FR: souhaiter (de) + infinitif - préposition

[lumiere137]

You can use both souhaiter + inf or souhaiter de + inf, but is there a difference in meaning?

 

[Razorlight]

"Souhaiter de + Inf" is incorrect.

"Souhaiter de + noun" is correct.

 

[Schmorgluck]

All other things equal, there's no difference, but the construction with "de" is archaic.

There are other, quite different, constructions, still of use, that use de + inf. At least one, anyway : "souhaiter [à quelqu'un] de [verbe à l'infinitif]".

 

[lumiere137]

But I find the following on CNRTL:
β) Souhaiter de + inf. Il n'eût pas su lequel, de Dante ou de Mozart, Dieu lui laissant le choix, il eût souhaité d'être (Gautier, Albertus, 1833, p. 157). Elle s'approcha de lui. Gilbert souhaitait d'être à cent lieues de là. On le regardait. Il se sentait glacé. Il ôta son chapeau et dit: − Bonsoir, mademoiselle (Arland, Ordre, 1929, p. 97).

 

[Razorlight]

As Schmorgluck said, that is an old construction. Nowadays you won't read or hear "souhaiter de + inf".

(in the old construction "souhaiter de" = "souhaiter)

 

[lumiere137]

Thanks to you both.

 

[saquiwej]

I have found this example in Le Grand Robert:

Chacun lui demande ce qu'il souhaite d'obtenir.

There is no mention about it being archaic. Native speakers, does it have the taste of days of yore?

 

[Maître Capello]

The usual construction is definitely not to use the de. Using it is a bit unusual, but I wouldn't say it is archaic as mentioned above by some natives. It is maybe just a little bit old-fashioned.

Il souhaite obtenir une autorisation. (correct and natural)
Il souhaite d'obtenir une autorisation. tick (correct but infrequent nowadays)

However, please note that if there is an indirect object mentioning who you wish something to, the preposition de is mandatory.

Je lui souhaite de réussir (correct and natural)
Je lui souhaite réussir