B1 · What follows a verb
Verbs that take both à and de
The same verb, two prepositions, two meanings — as with an English particle.
Some verbs take à or de according to the sense, and the preposition is half the meaning. This is not a foreign idea: English does the same work with particles. Think about is not think of, start with is not start to, and end up doing is not finish doing.
Penser à is to think about somebody; penser de is to have an opinion of something — qu'est-ce que tu penses de ce film ?
Commencer à starts an action; commencer par names the first step of a series, which is English start by. Finir de stops; finir par is end up doing it after all.
Décider de is the decision; se décider à is bringing yourself to it. Servir à is to be for a purpose; se servir de is to use. There is no learning these one at a time: learn them in pairs, or learn half of each.
Die Form
| to think about | penser à |
| to think of (an opinion) | penser de |
| to start doing | commencer à |
| to start by | commencer par |
| to finish doing | finir de |
| to end up doing | finir par |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
penser à is thinking about; penser de is an opinion of.
Je pense à toi. / Qu’est-ce que tu penses de ce film ?I am thinking about you. / What do you think of that film?
commencer à starts; commencer par names the first step.
Il commence à pleuvoir. / Commençons par le début.It is starting to rain. / Let us start at the beginning.
finir de stops; finir par ends up doing it after all.
Finis de manger. / Il a fini par accepter.Finish eating. / He ended up agreeing.
décider de decides; se décider à brings itself to it.
J’ai décidé de partir. / Je me suis décidé à lui parler.I decided to leave. / I brought myself to speak to him.
Woran man es erkennt
- penser à
- penser de
- commencer par
- finir par
- se décider à
Beispielsätze
Qu’est-ce que tu penses de sa proposition ?What do you think of his proposal?
Pense à fermer la fenêtre.Remember to close the window.
Il a fini par comprendre.He understood in the end.
Ça sert à quoi ? — On s’en sert pour ouvrir les boîtes.What is that for? — You use it to open tins.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
Il a fini de comprendre is nonsense: nobody stops understanding. What is meant is fini par — he got there in the end. English keeps the two apart with different words, finish and end up, so nothing warns you that French uses one verb and lets the preposition carry the difference.
With these verbs the preposition is half the meaning.
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