Finir de or finir par? Finish an activity or eventually do it
Finir de lire means finish reading; finir par lire means eventually read. Compare one novel, a book-club exchange and four questions on de and par.
In short
Finir de + infinitive means “finish doing”: J’ai fini de lire (I finished reading). Finir par + infinitive means “eventually do” or “end up doing”: J’ai fini par lire (I eventually read).
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What is the difference between finir de and finir par?
J’ai fini de lire ce roman.I finished reading this novel.
Focus: The reading reaches its end.
finir de + infinitif
Il me restait dix pages. J’ai fini de lire le roman hier.
I had ten pages left. I finished reading the novel yesterday.
J’ai fini par lire ce roman.I eventually read this novel.
Focus: Reading is the eventual outcome after a delay or hesitation.
finir par + infinitif
Tout le monde m’en parlait. J’ai fini par lire le roman.
Everyone was telling me about it. I eventually read the novel.
Finir par lire puts the reading at the end of a sequence: you hesitated, received recommendations, then read it. The construction highlights that eventual choice. Finir de lire focuses on reaching the end of the reading itself.
From choosing a book to finishing it
- Inès
Tu as choisi un livre pour le club ?
Have you chosen a book for the club?
- Léa
Oui. J’hésitais entre deux romans. J’ai fini par emprunter celui de Nadia.
Yes. I was hesitating between two novels. I ended up borrowing Nadia’s.
- Inès
Tu le lis encore ?
Are you still reading it?
- Léa
Non, j’ai fini de le lire hier soir.
No, I finished reading it last night.
- Inès
Alors, tu peux nous dire ce que tu en penses !
Then you can tell us what you think of it!
Four things for an evening of reading
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How do you conjugate finir de and finir par?
| French | English | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Je finis de préparer mon résumé. | I’m finishing my summary. | The activity is in its final stage. |
| J’ai fini de préparer mon résumé. | I finished preparing my summary. | The preparation is complete. |
| J’ai fini par demander de l’aide. | I eventually asked for help. | Asking is the eventual outcome. |
| Nous finissons de lire. | We’re finishing reading. | Finissons changes with nous; lire stays infinitive. |
The present je finis de can describe the final stage while the work is still happening. For completed past work, use j’ai fini de. Before a vowel, de becomes d’: J’ai fini d’écrire. Par stays unchanged: J’ai fini par écrire.
J’ai fini le roman.
I finished the novel.
With a noun directly after finir, this sentence needs neither de nor par.