses other than the present? Great question! Yes, it is! Here are a few examples:

examples
J'allais partir quand tu es arrivé. I was going to leave when you arrived.
Nous avons dû attendre plus d'une heure. We had to wait for over an hour.
Nous ferons construire une maison près du lac. We will have a house built near the lake.
Nous aurons laissé passer notre chance. We will have let our chance slip away.
Elle aurait pu dire la vérité. She could have told the truth.
Je venais de partir quand il a téléphoné. I had just left when he called.
Elle aurait voulu être médecin. She would have liked to be a doctor.