French Verbs That Require “à” Before an Infinitive but Not Before a Person

Understanding the Use of “À” with French Verbs: Why Are There Some French Verbs That Require “à” Before an Infinitive but Not Before a Person?

In French, prepositions can be confusing, especially when it comes to verbs that require the preposition à. Certain verbs, like aider, encourager, and forcer, need à when followed by an infinitive verb. However, when these same verbs are used with a direct object, à disappears altogether. You can download a PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.

Why Does French Need the Preposition “À” with Some Verbs?

In many cases, French requires à to connect certain verbs with their following infinitives, even though English might not use any preposition at all in similar sentences.

For example, the verb aider means “to help,” and while we say “I help my son to do his homework” in English, French requires the structure J’aide mon fils à faire ses devoirs — “I help my son do his homework,” with à before the infinitive faire.

The Fine Line Between Infinitives and Direct Objects

The challenge lies in recognizing when the verb is followed by an infinitive or a direct object, because the presence or absence of à depends on this distinction.

If the verb is acting on a direct object, no preposition is needed. But if the verb governs an action (the infinitive), à comes into play.

Understanding the function of each verb and how it’s used will help you navigate this common but confusing part of French grammar. In this lesson, we’ll look at a list of common verbs, and we’ll see examples using them with both direct objects and infinitives.

In the examples below, remember that in composed past tenses (like the passé composé), the past participle must agree with a preceding direct object or direct object pronoun.

Some French Verbs That Require “à” Before an Infinitive but Not Before a Person:

Verb	French	English
Aider	J’aide mon fils à faire ses devoirs.	I help my son do his homework.
Encourager	J’encourage mon frère à apprendre le français.	I encourage my brother to learn French.
Forcer	On m’a forcé(e) à partir tôt.	They forced me to leave early. *Note: “On” is translated as the “anonymous they” in this sentence.
Obliger	Il oblige les enfants à manger des légumes.	He forces the children to eat vegetables.
Habituer	Je l’ai habitué(e) à se lever tôt.	I got him used to waking up early.
Préparer	Je prépare mes élèves à passer l’examen.	I prepare my students to take the exam.
Condamner	Le juge l’a condamné(e) à payer une amende.	The judge sentenced him to pay a fine.
Engager	Ils m’ont engagé(e) à travailler avec eux.	They hired me to work with them.
Pousser	Elle l’a poussé(e) à dire la vérité.	She pushed him to tell the truth.
Réduire	La crise l’a réduit(e) à mendier.	The crisis reduced him to begging.
Inciter	Le professeur incite ses élèves à lire davantage.	The teacher encourages his students to read more.
Contraindre	Les circonstances l‘ont contraint(e) à accepter l’offre.	Circumstances forced him to accept the offer.
Déterminer	Cet échec l‘a déterminé(e) à travailler plus dur.	This failure made him determined to work harder.
Exhorter	Le coach a exhorté son équipe à faire de leur mieux.	The coach urged his team to do their best.
Conduire	Sa passion l’a conduit(e) à devenir musicien.	His passion led him to become a musician.
Désigner	Ils l’ont désigné(e) à représenter l’entreprise.	They appointed him to represent the company.
Prédisposer	Son éducation l’a prédisposé(e) à aimer la littérature.	His education predisposed him to love literature.
Résigner	On l’a résigné(e) à accepter son sort.	They resigned him to accept his fate. *Note: “On” is translated as the “anonymous they” in this sentence.
Accoutumer	Il a accoutumé son chien à dormir dehors.	He got his dog used to sleeping outside.