À vs De

1 French prepositions

It is essential to understand the difference between the French prepositions à and de. The meaning of some verbs depends on whether you use à or de, while for other verbs, both prepositions may be used in the same sentence.

Verbs with different meanings with à and de

|décider à | |to persuade, convince |
|décider de | |to decide to |
| | | |
|demander à | |to ask (for permission) |
|demander de | |to ask (s.o. to do s.t.*) |
| | | |
|jouer à | |to play a game or sport |
|jouer de | |to play an instrument |
| | | |
|manquer à | |to miss someone |
|manquer de | |to neglect (to do s.t.) |
|(more about manquer) |
| | | |
|parler à | |to talk to |
|parler de | |to talk about |
| | | |
|penser à | |to think about (imagine) |
|penser de | |to think about (opinion) |
|(more about penser) |
| | | |
|profiter à | |to benefit |
|profiter de | |to make the most of |
| | | |
|venir à | |to happen to |
|venir de | |to have just (done s.t.) |
|(more about venir) |

Verbs that use both à and de in the same sentence

|conseiller à qqun de faire qqch | |advise s.o. to do s.t. |
|défendre à qqun de faire qqch | |forbid s.o. to do s.t. |
|demander à qqun de faire qqch | |ask s.o. to do s.t. |
|dire à qqun de faire qqch | |tell s.o. to do s.t. |
|interdire à qqun de faire qqch | |forbid s.o. to do s.t. |
|ordonner à qqun de faire qqch | |order s.o. to do s.t. |
|permettre à qqun de faire qqch | |allow s.o. to do s.t. |
|promettre à qqun de faire qqch | |promise s.o. to do s.t. |
|téléphoner à qqun de faire qqch | |call s.o. to do s.t. |
|qqun |quelqu'un | |s.o. |someone |
|qqch |quelque chose | |s.t. |something |

Expressions with à and de

|à côté |nearby, next to | |de côté |sideways |
|à côté de |next to, beside | |du côté de |from (direction) |
|à la hauteur |at the level | |de hauteur |[5 feet] tall |
|il est à Paris |he's in Paris | |il est de Paris |he's from Paris |
|prêt* à + inf. |prepared to | |prês* de + inf. |near, on the verge of |
|tasse à thé |teacup (cup for tea) | |tasse de thé |cup of tea |

* These are two different words, but because they are homophones I think it makes sense to include them.

Verbs with à or de

There are a couple of French verbs that can take à or de with little or no difference in