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A2 · Verb Constructions · Published
Verbs with À or De
When a French verb is followed by an infinitive, it links to it in one of three ways: directly (je veux partir), with à (j’apprends à cuisiner), or with de (j’essaie de dormir). There is no reliable meaning rule for choosing — the preposition is part of the verb itself, and the two must be memorized together, like a noun with its gender.
The good news: the A2 verbs form three short families, all listed below — plus the double-preposition verbs and the classic jouer à / jouer de contrast.
In short
- Direct — no preposition: vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, savoir, aimer, aller → je veux partir.
- Verb + à: commencer à, apprendre à, réussir à → je commence à comprendre.
- Verb + de: essayer de, décider de, oublier de → j’essaie de dormir.
- No meaning rule decides it. Learn each verb with its preposition as one unit.
no prepositionverb + àverb + deà + person· hover a highlighted word for its label
Family 1: no preposition at all
The biggest family puts nothing between the two verbs. It contains the want/can/must verbs, the like/hate verbs, savoir, espérer — and aller, whose combination with an infinitive is the futur proche.
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| vouloir (to want) | je veux partir |
| pouvoir (can) | tu peux venir |
| devoir (must) | il doit rester |
| aimer, adorer, détester, préférer | elle préfère attendre |
| savoir (to know how) | je sais nager |
| espérer (to hope) | on espère gagner |
| aller (going to) | on va manger |
We want to visit the museum tomorrow.
— No preposition: voulons runs straight into visiter.
Family 2: verb + à + infinitive
These verbs insert à before the infinitive — it belongs to the verb, not to the sentence. Continuer à also appears as continuer de; both are correct, à is the safe choice.
| Verb + à | Example |
|---|---|
| commencer à (to start) | il commence à pleuvoir |
| apprendre à (to learn) | j’apprends à lire |
| réussir à (to manage) | elle réussit à dormir |
| continuer à (to keep on) | ils continuent à parler |
| aider quelqu’un à (to help) | je t’aide à porter ça |
| s’habituer à (to get used to) | on s’habitue à se lever tôt |
| hésiter à (to hesitate) | j’hésite à demander |
| inviter quelqu’un à (to invite) | il m’invite à dîner |
I’m learning to cook with my grandmother.
— apprends carries its à everywhere — learn them as one word.
The logical pair: commencer à, finir de
The mnemonic "à points toward the action, de away" is only a loose helper, but it does shine on one pair of bookends:
I start working at eight.
— The day opens with commence + à…
I finish working at six.
— …and closes with finis + de.
Family 3: verb + de + infinitive
The de family is the largest preposition group; the avoir phrases (avoir envie de, avoir besoin de, avoir peur de) behave the same way — see expressions with avoir.
| Verb + de | Example |
|---|---|
| essayer de (to try) | j’essaie de comprendre |
| décider de (to decide) | elle décide de rester |
| oublier de (to forget) | tu oublies de signer |
| finir de (to finish) | je finis de manger |
| arrêter de (to stop) | il arrête de fumer |
| éviter de (to avoid) | on évite de sortir |
| refuser de (to refuse) | ils refusent de payer |
| choisir de (to choose) | elle choisit de partir |
| promettre (à quelqu’un) de | je promets de venir |
Don’t forget to buy bread.
— Before a vowel, de becomes d’.
The double-preposition verbs: demander à quelqu’un de faire
A small group of verbs uses both prepositions at once: à introduces the person, de introduces the infinitive. English hides both, so the à before the person is what learners drop. Dire à quelqu’un de faire is also how French reports commands (reported speech).
verb + à + person + de + infinitive
The main three
- demander à quelqu’un de faire — ask someone to do
- dire à quelqu’un de faire — tell someone to do
- permettre à quelqu’un de faire — allow someone to do
She asked her brother to clear the table.
— à son frère marks the person; de introduces the action.
My parents are letting me go out tonight.
— Permettre à qqn de: here the person is the pronoun me, so the à disappears from view.
Same verb, different preposition: jouer à vs jouer de
Everything above is about infinitives; with nouns, the same verb can pick a different preposition. The classic case is jouer: à for games, de for instruments. When an à or de phrase turns into a pronoun, the job belongs to y and en.
On Saturdays, he plays tennis with his daughter.
— A sport: joue + à (here au = à + le).
She has been playing the piano for ten years.
— An instrument: joue + de (here du = de + le).
Common mistakes
✗Je veux à partir ce soir.
✓Je veux partir ce soir.
Vouloir belongs to the direct family: the infinitive follows it with no preposition at all.
✗J’essaie à faire du sport.
✓J’essaie de faire du sport.
Essayer is built with de: j’essaie de faire quelque chose.
✗Elle a demandé ses parents de rentrer tôt.
✓Elle a demandé à ses parents de rentrer tôt.
Demander needs à before the person and de before the infinitive: demander à quelqu’un de faire.
✗Il joue au violon.
✓Il joue du violon.
Jouer à is for games and sports; musical instruments take jouer de.
Check yourself
1 / 4Je veux ___ ce soir. (sortir)
2 / 4Elle apprend ___ depuis un mois. (conduire)
3 / 4Nous avons oublié ___ la porte à clé. (fermer)
4 / 4Il a demandé ___ venir plus tôt. (sa sœur)
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a French verb takes à or de before an infinitive?
You cannot deduce it — the preposition is a fixed part of the verb, so learn them together (essayer de, réussir à). The biggest family (vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, savoir, aimer, aller) takes no preposition at all.
Is there a rule like "à points toward and de points away"?
Only as a loose mnemonic. It fits commencer à (opening an action) and finir de (closing one), but fails constantly: décider de points toward an action, yet takes de. Treat the preposition as vocabulary, not logic.
Which French verbs take no preposition before the infinitive?
The want/can/must group (vouloir, pouvoir, devoir), the taste verbs (aimer, adorer, détester, préférer), plus savoir, espérer, and aller: je veux partir, on va manger.
Is it "continuer à" or "continuer de"?
Both are correct and mean the same: il continue à pleuvoir / il continue de pleuvoir. À is the safer everyday default; commencer varies too, but commencer de is literary — stick with commencer à.
What is the difference between "jouer à" and "jouer de"?
Jouer à is for games and sports (jouer au tennis, jouer aux cartes); jouer de is for musical instruments (jouer du piano). Same verb, two fixed prepositions.
Memory tip
Record essayer as "essayer de" and réussir as "réussir à" — one unit, like a noun with its article. And one pair really is logical: the day starts with commencer à and ends with finir de.
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