Verbs + Prepositions

Verbs sometimes change meaning depending on which preposition follows, so learning them in batches helps you act and describe things precisely.

common verbs + de

Verbs that express starting, stopping, finishing, or trying often pair with de when followed by an action.

French Verb	English Verb	Preposition
arrêter	to stop	de
essayer	to try	de
décider	to decide	de
finir	to finish	de
oublier	to forget	de
permettre	to allow	de
refuser	to refuse	de

French Example	English Translation
📝 J’ai oublié de fermer la fenêtre avant de partir.	I forgot to close the window before leaving.
📅 Elle vient de confirmer la date du rendez-vous.	She just confirmed the date of the meeting.
🔍 Le client a demandé des informations sur les horaires.	The client asked for information about the schedule.
🧼 Le personnel s’est chargé de nettoyer la salle après l’événement.	The staff took care of cleaning the room after the event.
📧 J’ai reçu un message de l’organisateur ce matin.	I received a message from the organizer this morning.

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common verbs + à

Verbs that involve learning, helping, or beginning often take à before an action, signaling the target of the effort.

French Verb	English Verb	Preposition
apprendre	to learn	à
commencer	to begin	à
réussir	to succeed	à
aider	to help	à
s'habituer	to get used	à
inviter	to invite	à
tenir	to insist	à

French Example	English Translation
🗝️ Il a réussi à ouvrir la porte avec la clé.	He managed to open the door with the key.
📢 Le responsable a parlé à tous les participants.	The manager spoke to all the participants.
🧳 Nous avons commencé à installer les stands dès l’arrivée des cartons.	We started setting up the booths as soon as the boxes arrived.
🔌 Ils ont pensé à brancher le micro avant la conférence.	They remembered to plug in the microphone before the conference.
🕒 Le chef de projet a promis de finir à temps.	The project leader promised to finish on time.

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common verbs + other prepositions

Some verbs require different prepositions like en, pour, or avec to fix their meaning, so paying attention to those small words matters.

French Verb	English Verb	Preposition
rêver	to dream	de
se souvenir	to remember	de
parler	to talk	de
remercier	to thank	pour
compter	to count	sur
dépendre	to depend	de
réfléchir	to think	à

French Example	English Translation	Note
🚗 Nous partons pour la ville voisine demain.	We are leaving for the neighboring city tomorrow.	Destination
🔑 Le concierge a donné la clé à l’organisatrice.	The janitor gave the key to the organizer.	Indirect object
📍 Les invités se sont retrouvés chez le directeur de l’hôtel.	The guests met at the hotel manager’s place.	Location
🧴 N’oublie pas de mettre du gel sur les mains des participants.	Don’t forget to put some gel on the participants’ hands.	Surface/recipient
🗄️ Le dossier est rangé dans le casier de la réception.	The file is stored in the reception locker.	Location

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usage notes

When a verb is followed by a noun rather than an action, the preposition pattern stays the same and you don’t use the infinitive. To turn the example around, use the preposition consistently: for example, say il a arrêté de fumer and not il a arrêté à fumer.

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summary

Learning which preposition follows common verbs helps you attach actions correctly and avoid small but noticeable mistakes. Practice sentences out loud to make the patterns automatic.

Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025