One of the more difficult aspects to learning French is trying to remember which verbs are followed by the preposition à and which ones are followed by the preposition de. Rather than trying to memorize all of the verbs followed by de, here’s a list of the top-10 most commonly used verbs with sample phrases.
Top-10 verbs followed by de
1) Essayer De – To Try
- J’essaye de faire mon mieux. I try to do my best.
2) Arrêter De – To Stop
- J’arrête de fumer. I stop smoking.
3) Oublier De – To Forget
- J’oublie de faire la vaisselle. I forget to do the dishes.
4) Refuser De – To Refuse
- Je refuse de travailler le week-end. I refuse to work on weekends.
5) Regretter De – To Regret
- Je regrette de vous informer. I regret to inform you.
6) S’excuser De – To Apologize For
- Je m’excuse de vous déranger. I’m sorry for bothering you.
7) Faire Semblant De – To Pretend To
- Je fais semblant de sourire. I pretend to smile.
8) Choisir De – To Choose
- Je choisis de rester ici. I choose to stay here.
9) Demander De – To Ask
- Je te demande de me pardonner. I’m asking you to forgive me.
10) Éviter De – To Avoid
Speed up your learning with an app
Many of our students have greatly enhanced their learning by using an app. On these pages we've examined the top-30 apps for learning French. On this pages we've written comprehensive reviews for Pimsleur (great for people struggling with pronunciation), Rosetta Stone and FrenchPod101 (both great for visual learners).
- J’évite de manger trop de bonbons. I avoid eating too much candy.
Verb list: French verbs followed by de
INFINITIVE | ENGLISH |
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 |
brûler de | dying to, really want to |
cesser de | to stop |
choisir de | to choose to |
conseiller de | to advise |
convaincre de | to convince |
craindre de | to fear |
décider de | decide to |
défendre de | to forbid |
demander de | to ask to |
entreprendre de | to undertake to |
envisager de | to contemplate |
essayer de | to try to |
éviter de | to avoid |
faire semblant de | to pretend to |
feindre de | to pretend to, feign |
finir de | to finish |
interdire de | to forbid to |
mériter de | to deserve to |
offrir de | to offer to |
oublier de | to forget to |
parler de | to talk about |
permettre de | to allow, permit |
persuader de | to persuade to |
projeter de | to plan to/on |
promettre de | to promise to |
refuser de | to refuse to |
regretter de | to regret |
remercier de | to thank |
reprocher de | to reproach for |
résourdre de | to resolve to |
risquer de | to run the risk of |
s'abstentir de | to refrain from |
s'arrêter de | to stop |
s'empêcher de | to refrain from |
s'empresser de | to rush to, hurry |
s'enfforcer de | to try hard to |
s'étonner de | to marvel at |
s'excuser de | to apologize for |
se charger deo | to make sure to, see to it |
se contenter de | be satisfied with |
se dépêcher de | to hurry to |
se flatter de | pride yourself on, be proud of |
se plaindre de | to complain about |
se proposer de | offer to do something |
se rappeler de | to recall to |
se souvenir de | to remember to |
soupconner de | to suspect of |
tâcher de | to try to |
Example sentences
The following is a list of example sentences using verbs followed by the preposition “de”.
- J’évite de faire la meme bêtise deux foix. I avoid making the same mistake two times.
- Elle n’arrête pas de parler. She doesn’t stop talking.
- Il cesse de pleuvoir. It stops raining.
- Je me souviens de payer mon loyer. I remember to pay my rent.
- Il refuse de partir. He refuses to leave.
- J’ai besoin de boire du café. I need to drink coffee.
- Je décide de faire du ski. I decide to go skiing.
- J’essaye d’être plus sympa avec les gens. I try to be nicer to people.
- J’évite de conduire trop vite. I avoid driving too fast.
- Je choisis de atteindre mes objectifs. I choose to reach my goals.
Related lessons:
- French verbs followed by the preposition à
- French preposition à overview
- French preposition de overview
Discover more:
If you've found this post useful you might want to considering looking at our post covering the best apps for learning French. We've looked a total 33 apps and have written comprehensive reviews of Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur and FrenchPod101.
- You’re Welcome In French: 7 Expressions Beyond “De Rien” - June 29, 2022
- Édith Piaf – Mon Dieu (French Lyrics, English Translation) - June 28, 2022
- 12 Ways To Say Sorry In French Beyond “Désolé” - June 26, 2022