Verb + preposition 1: to and at | Unit 132 | PrepMyEnglish
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Unit 132 · Grammar Lesson
Unité 132 · Leçon de Grammaire

Verb + preposition 1: to and at
talk to · listen to · explain to · look at · laugh at · shout at/to · throw at/to Verbe + préposition 1 : to et at
talk to · listen to · explain to · look at · laugh at · shout at/to · throw at/to

Learn which verbs take to, which take at, which take neither — and the pairs where both are possible but with different meanings.

Apprenez quels verbes prennent to, lesquels prennent at, lesquels n’en prennent aucune — et les paires où les deux sont possibles avec des sens différents.

B1 – B2 4 Rules · 4 Exercises · 200-Q Quiz · PDF 4 Règles · 4 Exercices · Quiz 200 Q · PDF 🇬🇧 EN / 🇫🇷 FR

Many English verbs require a specific preposition. Two of the most important are to and at. Some verbs always use to (talk to someone), some always use at (look at something), and some — like phone or ask — use no preposition at all. A handful use at or to with a change in meaning (shout at = aggression; shout to = communication).

De nombreux verbes anglais exigent une préposition spécifique. Les deux plus importantes sont to et at. Certains verbes utilisent toujours to (parler à quelqu’un), d’autres toujours at (regarder quelque chose), et certains — comme phone ou ask — n’utilisent aucune préposition.

A

Verb + TO — talk, listen, explain, apologise…

Verbe + TO — talk, listen, explain, apologise…

talk / speak TO somebody

talk / speak TO quelqu’un

Who were you talking to?
Can I speak to the manager?
(talk/speak WITH also possible)

listen TO …

I like to listen to the radio.
Listen to me carefully!
(NOT: listen the radio)(PAS : listen the radio)
apologise TO somebody (for …)
They apologised to me. (NOT apologised me) They apologised to me. (PAS apologised me)

explain something TO somebody
Can you explain this to me? (NOT explain me this) Can you explain this to me? (PAS explain me this)

describe something TO somebody
Let me describe to you what I saw. (NOT describe you what) Let me describe to you what I saw. (PAS describe you what)

write (a letter) TO somebody · reply TO an email
⚠️
Common mistakes: ✗ explain me → ✓ explain to me  ·  ✗ apologised him → ✓ apologised to him  ·  ✗ described her what → ✓ described to her what Erreurs fréquentes : ✗ explain me → ✓ explain to me  ·  ✗ apologised him → ✓ apologised to him
B

Verbs WITHOUT to — phone, ask, answer, thank…

Verbes SANS to — phone, ask, answer, thank…

phone / call / email / text somebody (NOT phone to)(PAS phone to)
I called the airline. (NOT called to the airline) I called the airline. (PAS called to the airline)

answer somebody/something (NOT answer to)(PAS answer to)
You didn’t answer my email. — But: reply to an email. You didn’t answer my email. — Mais : reply to an email.

ask somebody (a question) (NOT ask to)(PAS ask to)
If you want to know, ask me. (NOT ask to me) If you want to know, ask me. (PAS ask to me)

thank somebody (for …) (NOT thank to)(PAS thank to)
He thanked me for helping him. (NOT thanked to me) He thanked me for helping him. (PAS thanked to me)
C

Verb + AT — look, laugh, aim, shoot…

Verbe + AT — look, laugh, aim, shoot…

look / stare / glance AT

Why are you looking at me?
She stared at him in disbelief.
He glanced at his watch.
have / take a look AT something

laugh AT · aim / point / shoot AT

Everybody will laugh at me.
Don’t point that knife at me!
aim a gun at someone
shoot / fire at someone
D

shout AT/TO · throw AT/TO — meaning changes!

shout AT/TO · throw AT/TO — le sens change !

AT = aggressive / to hit

AT = agressif / pour toucher

He started shouting at me. (angry)
He threw an egg at the politician. (to hit)

TO = communicative / to catch

TO = communication / à attraper

He shouted to me across the street. (calling)
She threw the keys to me. (to catch)
💡
Memory trick: AT = aggressive/aimed at a target. TO = toward/talking (communicative). “Shouted at me” (angry) vs “Shouted to me” (calling). “Threw it at him” (attack) vs “Threw it to him” (pass). Astuce mémo : AT = agressif. TO = communication. “Shouted at me” (en colère) vs “Shouted to me” (appelait).

Verb + to / at — Exercises with AnswersVerbe + to / at — Exercices avec Corrigé

Put each rule into practice — check your answers instantly

Mettez chaque règle en pratique — vérifiez vos réponses instantanément

EX 1

Which is correct? Type a, b, or both.

Laquelle est correcte ? Tapez a, b, ou both.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Answers:Réponses : 1. a · 2. a · 3. b · 4. a · 5. a · 6. a · 7. b · 8. a
EX 2

Complete using the verb + correct preposition.

Complétez avec le verbe + bonne préposition.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Answers:Réponses : 1. laugh at · 2. explain it to · 3. spoken to · 4. point them at · 5. listen to · 6. throw stones at · 7. throw it to · 8. reply to
EX 3

Put in to or at.

Mettez to ou at.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Answers:Réponses : 1. to · 2. at · 3. at · 4. to · 5. to · 6. at · 7. at · 8. to · 9. at · 10. at · 11. to
EX 4

Add to / at, or write — if no preposition is needed.

Ajoutez to / at, ou écrivez — si aucune n’est requise.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Answers:Réponses : 1. — · 2. to · 3. — · 4. to · 5. — · 6. — · 7. to · 8. at

Frequently Asked Questions — Verb + preposition 1

Questions fréquentes — Verbe + préposition 1

Explain and describe require to before the person: explain something TO someone. You cannot say “explain me”. Compare with tell, which can take a direct object: tell me (no preposition).

Explain et describe nécessitent to avant la personne. On ne peut pas dire “explain me”. Comparez avec tell : tell me (sans préposition).

Answer takes a direct object (no preposition): answer the question. Reply always uses to: reply to an email. Never “reply an email”.

Answer a un complément direct (sans préposition). Reply utilise toujours to : reply to an email.

Shout AT = angry with someone: Stop shouting at me!   Shout TO = calling across a distance: He shouted to me from across the street. The same contrast applies to throw at (hostile) vs throw to (to catch).

Shout AT = en colère. Shout TO = appeler à distance. Même contraste pour throw at (hostile) vs throw to (amical).

Phone, call, email, text all take direct objects (no preposition). Write uses to: write a letter to someone. This is simply a convention to memorise.

Phone, call, email, text ont tous des compléments directs. Write utilise to : write a letter to someone.

🎯 Unit 132 · MCQ QuizUnité 132 · Quiz QCM

Verb + to and at — Quiz

Verbe + to et at — Quiz

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Unit 132 Quiz

Quiz Unité 132

20 questions

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out ofsur questionsquestions
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