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### Adjectives followed by "de"

In French, many adjectives must be linked to an infinitive (an unconjugated verb) using a preposition. Use **de** when the adjective describes a person's feelings or state of mind.

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You also use **de** for impersonal expressions that start with **Il est** (It is...).

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### Adjectives followed by "à"

On the other hand, use **à** when the adjective expresses readiness, willingness, or determination to take action.

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You also use **à** when the subject of the sentence is the actual target of the action—for example, when saying a sensation is "thrilling to discover" or courage is "hard to find".

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### Putting it all together

To choose the right preposition, look at what the adjective is doing: use **de** for feelings and impersonal facts, and **à** for readiness or describing a subject's traits.

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Adjectives followed by an infinitive (à, de)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and elision (le, la, l')

Indefinite articles (un, une)

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
the instructor	le moniteur
to surf	surfer
The instructor is thrilled to surf with us.	Le moniteur est ravi de surfer avec nous.
impossible	impossible
It is impossible to surf this gigantic wave!	Il est impossible de surfer cette vague gigantesque !
to (introducing an infinitive after an adjective)	à
Are you ready to surf?	Es-tu prêt à surfer ?
determined	décidé
I am determined to keep my balance.	Je suis décidé à garder l'équilibre.
the sensation	la sensation
the surfing	le surf
The sensations of surfing are thrilling to discover.	Les sensations du surf sont passionnantes à découvrir.
the courage	le courage
The courage you need to surf is hard to find.	Le courage dont tu as besoin pour surfer est difficile à trouver.
exciting	excitant
It is exciting to slide on the waves!	Il est excitant de glisser sur les vagues !
She is thrilled to discover this sensation.	Elle est ravie de découvrir cette sensation.
It is dangerous to surf without the instructor.	Il est dangereux de surfer sans le moniteur.
willing	disposé
They are willing to listen to the instructor.	Ils sont disposés à écouter le moniteur.
It is tiring to swim to the wave.	Il est fatigant de nager jusqu'à la vague.
I am determined to learn surfing today.	Je suis décidé à apprendre le surf aujourd'hui.
I am willing to try. It is exciting to surf, but impossible to do without courage.	Je suis disposé à essayer. C'est excitant de surfer, mais impossible à faire sans courage.