- Just like verbs, some French adjectives can be linked to what follows by either à or de.
- An adjective followed by de or à can be followed by a noun, a pronoun or an infinitive.
- Some adjectives that can be followed by de are used to say how you feel, that you are certain about something, or that it is necessary or important to do something. These are the most common:
| certain | certain |
| content | happy |
| désolé | sorry |
| enchanté | delighted |
| heureux | happy |
| important | important |
| malheureux | unhappy |
| nécessaire | necessary |
| sûr | sure |
| triste | sad |
| Tu es sûr de pouvoir venir? | Are you sure you can come? |
| Enchanté de faire votre connaissance. | Delighted to meet you. |
| Il est nécessaire de réserver. | You have to book. |
Grammar Extra!
- Some adjectives, such as facile (meaning easy), intéressant (meaning interesting) or impossible (meaning impossible), can be followed by either à or de. de tends to be used when you are saying something that is generally true. à tends to be used when you are saying something about someone or something in particular.
| Il est difficile de prendre une décision. | It’s difficult to make a decision. |
| Il est difficile à connaître. | He’s difficult to get to know. |
| Son accent est difficile à comprendre. | His accent is difficult to understand. |