We can divide French verbs into two categories, the ones that require direct and the ones that require an indirect object.
Perhaps you are well acquainted with the difference between COD and COI, however, you may still find it difficult to guess which verb requires a direct or indirect object.
This is because no matter how much you understand the object itself when you see a verb if you don’t know which object it requires, you are doomed.
In this lesson, we’ll introduce the most important French verbs requiring direct or indirect objects in French.
French Verbs Requiring Direct Object
Direct objects build a connection with a verb directly, or without any prepositions.
- attendre – (to wait for)
- chercher – (to look for)
- regarder – (to look)
- aimer – (to love)
- acheter – (to buy)
- écouter – (to listen to)
- comprendre – (to understand)
- inviter – (to invite)
- espérer – (to hope for/to)
- faire venir – (to call for)
- payer – (to pay)
Verbs Requiring Indirect Object in French
Indirect objects build a connection with a verb, indirectly, or with prepositions. It may be confusing to English learners because the preposition is often omitted, however, in French, it stays mandatory.
In a sentence, the action is always directed toward the indirect object.
Je parle à Stefano.
I’m talking to Stefano.
To whom am I talking? To Stefano.
Indirect object can be introduced by a variety of prepositions, but the most common are prepositions de and à.
When it comes to learning which prepositions a or de goes with a specific verb, we must say this is a memory game.
Most Common French Verbs Followed by the Preposition A
The French word à is often used after verbs like send, give, and say as an equivalent to the English preposition “to”.
- appartenir à – (to belong to)
- apprendre à – (to learn )
- aider à – (to help to)
- commencer à – (to start)
- s’habituer à – (to get accustomed to)
- reussir à – (to )
- donner à – (to give)
- enseigner à – (to teach)
- obéir à – (to obey)
- pardonner à – (to forgive)
- penser à – (to think about)
- répondre à – (to answer)
- ressembler à – (to resemble)
- encourager à – (to encourage)
- continuer à – (to continue)
- se décider à – (to decide)
Je m’occuperai de cela.
I’ll take care of that.
Mes arents viennent d’arriver.
My parents have just arrived.
Mon fils commence à comprendre.
My son is beginning to understand.
In English, indirect objects can either be animate or inanimate. French has the same rule; however, indirect object pronouns can only replace animate nouns: people or animals. It is only possible to use the adverbial pronoun y when the indirect object is not a person or an animal. The French expression for “pay attention to him” is “fais attention à lui”, whereas “pay attention to it” means “fais-y attention”.
Most Common Verbs Followed by the Preposition DE
- essayer de – (to try)
- arrêter de – (to stop)
- oublier de – (to forget)
- refuser de – (to refuse)
- regretter de – (to regret)
- choisir de – (to choose)
- demander de – (to ask)
- s’occuper de – (to take care of)
- parler de – (to talk about)
- refuser de – (to refuse to)
- venir de – (to come to)
- prometter de – (to promise to)
- persuader de – (to persuade)
Je choisis de rester en France.
I choose to stay in France.
Nous refusons de travailler le week-end.
We refuse to work on weekends.
J’arrête de fumer.
I stop smoking.
Verbs Requiring Other Prepositions
Prepositions commonly used before verb infinitives include:
- afin de (in order to)
- au lieu de (instead of)
- avant de (before)
- pour (for, in order to)
- sans (without)
Verbs with two Objects : Direct and Indirect Object
- dire quelque chose à quelqu’un – to say something to someone
- donner quelque chose à quelqu’un – to give something to someone
- écrire quelque chose à quelqu’un – to write something to someone
Je donne l’argent a mon propriètaire.
I give money to my landlord.
Je dois écrire une lettre à mon amie.
I have to write a letter to my friend.
French Verbs to Master
Trying to remember which verbs are followed by the preposition à and which by the preposition de is one of the most challenging aspects of learning French.
In this lesson, we gathered the most relevant verbs to learn that are necessary for 90% of conversations. We say ” Learn smart not hard”.