kotoboka ✱

[steady stratus]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[flint frost]

depends on the verb/adjective that comes before

[hot ibex]

are you able to provide examples?

[cyan pasture]

apprendre à, essayer de

[flat laurel]

Unfortunately there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for à/de, but with time you'll start to develop an intuition for which preposition to use in various contexts. Mastering this aspect of French requires regular practice, memorizing common verb-preposition pairs as you encounter them and paying close attention to context

I’ll explain à faire vs de faire.
In this case the difference lies in the verbs or expressions that precede them.
"À faire" is used after verbs or expressions that imply a direction, intention, or goal. “commencer à faire” = “to start doing”. "De faire" is used after verbs or expressions that imply necessity, obligation, or completion. “essayer de faire” = “to try to do”. The choice depends on the preceding verb or expression