French grammar lessons | verbs followed by à | verbs without prepositions
Published May 9, 2020 • Updated April 15, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson.
📘 Why some French verbs are followed by “de”
In French, many verbs are followed by the preposition de before another verb or noun. For example, J’essaye de comprendre (I try to understand) and Je parle de mes vacances (I’m talking about my vacation). This structure is very common and appears in everyday conversation.
There’s no simple rule to predict when to use de — it’s part of the verb itself. The best approach is to learn each verb together with de and practice it with real examples.
🔟 Common French verbs followed by de
essayer de (to try to)
➞ J’essaye de faire de mon mieux. I try to do my best.
arrêter de (to stop)
➞ J’arrête de fumer. I stop smoking.
oublier de (to forget to)
➞ J’oublie de faire la vaisselle. I forget to do the dishes.
refuser de (to refuse to)
➞ Je refuse de travailler le week-end. I refuse to work on weekends.
regretter de (to regret)
➞ Je regrette de vous informer. I regret to inform you.
s’excuser de (to apologize for)
➞ Je m’excuse de vous déranger. I apologize for bothering you.
faire semblant de (to pretend to)
➞ Je fais semblant de sourire. I pretend to smile.
choisir de (to choose to)
➞ Je choisis de rester ici. I choose to stay here.
demander de (to ask to)
➞ Je te demande de me pardonner. I ask you to forgive me.
éviter de (to avoid)
➞ J’évite de manger trop de bonbons. I avoid eating too much candy.
📋 Complete list of French verbs followed by de
accepter de — to agree to
avoir l’intention de — to intend to
avoir peur de — to be afraid to
avoir raison de — to be right to
avoir tort de — to be wrong to
cesser de — to stop
choisir de — to choose to
conseiller de — to advise
convaincre de — to convince
craindre de — to fear
décider de — to decide to
défendre de — to forbid
demander de — to ask to
envisager de — to consider
essayer de — to try to
éviter de — to avoid
faire semblant de — to pretend to
finir de — to finish
interdire de — to forbid
mériter de — to deserve to
offrir de — to offer to
oublier de — to forget to
parler de — to talk about
permettre de — to allow
persuader de — to persuade
promettre de — to promise to
refuser de — to refuse to
regretter de — to regret
remercier de — to thank
risquer de — to risk
s’arrêter de — to stop
s’empêcher de — to refrain from
s’empresser de — to hurry to
s’efforcer de — to try hard to
s’excuser de — to apologize for
se contenter de — to be satisfied with
se dépêcher de — to hurry to
se plaindre de — to complain about
se souvenir de — to remember
tâcher de — to try to
👥 Verbs + someone + de + infinitive
Some verbs use the structure: verb + quelqu’un + de + infinitive
demander à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose — to ask someone to do something
dire à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose — to tell someone to do something
empêcher quelqu’un de faire quelque chose — to prevent someone from doing something
➞ Je lui demande de venir. I ask him to come.
💡 Important pattern to remember
With verbs + de + noun, French often replaces the noun with the pronoun en:
➞ Je parle de ce sujet. I talk about this subject.
➞ J’en parle. I talk about it.
➞ Il a besoin de temps. He needs time.
➞ Il en a besoin. He needs it.
✏️ More examples with de + infinitive
➞ J’évite de faire la même bêtise. I avoid making the same mistake.
➞ Elle n’arrête pas de parler. She doesn’t stop talking.
➞ Il cesse de pleuvoir. It stops raining.
➞ Je décide de faire du ski. I decide to go skiing.
➞ J’essaye d’être plus sympa. I try to be nicer.
➞ Il refuse de partir. He refuses to leave.
🔗 Related lessons
- French verbs followed by à
- French verbs not followed by a preposition
- Avoir expressions
- French preposition à
- French preposition de
- French prepositions hub
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