FR: finir par

[anne333]

Hi
i was just wondering, when using 'finir par' in a sentence is it followed by the infinitive or the present participle... for example:

'nous finirons par chanter une chanson'
or
'nous finirons par chantant une chanson'?

Or does it depend on the tense??

 

[DDT]

As far as I know it is always followed by an infinitive

DDT

 

[anne333]

thank you DDT!

 

[oxd]

Yeah, DDT is right : after "finir par" there is always the infinitive.
If you want to use the present participle you can use "en". For example :
"nous finirons en chantant une chanson" but the meaning of the sentence is not quite the same.
oxd

 

[anne333]

thank you! yes, i understand how the meaning is different.