French verbs requiring a preposition
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A number of French verbs require the preposition pour in front of a noun or infinitive.
| acheter pour (quelqu’un) | to buy for (someone) | |
| compter pour | to be worth | |
| condamner pour (vol, meurtre) | to sentence for (theft, murder) | |
| craindre pour (sa vie) | to fear for (one’s life) | |
| creuser pour | to dig for | |
| être célèbre pour + noun | to be famous for | |
| être pour | to be in favor of | |
| insister pour | to insist on | |
| laisser pour (mort) | to leave for (dead) | |
| motiver (qqun) pour | to motivate (someone) to | |
| parler pour | to speak on behalf of | |
| partir pour | to leave for, to be off to | |
| payer pour (quelqu’un) | to pay for (someone) | |
| se pencher pour | to bend down in order to | |
| prendre (quelqu’un) pour + noun | to take (someone) for (e.g., a child) | |
| quêter pour (les orphelins) | to collect for (orphans) | |
| remercier pour + noun | to thank for (e.g., the book) | |
| signer pour (quelqu’un) | to sign on behalf of (someone) | |
| téléphoner pour (le problème) | to phone about (the problem) | |
| travailler pour | to work for | |
| voter pour | to vote for |
Note that the French verb chercher means “to look for” – it cannot be followed by the preposition pour.
Par exemple…
| Qu’est-ce que tu cherches ? | What are you looking for? | |
| Je cherche mes clés. | I’m looking for my keys. |
Pour can also used in front of just about any verb to indicate purpose or reason, either in the infinitive (meaning "in order to" or "for doing")
Par exemple…
| Je l’ai fait pour t’aider. | I did it (in order) to help you. | |
| Je suis ici pour apprendre. | I’m here to learn. | |
| Je ne le dis pas pour vous blesser. | I’m not saying it to hurt you. | |
| Je te remercie pour m’aider. | I thank you for helping me. |
Or in the past infinitive (meaning "for having done").
Par exemple…
| Je te remercie pour avoir assisté à la conférence. | I thank you for having attended the conference. | |
| Il doit être puni pour être arrivé si en retard. | He must be punished for having arrived so late. |
Related lessons
- Lesson on pour
- Verbs with prepositions
- Verbs without prepositions
- Introduction to: Prepositions | Verbs | Nouns
En español
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