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Verbs whose preposition changes the meaning
Verbs whose meaning changes with their preposition: obliger à and être obligé de, penser à and penser de, manquer à and manquer de, servir à and servir de (je pense à toi, que penses-tu de mon idée ?, il manque d'argent).
The meaning of obliger, penser, manquer and servir changes with the preposition that follows them.
- Mes parents m'obligent à ranger ma chambre.My parents make me tidy my room.
- Je suis obligé de partir tôt.I have to leave early.
- À quoi penses-tu ?What are you thinking about?
- Que penses-tu de mon idée ?What do you think of my idea?
- Il manque d'argent.He is short of money.
- Ce couteau sert à couper la viande.This knife is used for cutting meat.
Use
- Obliger is followed by à in the active and by de in the passive: être obligé de.
- Obliger quelqu'un à + infinitive means to force someone, and être obligé de + infinitive to have to.
- S'obliger à means to make oneself do something.
| Construction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| penser à | to have someone or something in mind |
| penser de | to have an opinion of |
| manquer à | to be missed by |
| manquer de | to lack |
| servir à | to be used for |
| servir de | to be used as: Ce verre sert de vase. (“This glass is used as a vase.”) |
Difference from English
- English “think of” covers both the opinion (penser de) and the thought (penser à).
Common mistake
Je manque mon frère.→ Mon frère me manque.With manquer à, the person who misses someone is the indirect object: Tu me manques (“I miss you”).
Show the answer Le patron nous oblige ___ travailler le samedi. àShow the answer
Show the answer Nous sommes obligés ___ travailler le samedi. deShow the answer
The preposition after obliger, penser, manquer and servir is chosen from the meaning of the sentence.
- Ma sœur me manque.I miss my sister.
- Que pensez-vous de ce restaurant ?What do you think of this restaurant?
- Ce sac sert à porter les courses.This bag is used for carrying the shopping.
Use
- With manquer à, the person or place missed is the subject, and the person who misses it the indirect object.
| Construction | Meaning | Forms practised |
|---|---|---|
| obliger quelqu'un à | to force someone | m'oblige à, m'obligez à |
| être obligé de | to have to | obligée de |
| penser à | to have someone or something in mind | pense à |
| penser de | to have an opinion of | pensez de |
| manquer de | to lack | manque de |
| manquer à | to be missed by | lui manque, manquent à |
| servir à | to be used for | sert à |
| servir de | to be used as | sert de, a servi de |
Show the answer Ce bouton sert ___ éteindre la lumière. àShow the answer
Show the answer Vous m'obligez ___ répéter la même chose. àShow the answer
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