When you are organizing donations or assigning tasks, you often need to describe things that need to be done—like "clothes to wash," "objects to tag," or "a pile to sort." French handles this with a simple construction using the preposition à.
The Structure: Noun + "à" + Infinitive
To describe an object that requires an action, place à immediately after the noun, followed by the infinitive form of the verb.
| Welcome to the thrift store, here is the first pile to sort. | Bienvenue à la friperie, voici la première pile à trier. |
| It is a matter of looking for the coats to repair. | Il s'agit de chercher les manteaux à réparer. |
This is sometimes called the "passive infinitive" because the noun is receiving the action. The pile isn't sorting itself; it is to be sorted.
Everyday Tasks
This construction is incredibly common in everyday French for organizing chores or workflow, such as at a charity thrift store (la friperie).
| Put the objects to tag in the green bin. | Mettez les objets à étiqueter dans le bac vert. |
| Take the one that is salvageable, it is a toy to pack. | Prends celui qui est récupérable, c'est un jouet à emballer. |
Adding Adjectives
If you need to describe the noun with an adjective, place the adjective in its normal position (usually right after the noun) before adding the à + infinitive structure.
| Even if this sweater is dirty, it is a salvageable piece of clothing to wash. | Même si ce pull est sale, c'est un vêtement récupérable à laver. |
| We have used shoes to pack right away. | Nous avons des chaussures usagées à emballer tout de suite. |
Using with General Nouns
You can also use this structure with general nouns like des choses (things) or des vêtements (clothes) when describing what someone has brought or has to do.
| The donor has clothes to give to the thrift store. | Le donateur a des vêtements à donner à la friperie. |
| The donor brought things to sort. | Le donateur a apporté des choses à trier. |