Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Verb Prepositions
Introduction
It is very important to always learn French verbs with their prepositions (the word that
follows them). This is essential to improve your French. English prepositions come naturally
to us, as we have heard them since birth. French prepositions, however, cannot be directly
translated from the English meaning.
Some French verbs don’t have prepositions following them where we would have them in
English. For example, ‘J’écoute la radio’ means ‘I am listening to the radio’. We say ‘to’, but
this is not translated in French.
I. Preposition ‘à’
The preposition ‘à’ means ‘to’ in French, but is not always used as we, in England, would use
‘to’. Some examples of verbs that take this preposition are shown below.
French Verb Example English Translation
Arriver à Il arrive à l’aéroport ce soir. He is arriving at the airport
tonight.
Continuer à Je continue à faire mes
devoirs chaque jour.
I am continuing to do my
homework every day.
Encourager à Nous encourageons ma sœur
à suivre ses rêves.
We encourage my sister to
follow her dreams.
S’habituer à Elles s’habituent à manger They (feminine) are getting
used to eating more
plus de légumes. vegetables.
S’intéresser à Je m’intéresse à l’histoire du
Moyen Orient.
I am interested in Middle
Eastern history.
Hésiter à Elle hésite à faire sa décision. She is hesitating about
making her decision.
Commencer à Vous commencez à
m’énerver !
You are starting to annoy
me!
Passer du temps à Ils passent du temps à faire
de la natation.
They spend time swimming.
Persister à Pourquoi est-‐ce que je
persiste à faire les mêmes
erreurs ?
Why do I persist in making
the same mistakes ?
! Notice how we say ‘arrive at’ in English, whereas in French ‘à’ (‘to’) is used.
! We say ‘to be interested in’, but the French say ‘s’intéresser à’ (‘to’).
! The French say ‘hésiter à’, while we say ‘to hesitate about/over’.
! Notice how we don’t have a preposition after ‘to spend time’
! We say ‘persist in’, but the French say ‘persister à’.
II. Preposition ‘De’
The preposition ‘de’ can also mean ‘to’ in French. It is very easy to confuse ‘de’ and ‘à’ when
trying to translate from English. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to learn
verbs with their prepositions. Its other meanings are ‘from’ or ‘of’.
French Verb Example English Translation
Choisir de Je choisis d’aller en Afrique. I am choosing to go to Africa.
Décider de Tu décides d’aller à
l’université.
You are deciding to go to
university.
Essayer de Nous essayons de
comprendre.
We are trying to understand.
Finir de Elle finit de manger. She is finishing eating.
Oublier de J’oublie de fermer la porte
chaque jour !
Every day I forget to close
the door!
Refuser de Le bébé refuse de manger
ses repas.
The baby is refusing to eat
his meal.
Rêver de Ils rêvent de réussir dans la
vie.
They are dreaming about
succeeding in life.
Risquer de
Avoir besoin de Elle a besoin de l’aide. She needs help.
S’occuper de Il s’occupe de son travail. He is busy with his work.
Arrêter de Quand est-‐ce qu’il va arrêter
de parler?
When is he going to stop
talking?
! In French we say ‘finir de’, while in English there is no preposition after ‘to finish’.
The same applies to the French verb ‘arrêter de’ (to stop).
! We say ‘dreaming about/of’, whereas the French say ‘rever de’ (‘to’/’of’).
! ‘To need’ carries the preposition ‘de’ in French, where no preposition is used in
English.
! ‘S’occuper de’ in French is ‘to be busy with’ in English.
III. No preposition
French Verb Example English Translation
Regarder Tous les étudiants regardent
la télévision.
All of the students are
watching television.
Chercher Il cherche ses clés. He is looking for his keys.
Devoir Je dois lire mes livres. I must read my books.
Pouvoir Ils peuvent chanter
fantastiquement.
They can sing fantastically.
Vouloir Elle veut savoir. She wants to know.
Attendre J’attends le bus. I am waiting for the bus.
Falloir Il faut manger cinq fruits ou
légumes par jour.
You must eat five fruits or
vegetables a day.
Multiple Choice Questions 1. What are prepositions?
a) Linking words
b) The same as articles
c) The same as ‘to’
d) Descriptive words that follow verbs
2. Why is it important to learn French verbs with their prepositions?
a) To form French sentences correctly
b) To use effectively in French grammatical structures
c) Because they are used differently to English prepositions. Therefore, we cannot directly
translate from English.
d) All of the above.
3. How is ‘à’ translated into English?
a) It means ‘to’.
b) It means ‘from’.
c) It means ‘of’.
d) It means ‘with’.
4. How is ‘de’ translated into English?
a) It means ‘to’.
b) It means ‘of’.
c) It means ‘from’.
d) It can mean any of the above.
5. Which of the following verbs have ‘à’ as a preposition?
a) Rêver
b) Finir
c) Passer du temps
d) Vouloir
6. Which of the following verbs have ‘de’ as a preposition?
a) Devoir
b) Vouloir
c) Rêver
d) Persister
7. Which of the following verbs have no preposition?
a) Rêver
b) Devoir
c) Passer du temps
d) Persister
8. Which is the correct sentence?
a) Il persiste de faire les mêmes erreurs.
b) Elle passe du temps faire le ménage.
c) Il doit faire la natation chaque jour.
d) Nous regardons à la télévision.
9. Which is the incorrect sentence?
a) Je cherche mon téléphone portable.
b) Il s’occupe aux enfants.
c) Vous devez parler avec moi.
d) All of them are correct.
10. How can we say ‘I listen to the radio’ in French?
a) J’écoute de la radio
b) J’écoute a la radio
c) J’écoute la radio
d) J’écoute radio
Answers:
1. D
2. D
3. A
4. D
5. C
6. C
7. B
8. C
9. B
10. C
