To describe what an object is made of or its distinguishing features, French uses the prepositions de and à.
Describing Material with de
Use de (or d') without an article to state what something is made of.
| The maker finishes the wooden automaton. | Le fabricant termine l'automate de bois. |
| We are buying a tin soldier. | Nous achetons un soldat d'étain. |
Describing Characteristics with à
Use à plus a definite article to describe a physical trait or accessory (like "the one with the beard"). Remember that à contracts with le to become au, and with les to become aux.
| The maker paints the puppet with the white beard. | Le fabricant peint la marionnette à la barbe blanche. |
| The automaton with the red cape ends up breaking. | L'automate à la cape rouge finit par casser. |
Combining Both
You can use both in the same sentence for a detailed description.
| The tin soldier with the moustache ends up falling. | Le soldat d'étain à la moustache finit par tomber. |
| The puppet with the blue shoes has a velvet cape. | La marionnette aux chaussures bleues a une cape de velours. |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io