verbs with à

ByFast French

In French, certain verbs are always followed by the preposition à before introducing another verb or noun. This construction can be tricky for learners, as the preposition changes the meaning or usage of the verb.

1. Aider à (to help to)

  • Il m’aide à comprendre la leçon. (He helps me understand the lesson.)

2. S’amuser à (to have fun doing)

  • Elle s’amuse à dessiner. (She has fun drawing.)

3. Apprendre à (to learn to)

  • J’apprends à cuisiner. (I’m learning to cook.)

4. Arriver à (to manage to)

  • Il arrive à finir son travail à temps. (He manages to finish his work on time.)

5. Chercher à (to try to)

  • Elle cherche à résoudre le problème. (She’s trying to solve the problem.)

6. Commencer à (to start to)

  • Nous commençons à parler français. (We’re starting to speak French.)

7. Consentir à (to agree to)

  • Il consent à nous aider. (He agrees to help us.)

8. Continuer à (to continue to)

  • Je continue à étudier. (I continue to study.)

9. Encourager à (to encourage to)

  • Le professeur encourage les élèves à participer. (The teacher encourages the students to participate.)

10. S’habituer à (to get used to)

  • Je m’habitue à me lever tôt. (I’m getting used to waking up early.)

11. Hésiter à (to hesitate to)

  • Il hésite à poser la question. (He hesitates to ask the question.)

12. Inviter à (to invite to)

  • Elle m’invite à dîner. (She invites me to dinner.)

13. Se mettre à (to start to)

  • Il se met à pleuvoir. (It starts to rain.)

14. Obliger à (to force to)

  • La loi oblige à porter un casque. (The law requires wearing a helmet.)

15. Parvenir à (to succeed in)

  • Je parviens à comprendre. (I succeed in understanding.)

16. Passer du temps à (to spend time doing)

  • Je passe du temps à lire. (I spend time reading.)

17. Penser à (to think about)

  • Je pense à mes vacances. (I’m thinking about my vacation.)
  • (Contrast with penser de, which means “to think of.” Eg What do you think of that movie?)

18. Permettre à (to allow to)

  • Il me permet de partir tôt. (He allows me to leave early.)

19. Persister à (to persist in)

  • Elle persiste à croire en ses rêves. (She persists in believing in her dreams.)

20. Se préparer à (to prepare to)

  • Je me prépare à partir. (I’m preparing to leave.)

21. Réfléchir à (to think about)

  • Je réfléchis à ton offre. (I’m thinking about your offer.)

22. Renoncer à (to give up)

  • Il renonce à fumer. (He’s giving up smoking.)

23. Résister à (to resist)

  • Je ne peux pas résister à ce gâteau. (I can’t resist this cake.)

24. Réussir à (to succeed in)

  • Elle réussit à convaincre son patron. (She succeeds in convincing her boss.)

25. Rêver à (to dream about)

  • Je rêve à un avenir meilleur. (I dream about a better future.)

26. Servir à (to be used for)

  • Cet outil sert à réparer les vélos. (This tool is used to repair bikes.)

27. Tenir à (to care about)

  • Je tiens à mes amis. (I care about my friends.)

28. Veiller à (to make sure to)

  • Je veille à ne pas faire d’erreurs. (I make sure not to make mistakes.)

29. S’attendre à (to expect to)

  • Je m’attends à recevoir une réponse. (I expect to receive an answer.)

30. Consacrer du temps à (to devote time to)

  • Il consacre du temps à sa famille. (He devotes time to his family.)

31. S’intéresser à (to be interested in)

  • Je m’intéresse à l’histoire. (I’m interested in history.)

32. Jouer à (to play)

  • Il joue au football. (He plays soccer.)

33. Participer à (to participate in)

  • Elle participe à la réunion. (She participates in the meeting.)

34. Répondre à (to answer to)

  • Je réponds à la question. (I answer the question.)

35. Songer à (to think about)

  • Je songe à changer de travail. (I’m thinking about changing jobs.)

36. Toucher à (to touch on)

  • Il ne faut pas toucher à ça. (You must not touch that.)

37. Travailler à (to work on)

  • Je travaille à un nouveau projet. (I’m working on a new project.)

38. Visiter à (to visit)

  • Je visite à mes grands-parents. (I visit my grandparents.)

39. S’adapter à (to adapt to)

  • Il s’adapte à la nouvelle situation. (He adapts to the new situation.)

40. S’opposer à (to oppose)

  • Je m’oppose à cette décision. (I oppose this decision.)

41. Assister à (to attend, to witness)

  • J’assiste à une réunion importante. (I am attending an important meeting.)
  • Nous avons assisté à un spectacle incroyable. (We witnessed an incredible show.)

42. Avoir à (to have [something available])

  • Qu’est-ce que vous avez à boire ? (What do you have to drink?)
  • Qu’est-ce que tu as à manger ? (What do you have to eat?)
  • Ils ont une grande variété de produits à offrir. (They have a wide variety of products to offer.)

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