Aug 27 • Nuance and Precision
À or De?
Salut tout le monde!
Ever pause mid-sentence wondering whether to use à or de after a French verb? It's definitely not always easy to know
Instead of memorizing endless rules, focus on the pattern. Notice how these heavy-hitter verbs pair up:
- Demander à [someone] de [do something]
- Je demande à Marc de m'aider.
- (I am asking Marc to help me. À points to the person, de links to the action!)
- Essayer de [do something]
- J'essaie de comprendre.
- (I am trying to understand. Textbook trap: avoid j'essaie à!)
- Réussir à [do something]
- J'ai réussi à passer mon examen !
- (I succeeded in passing my exam. Unlike essayer, réussir always takes à.)
- Décider de [do something]
- Elle a décidé de partir en France.
- (She decided to leave for France.)
Quick Community Challenge!
Drop a few sentences in the comments below using some of the four verbs above.
And Take the extra challenge and write a sentence using "refuser" or "apprendre". Do you use "à" or "de"? I’ll jump into the comments to give you feedback and check your work.
Practice! Practice! Practice! Step in the classes to practice in real time!
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À or De?
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