Ultimate outcomes (finir par)

Expressing Ultimate Outcomes with "finir par"

To express that you "end up" doing something, use the conjugated verb finir followed by the preposition par and an infinitive.

With some patience, you are going to end up solving this puzzle.
Avec de la patience, tu vas finir par résoudre ce casse-tête.

You can use it in the near future (by conjugating aller before finir) to predict an inevitable result:

If you turn right in this maze, you are going to end up finding a dead end.
Si tu tournes à droite dans ce dédale, tu vas finir par trouver un cul-de-sac.
If you use this sequence, you are going to end up unlocking the door.
Si tu utilises cette séquence, tu vas finir par débloquer la porte.

"Finir par" in the Past Tense

To describe an outcome that has already happened, put finir in the passé composé (avoir fini):

Thanks to his perseverance, he ended up getting out of the maze.
Grâce à sa persévérance, il a fini par sortir du dédale.
I ended up understanding the trick thanks to my intuition.
J'ai fini par comprendre l'astuce grâce à mon intuition.