French Grammar in Context

b Of the verbs which take de, an important group takes the construction: verb + indirect object
(à quelqu’un) + de + infinitive.
e.g. on lui demande de retomber (lines 6–7)

c The impersonal verb il s’agit takes de before an infinitive.

e.g. il ne s’agit pas de donner (line 27)

See also Chapter 25.

3 VERBS WITH TWO DIFFERENT USAGES

An example of a verb with two different usages is arriver. In its impersonal usage (‘to happen’), it
takes de

e.g. il peut arriver à l’enfant d’être félicité (lines 29–30),
but when it is used personally with the meaning ‘to manage to do something’, it takes à.

e.g. je suis arrivé à résoudre le problème

4 GENERAL NOTE

When a verb which takes a preposition is followed by two or more infinitives, the preposition
must be repeated before each of the infinitives.

e.g. invité à réfléchir, à analyser, à déduire (lines 3–4)

Other points to note in the text

• Infinitive used in a noun phrase: Lui refuser... est ignorer (lines 15–19); Vouloir... est lui
  refuser (lines 20–2)


• Perfect infinitive: avoir surmonté, avoir grandi (lines 23, 24)


• Passive infinitive: être félicité (lines 29–30) (see Chapter 21)


• Impersonal verbs: Il ne s’agit pas de donner (line 27); il peut arriver (line 29); and subjunctive:
  qu’il s’agisse d’ (line 11) (see Chapter 26)

Discover more about verbs + à/de

1 WITH À

aAs an aid to memory (see also Exercise 1 below), it is helpful to try to group verbs which take à

according to meaning. For example:

• verbs of beginning and continuing, e.g. commencer à; se mettre à; continuer à. But see also 3
  below


• verbs of dedication, effort, e.g. se dévouer à; se fatiguer à


• verbs of intention or purpose, e.g. chercher à; persister à.

Verbs with àand de 151