Three patterns, one decision
When two verbs meet, the second one goes into the infinitive. The question is what sits between them: nothing, à, or de. The first verb decides, not the sentence. So always learn a verb together with its preposition: not essayer but essayer de.
The three patterns side by side
Je veux partir demain.
I want to leave tomorrow.
Je commence à comprendre.
I'm starting to understand.
J'essaie de comprendre.
I'm trying to understand.
No preposition
No preposition follows the modal verbs (vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, savoir), aller, and many verbs of liking and hoping. They put the infinitive straight after themselves.
More verbs with a direct infinitive
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| aimer | to like doing |
| préférer | to prefer doing |
| détester | to hate doing |
| espérer | to hope to |
| il faut | one must |
J'espère réussir.
I hope to succeed.
Je préfère rester à la maison.
I'd rather stay at home.
Il faut arriver avant huit heures.
You have to arrive before eight.
Verbs with à
There is often a sense of direction behind à: a beginning, a progression, a goal. It is a feeling rather than a rule, but it helps. With aider qn à and inviter qn à the person comes straight after the verb, then à.
The most important verbs with à
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| commencer à | to start to |
| continuer à | to keep on |
| se mettre à | to set about, to start |
| apprendre à | to learn to |
| réussir à / arriver à | to manage to |
| hésiter à | to hesitate to |
| aider qn à | to help someone to |
| inviter qn à | to invite someone to |
Je n'arrive pas à ouvrir cette bouteille.
I can't get this bottle open.
Ma fille apprend à faire du vélo.
My daughter is learning to ride a bike.
Elle m'a aidé à déménager.
She helped me move house.
Verbs with de
The biggest group. It often carries an ending, a refusal, an intention or a piece of speech: arrêter de, éviter de, décider de, promettre de.
The most important verbs with de
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| essayer de | to try to |
| décider de | to decide to |
| oublier de | to forget to |
| refuser de | to refuse to |
| arrêter de | to stop doing |
| finir de | to finish doing |
| éviter de | to avoid doing |
| promettre de | to promise to |
| risquer de | to be in danger of |
| avoir envie de | to feel like doing |
| avoir besoin de | to need to |
| avoir peur de | to be afraid to |
N'oublie pas de prendre ton passeport.
Don't forget to take your passport.
Il a arrêté de fumer il y a deux ans.
He stopped smoking two years ago.
J'ai besoin de me reposer.
I need to rest.
When a person comes in between
Verbs of telling, asking and allowing take two things: a person with à and an infinitive with de. English makes the person a direct object (I asked him to help); French makes it indirect: je lui ai demandé de m'aider. That is why you see lui and leur here.
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dire à qn de | to tell someone to |
| demander à qn de | to ask someone to |
| conseiller à qn de | to advise someone to |
| proposer à qn de | to suggest to someone that they |
| permettre à qn de | to allow someone to |
| interdire à qn de | to forbid someone to |
Dis-lui de venir.
Tell him to come.
Le médecin lui a demandé de revenir dans un mois.
The doctor asked him to come back in a month.
Je te conseille de partir plus tôt.
I advise you to leave earlier.
When the preposition changes the meaning
For two very common verbs the preposition rewrites the sentence.
penser faire or penser à faire?
penser + infinitive - to plan
Je pense partir en juillet.
I'm planning to leave in July.
penser à + infinitive - to remember
Pense à fermer les fenêtres.
Remember to close the windows.
venir faire or venir de faire?
venir + infinitive - to come and do
Il vient chercher les clés.
He's coming to pick up the keys.
venir de + infinitive - to have just
Il vient de chercher les clés.
He has just picked up the keys.
How English handles the same job
English also makes you choose after the first verb, but a different choice: to do or doing (I decided to eat, I finished eating). French never uses an -ing form here. It is always an infinitive with à, de or nothing: finir de manger, arrêter de fumer, never arrêter de fumant. Neither system predicts the other: decide to becomes décider de, start to becomes commencer à.
Where English has no to (I can swim, let me finish), French has no preposition. The reverse does not hold: after espérer French also uses none, although English says hope to. And English can put a subject before the infinitive (I want you to come); French cannot, so you need a clause: je veux que tu viennes.
