Verb + à + Infinitive

Verbs Linked to an Infinitive by a

Level 2

In French, many verbs cannot connect directly to another verb. Instead, they use a 'bridge' preposition. For a specific group of verbs, that bridge is à.

How It Works

In French, when one verb is followed by another, they are often linked by a preposition. While English often uses 'to' (e.g., 'I learn to drive') or a gerund (e.g., 'I enjoy driving'), French uses specific prepositions like à or de depending on the first verb. The pattern Verb + à + Infinitive is one of the most common.

1. Common Verb Categories
While there is no single rule, verbs using à often fall into these groups:

  • Learning & Success: apprendre à (to learn to), réussir à (to succeed in), arriver à (to manage to).
  • Starting & Continuing: commencer à (to start to), continuer à (to continue to), se mettre à (to begin to).
  • Effort & Tendency: chercher à (to seek/try to), hésiter à (to hesitate to), s'habituer à (to get used to).
  • Assistance: aider à (to help to).

2. Stylistic and Semantic Variation
For most verbs, the preposition is fixed. However, with continuer, you may see de used instead of à. While continuer à usually describes a specific action in progress, continuer de is often used to describe a habit or a long-term state. In formal writing, de is also sometimes used with commencer to avoid a clash of vowel sounds (hiatus). In everyday French, à is always correct for these verbs.

3. Fixed Construction
The preposition belongs to the first verb. Even if you change the tense to the passé composé or the futur simple, the à remains.

Examples (5)

  1. J'apprends à conduire une voiture.

    I am learning to drive a car.

    Word by Word: I learn to to-drive a car.

    The verb 'apprendre' always requires 'à' before an infinitive.

  2. Elle a réussi à finir ses devoirs.

    She managed to finish her homework.

    Word by Word: She has succeeded to to-finish her homework.

    Even in the past tense, 'réussir' keeps its 'à' bridge.

  3. Nous aidons Marc à préparer le dîner.

    We are helping Marc prepare dinner.

    Word by Word: We help Marc to to-prepare the dinner.

    Note that 'aider' takes 'à' even if there is a noun (Marc) between the two verbs.

  4. Il commence à pleuvoir.

    It is starting to rain.

    Word by Word: It starts to to-rain.

    'Commencer' is one of the most frequent verbs used in this pattern.

  5. N'hésite pas à me téléphoner.

    Don't hesitate to call me.

    Word by Word: Do-not hesitate not to me to-telephone.

    'Hésiter' uses 'à' to introduce the action one might hesitate to do.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the preposition because it's not in the English translation.

    J'aide ma mère cuisiner.
    J'aide ma mère à cuisiner.

    In English, we say 'help someone cook' (no 'to'). In French, 'aider' must have 'à' before the infinitive.

  • Using 'à' with verbs that require 'de'.

    J'essaie à dormir.
    J'essaie de dormir.

    Verbs like 'essayer' (to try) or 'décider' (to decide) require 'de'. These pairs must be memorized.

  • Using 'à' with modal verbs like 'vouloir' or 'pouvoir'.

    Je veux à partir.
    Je veux partir.

    Modal-like verbs (want, can, must) link directly to the infinitive without any preposition.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Verb + à + InfinitiveLevel 2Verbs Linked to an Infinitive by a

Learn This First

To learn verbs followed by 'à' and an infinitive, you first need to be comfortable conjugating regular verbs in the present tense. You also need to understand the role of the preposition 'à' as a connector and how French sentences are generally structured using Subject-Verb-Object order.

Words in This Pattern