Verbs Followed by à and de

Unlike verbs with 'à', verbs with 'de' do not use indirect object pronouns. Instead, they use 'de' followed by an emphatic pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) for people. For things, the pronoun 'en' is used, meaning 'of it' or 'from it'. Examples like 'nous parlons d'elle' (we are talking about her) and 'on en discute' (we are discussing it) are shown.

The video introduces the topic of French verbs followed by 'à' and 'de'. It stresses that while there's no logical rule for which preposition to use, memorization through exposure is crucial. English examples like 'listen to music' vs. French 'écouter de la musique' (no preposition) and 'to telephone someone' vs. French 'téléphoner à quelqu'un' illustrate this lack of direct translation.

This section covers verbs that take 'à' followed by a noun. Examples include 'parler à quelqu'un' (to speak to someone), 'jouer à' (to play a game/sport), 'plaire à' (to please/like someone), 'répondre à' (to answer/respond to), and 's'attendre à' (to expect something). It also highlights how 'à' combines with articles (e.g., 'au tennis', 'aux questions').

The video explains how to use indirect object pronouns (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur) when replacing nouns following verbs with 'à'. The pronoun 'y' is also introduced for things, meaning 'to it'. Examples like 'je lui parle' (I speak to her) and 'il y joue' (he plays it) are provided to demonstrate their placement before the verb.

This part focuses on verbs followed by 'de' and a noun. Examples include 'parler de' (to speak about), 'jouer de' (to play an instrument), 'discuter de' (to discuss something), 'se souvenir de' (to remember something), and 'avoir besoin de' (to need something). The speaker emphasizes that 'de' doesn't always translate as 'of' or 'from'.

This section covers verbs that take 'à' followed by an infinitive. No pronouns are involved as infinitives are not typically replaced. Examples include 'commencer à faire' (to start to do), 'aider à faire' (to help someone to do), 'apprendre à faire' (to learn to do), 'encourager à faire' (to encourage someone to do), and 'continuer à faire' (to continue to do). 'Continuer de' is mentioned as an alternative with the same meaning.

The video continues with verbs that take 'de' followed by an infinitive. Examples are 'choisir de faire' (to choose to do), 'essayer de faire' (to try to do), 'arrêter de faire' (to stop doing), 'refuser de faire' (to refuse to do), and 'décider de faire' (to decide to do).

This part addresses verbs that unexpectedly require both 'à' and 'de' (verb + à + someone + de + infinitive). Examples include 'dire à quelqu'un de faire' (to tell someone to do), 'permettre à quelqu'un de faire' (to allow someone to do), 'demander à quelqu'un de faire' (to ask someone to do), and 'conseiller à quelqu'un de faire' (to advise someone to do).

When forming questions with these prepositions, the preposition (à or de) should be placed at the beginning of the question. The question word for 'what' is 'quoi' in these constructions. Examples are 'De quoi parles-tu?' (What are you talking about?) and 'À qui parles-tu?' (Who are you talking to?).

The video concludes by demonstrating how 'à' and 'de' can stack when multiple verbs requiring these prepositions are used in a single sentence. For example, 'Elle a essayé d'apprendre à nager' (She tried to learn to swim) shows both 'de' and 'à' in sequence. A complex example is given to illustrate this concept, reinforcing that prepositions are retained for every verb that requires them.