Adjectives with Prepositions

Adjectifs suivis de prépositions

Elle est désireuse à et déterminée de gagner
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

When describing someone as capable of doing or determined to do something, a preposition is required between the adjective and verb. In French, the choice of preposition depends on the adjective that precedes it, not the verb that follows.

 This lesson is specifically about adjectives with the personal verb ĂȘtre. Prepositions after impersonal expressions like il est impossible have their own rules.

Adjectives + Ă 

Adjectives related to some kind of ability, attitude, or imminent action are generally followed by Ă  plus an infinitive or noun.

ĂȘtre acharnĂ© Ă  to be determined to
ĂȘtre apte Ă  to be capable of
ĂȘtre autorisĂ© Ă  to be authorized to
ĂȘtre dĂ©cidĂ© Ă  to be determined to
ĂȘtre destinĂ© Ă  to be destined to
ĂȘtre dĂ©terminĂ© Ă  to be determined to
ĂȘtre disposĂ© Ă  to be willing to
ĂȘtre empressĂ© Ă  to be eager/anxious to
ĂȘtre fondĂ© Ă  to have good reason to
ĂȘtre habile Ă  to be good at
ĂȘtre habituĂ© Ă  to be used to
ĂȘtre inapte Ă  to be incapable of
ĂȘtre ingĂ©nieux Ă  to be clever at
ĂȘtre lent Ă  to be slow in/at
ĂȘtre long Ă  to take a long time to
ĂȘtre occupĂ© Ă  to be busy (doing)
ĂȘtre portĂ© Ă  to be inclined to
ĂȘtre prĂȘt Ă  to be ready to
ĂȘtre rĂ©solu Ă  to be resigned to / set on

 Note that in English, the preposition is "of" or "at" when it’s followed by the gerund (doing) and "to" when it’s followed by the infinitive (do).

Adjectives + de

Adjectives related to feelings, states of mind, and obligation are usually followed by de plus a noun or infinitive.

ĂȘtre capable de* to be capable of
ĂȘtre content de to be happy to
ĂȘtre déçu de to be disappointed to
ĂȘtre dĂ©sireux de to be anxious/desirous to
ĂȘtre dĂ©solĂ© de to be sorry to
ĂȘtre enchantĂ© de to be delighted to
ĂȘtre fana de (informal) to be crazy about / mad keen on
ĂȘtre fatiguĂ© de to be tired of
ĂȘtre fĂ©ru de to be very interested in / keen on
ĂȘtre fier de to be proud to
ĂȘtre forcĂ© de to be forced to
ĂȘtre heureux de to be happy to
ĂȘtre impatient de to be impatient/anxious to
ĂȘtre las de to be tired of
ĂȘtre libre de to be free to
ĂȘtre mĂ©content de to be unhappy about
ĂȘtre mordu de (informal) to be crazy about
ĂȘtre obligĂ© de to be obliged to
ĂȘtre passionnĂ© de to be passionate about
ĂȘtre ravi de to be delighted to
ĂȘtre reconnaissant de to be grateful for
ĂȘtre satisfait de to be satisfied to
ĂȘtre sĂ»r de to be sure to
ĂȘtre surpris de to be surprised to
ĂȘtre susceptible de to be likely to
ĂȘtre triste de to be sad/sorry to

 * I know, this indicates ability but takes de. What can I say? French likes to keep us on our toes.

Adjectives + pour

Pour is required in the following construction:

assez / trop + adjective + pour + infinitive

Par exemple…

Tu es assez studieux pour aller Ă  l’universitĂ©. You’re studious enough to go to college.
Il fait trop beau pour travailler. The weather is too nice to work.

 Related lessons

 Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

French adjectives with prepositions

Questions about French?

 Ask me in the comments section below or visit the Progress with Lawless French Q+A forum to get help from native French speakers and fellow learners.
 

More Lawless French

 Subscribe to my twice-weekly newsletter.		      

Support Lawless French

  This free website is created with love and a great deal of work.

If you love it, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation.

Your support is entirely optional but tremendously appreciated.

2 Responses

  1. hkwhelan 4 June 2019 / 15:54

    Il est temps de faire ça. I would think this would be Ă  faire ça because it represents imminent action. Or, the phrase, ” je n’ai rien Ă  voir avec lui” Since this represents feelings… not wanting to see him ever again… why not use “de voir”? I understand I need to memorize verbs with Ă  ou de but when it comes to situations like this, I’m lost. Can’t wait to see your answer! Thank you!

    • lkl 17 June 2019 / 10:09

      Unfortunately, many situations are unique. Rien Ă  voir is a set expression; there is no explanation for Ă  other than that, as far as I know. Also, note that while voir literally means “see,” this expression is idiomatic: it means “nothing to do with.” See the link above for detailed info.

      As for il est temps, I don’t know where you got the notion about imminent action – I don’t know of any rule about that and prepositions. This is an impersonal expression, for which the rules are very specific: it depends on what il represents (real subject vs dummy subject). See https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/using-impersonal-expressions/ for info