L’Essentiel de la Semaine
One French language essential a week — grammar shifts, vocabulary in the wild, and the rules worth re-examining.
« Demander pour » vs « Demander à »
A classic false friend that trips up even good students.
Write demander à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose on the board, then ask students to build three sentences using:
Extension idea: pair it with expressions like avoir besoin de, essayer de, réussir à.
« Attendre pour » vs « Attendre de » vs just « Attendre »
Another common mistake that sneaks into student writing and speaking.
« Attendre » doesn’t need a preposition — but with an infinitive, it’s different:
Write on the board:
Ask students to write one sentence for each — highlight the difference between direct objects and verbal phrases.
Extension idea: reinforce by comparing with similar verbs that do require prepositions, like penser à, décider de, aider à.
« Jouer à » vs « Jouer de »
Another very common mistake in student speaking and writing.
Write on the board: jouer à + sport/jeu, jouer de + instrument. Then ask students to sort these into the correct category:
Quick challenge: écris deux phrases avec jouer à et deux phrases avec jouer de.
« Visiter » vs « Rendre visite à »
A classic trap caused by direct translation from English.
Write on the board: visiter + lieu, rendre visite à + personne. Then give students these prompts and ask them to write the correct structure for each one:
« Manquer à » : la structure inversée
One of the strangest traps for English speakers — the person who is missed becomes the subject.
Write on the board: [personne qui manque] + manquer à + [personne qui ressent le manque]. Then give students English sentences and ask them to find the French subject first, before translating:
Extension idea: contrast with manquer de (to lack): Il manque de patience.
« Penser à » vs « Penser de »
Two prepositions, two very different jobs — one for what’s on your mind, one for an opinion.
Write on the board: penser à + nom/infinitif, penser de + nom (opinion). Then ask students to write two questions with Qu’est-ce que tu penses de… and two statements with Je pense à…:
Extension idea: compare with croire à (to believe something exists) and croire en (to have faith in someone).
« Se souvenir de » vs « Se rappeler »
Two verbs, one meaning — but only one of them takes de. Mixing up their structures is one of the most common slips in formal writing.
Write on the board: se souvenir de + nom, se rappeler + nom. Then give students these memories and ask them to write each one twice, once with each verb:
Extension idea: practise the pronouns: je m’en souviens but je me le rappelle — the same contrast, now with en and le.