Question regarding à and de verbs in French

Factual Questions
1

Hi

I’ve made some lists of verbs followed by à and de. I always come across new ones and I’m just wondering:

Will a) good French dictionaries give me all the variations of meanings of verbs followed by" à" or “de”
or

b)are there just too many variations and nuances to find them in dictionaries? Does the reader have to rely on context to understand the meaning?.

I look forward to your feedback.
davidmich

2

Yes. There is no particular rhyme or reason to which verb gets which preposition, so you just have to know. Plus there are a few verbs that can take both “à” or “de,” with a different meaning in each case.

Here are some examples: When to Use 'À' vs. 'De' in French

3

Thanks RadicalPi. Every website I’ve seen suggests that you just memorize the verbs that take à and de as you come across them.

4

Those are prepositions, aren’t they? Does the correct preposition depend more on what the preceding verb is, or what the object of the preposition is?

Prepositions are totally idiosyncratic in any language, and there is just as much arbitrariness in English as French.

For example, you might be at the doctor’s office, but in the examination room. You rode on the bus to get there, but in a car to get back home.

(In Hebrew, you would be in the doctor’s office or in the supermarket, but the preposition for “in” can also mean “with” in some cases.)