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The prepositions 'à' and 'de' in French

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Key points about the prepositions 'à' and 'de'

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  • Some verbs can be followed by à and a , such as dire à quelqu’un (to say to someone).

  • Some verbs can be followed by à and an , such as commencer à faire (to start doing).

  • Some verbs can be followed by de and a noun, such as jouer d’un instrument (to play an instrument).

  • Some verbs can be followed by de and an infinitive, such as decider de faire (to decide to do).

  • Contract à and the as follows:

    • à + le → au
    • à + la → à la
    • à + l’ → à l’
    • à + les → aux

  • Contract de and the definite article as follows:

    • de + le → du
    • de + la → de la
    • de + l’ → de l’
    • de + les → des
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Using verbs followed by 'à'

Some verbs in French can be followed by plus either a noun or an infinitive.

Verbs followed by 'à' and a noun

Some verbs are followed by à and a person or thing, such as (to say to).

For example:

J’ai dit « bonjour » à mon frère. – I said 'hello' to my brother.

Some more useful verbs that are followed by à and a noun are:

FrenchEnglishExample
to askElle a demandé au prof s’il y avait des devoirs. – She asked the teacher if there was any homework.
to give toJe vais donner une glace à mon ami. – I’m going to give my friend an ice cream.
to write toAs-tu écrit à tes grands-parents ? – Have you written to your grandparents?
to speak toAvez-vous parlé à votre prof ? – Have you spoken to your teacher?
to answerIl ne voulait pas répondre à sa mère. – He didn’t want to answer his mother.
to phoneMa mère téléphone à sa sœur une fois par semaine. – My mum phones her sister once a week.
to be interested inJe m’intéresse au sport. – I’m interested in sport.
to play (a sport)Elles aiment jouer au tennis. – They like playing tennis.

When using à with a definite article, you need to contract the article:

masculinefemininebefore a vowel or silent hplural
à + le → auà laà l’à + les → aux

For example:

Je parle au garçon. – I’m talking to the boy.

Elle répond aux e-mails. – She’s replying to the emails.

Verbs followed by 'à' and a noun - Mini quiz

Icon representing a multiple-choice question with answers A, B and C

What is the French translation of the following sentence?

I’m interested in trains.

Verbs followed by 'à' and an infinitive

Some verbs are followed by à and an infinitive, such as (to learn to).

For example:

Il apprend à danser. – He’s learning to dance.

Some more useful verbs followed by à and an infinitive are:

FrenchEnglishExample
to start/begin toNous avons commencé à recycler. – We’ve started to recycle.
to continue toIl continue à travailler. – He’s continuing to work.
to succeed in/manage toJe vais réussir à faire un marathon. – I’m going to succeed in/manage to run a marathon.
Piece of paper with the word remember written on it

Remember

Réussir à can also mean 'to pass' in the sense of taking an exam:

réussir à un examen – to pass an exam.

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Verbs followed by 'de'

Some verbs can be followed by de plus either a noun or an infinitive.

Verbs followed by 'de' and a noun

Some verbs are followed by de and a person or thing, such as (to think about, have an opinion) and (to play an instrument).

For example:

Qu’est-ce que tu penses des devoirs ? – What do you think of homework? (What is your opinion of homework?)

Je joue du piano. – I play the piano.

When using de with a definite article, you need to contract the article:

masculinefemininebefore a vowel or silent hplural
de + le → dude lade l’de + les → des

Verbs followed by 'de' and an infinitive

Some verbs are followed by and an infinitive, such as (to decide to).

For example:

Nous avons décidé d’aller à la piscine. – We’ve decided to go to the pool.

Some more useful verbs followed by de and an infinitive are:

FrenchEnglishExample
to try toIls essaient de lire un livre. – They’re trying to read a book.
to refuse toJe refuse de travailler ce week-end. – I’m refusing to work this weekend.
to stopTu dois arrêter de parler. – You should stop talking.

Verbs followed by 'de' and an infinitive - Mini quiz

Icon representing a multiple-choice question with answers A, B and C

What is the French translation of the following sentence?

He decided to learn French.

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Quiz - The prepositions 'à' and 'de' in French

Practise what you've learned about the prepositions à and de with nouns and infinitives with this quiz.

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Now you’ve learned about the prepositions à and de, why not explore the imperfect tense?

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