B1 · The small words
The preposition that belongs to the word
You already learn «proud of»; the lists simply differ.
Many adjectives demand a fixed preposition, and it is rarely the English one: plein de (full of), capable de (capable of), content de (pleased with), prêt à (ready to), habitué à (used to), intéressé par (interested in).
The habit itself is already yours. English adjectives carry their own prepositions and no rule explains them — «good at», «angry with», «afraid of», «keen on» — and nobody expects them to be derivable. So there is nothing new about the idea; what is new is the list.
Two prepositions carry most of it: de for a feeling or a content, à for a direction, a readiness or a habit. Where they diverge from English is worth marking: «pleased *with» is content de, «interested in» is intéressé par, «proud of*» happens to match at fier de.
The same applies to nouns: l'envie de, la peur de, la réponse à, l'intérêt pour. A noun without its preposition cannot be put into a sentence, exactly as «answer» in English pulls «to» after it.
Die Form
| full of | plein de |
| pleased with | content de |
| ready to | prêt à |
| used to | habitué à |
| to begin to | commencer à |
| to finish | finir de |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
de goes with a feeling and with a content.
Le verre est plein d’eau.The glass is full of water.
à goes with readiness and habit.
Nous sommes prêts à partir.We are ready to leave.
à introduces a beginning.
Je commence à comprendre.I am beginning to understand.
The modal verbs take no preposition at all.
Je préfère rester à la maison.I would rather stay at home.
Woran man es erkennt
- plein de
- content de
- prêt à
- commencer à
- finir de
Beispielsätze
Elle est très fière du travail qu’elle a fait.She is very proud of the work she has done.
Je n’ai pas réussi à finir à temps.I did not manage to finish in time.
Il a décidé de changer de travail.He has decided to change jobs.
On n’est pas habitué à ce bruit.We are not used to this noise.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
«Proud of» happens to be fier de, and that piece of luck encourages translating the English preposition everywhere else. It usually fails: «pleased with» is content de, «interested in» is intéressé par, «good at» is bon en. An adjective is learnt with its preposition, the way a noun is learnt with its article.
The same habit as «proud of» — a different list.
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