"J'essaie a dormir," "ils ont tendance de creer des excuses," "les lois empechent a travailler"... Three mistakes, and each time the same trap: the wrong preposition between the verb and the infinitive.
In French, when a verb is followed by an infinitive, you must choose between three constructions: verb + a + infinitive (commencer a, apprendre a, reussir a), verb + de + infinitive (essayer de, finir de, decider de), or verb + infinitive with no preposition (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir). There is no logical rule to guess the right preposition - each verb has its own fixed construction that must be learned. English doesn't help: "try to" does not translate to "essayer a" but to "essayer de."
Verbs that take "a"
These verbs take "a" before an infinitive. Most express a beginning, learning, tendency, or assistance:
- Commencer a: J'ai commence a regarder les videos (I started watching the videos)
- Continuer a: Elle continue a progresser (She keeps improving)
- Apprendre a: Il apprend a cuisiner (He's learning to cook)
- Reussir a: Tu as reussi a comprendre (You managed to understand)
- Aider a: Ca m'aide a dormir (It helps me sleep)
- S'habituer a: Je m'habitue a parler en francais (I'm getting used to speaking French)
- Avoir tendance a: Ils ont tendance a exagerer (They tend to exaggerate)
- Encourager a: Pour encourager les gens a parler (To encourage people to speak)
- Hesiter a: Elle hesite a partir (She hesitates to leave)
- Chercher a: Il cherche a comprendre (He's trying to understand)
In real situations:
- At work: "J'ai commence a rediger le rapport, mais je n'arrive pas a trouver les bons chiffres."
- With friends: "Elle hesite a venir ce soir. Tu peux l'encourager a nous rejoindre ?"
- Daily life: "Je m'habitue a me lever tot. Ca m'aide a etre plus productif."
Verbs that take "de"
These verbs take "de" before an infinitive. Many express an effort, an ending, a choice, or prevention:
- Essayer de: J'essaie de dormir pas trop tard (I try not to sleep too late)
- Finir de: Tu as fini de manger? (Have you finished eating?)
- Decider de: On a decide de partir (We decided to leave)
- Arreter de: Arrete de te plaindre (Stop complaining)
- Etre oblige de: Ils sont obliges de payer plus cher (They have to pay more)
- Empecher de: Les lois empechent de travailler le soir (Laws prevent working in the evening)
- Choisir de: J'ai choisi de rester (I chose to stay)
- Refuser de: Il a refuse de repondre (He refused to answer)
Also impersonal constructions: il est difficile de, il est possible de, il est important de, il est interdit de.
In real situations:
- At the doctor's: "Le docteur m'a conseille d'arreter de fumer et j'ai decide de suivre son conseil."
- At the office: "Mon chef a propose de reporter la reunion. J'ai accepte de decaler, mais j'ai refuse d'annuler."
- At home: "Les enfants ont oublie de ranger leur chambre. J'ai essaye de rester calme."
Note that "de" becomes "d'" before a vowel: essayer d'arreter, refuser d'annuler, oublier d'eteindre. Same rule as for articles (l'eau, l'homme).
Verbs with no preposition
These verbs are followed directly by the infinitive with nothing in between:
- Pouvoir: Je peux pratiquer souvent (I can practice often)
- Vouloir: Tu veux venir? (Do you want to come?)
- Devoir: On doit partir (We must leave)
- Savoir: Elle sait nager (She knows how to swim)
- Aller: Je vais manger (I'm going to eat)
These are mainly modal verbs (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir) and verbs of movement (aller, venir).
This is the easiest category: no preposition to remember. If you can say the sentence in English with just "can/want/must/will" + verb, the French likely works the same way: "I can swim" -> "je sais nager", "I want to come" -> "je veux venir".
Real student errors I correct most often
- x "J'essaie a dormir" -> v "J'essaie de dormir" - essayer de
- x "Ils ont tendance de creer des excuses" -> v "Ils ont tendance a donner des excuses" - avoir tendance a
- x "Les lois empechent a travailler" -> v "Les lois empechent de travailler" - empecher de
- x "C'est difficile pour moi a basculer" -> v "C'est difficile pour moi de basculer" - difficile de
- x "Encourager des personnes de dire" -> v "Encourager des personnes a dire" - encourager a
- x "Ils sont obliges a payer" -> v "Ils sont obliges de payer" - etre oblige de
- x "J'ai commence de voir les videos" -> v "J'ai commence a regarder les videos" - commencer a
Why it's so difficult
English almost always uses "to" before the infinitive: try to, start to, decide to. In French, the preposition changes depending on the verb, and there's no transferable logic from English.
- try to -> essayer de (not "a")
- stop -ing -> arreter de
- start to -> commencer a (not "de")
- force to -> obliger de (not "a")
- prevent from -> empecher de (not "a")
- encourage to -> encourager a (not "de")
How to remember them
No magic formula: you need to learn them by heart, verb by verb. But here are two tips:
- Learn verbs with their preposition as a block: not just "essayer" alone, but "essayer de." Write them together in your notebook.
- Read and listen to lots of French. After hearing "j'ai decide de partir" and "j'ai commence a comprendre" enough times, the right combinations become natural.
h2 class="wp-block-heading">Verbs that change meaning with different prepositions
Some verbs accept multiple prepositions, but the meaning changes:
- Commencer a (start doing) vs. commencer par (do first in a series): "J'ai commence a manger" (I started eating) vs. "J'ai commence par manger" (the first thing I did was eat)
- Finir de (finish doing) vs. finir par (end up doing): "J'ai fini de manger" (I finished eating) vs. "J'ai fini par manger au restaurant" (I ended up eating at a restaurant)
- Decider de (decide to) vs. se decider a (finally resolve to): "J'ai decide de partir" (clear choice) vs. "Je me suis enfin decide a partir" (after long hesitation)
NB: when in doubt between "a" and "de", try rephrasing with a noun instead of the infinitive. If you'd say "a quelque chose" -> it's probably "a". If you'd say "de quelque chose" -> it's "de". Example: "s'habituer a la chaleur" -> "s'habituer a vivre sous la chaleur". Not foolproof, but helpful.
