Verb + de + infinitive
essayer
deno preposition
The constructions
deessayer de + infinitif
Meaning : to try to do
J'essaie de parler plus lentement.
Do not writeJ'essaie à parler plus lentement.
no prepositionessayer quelque chose
Meaning : to try something out
Elle essaie une nouvelle recette.
Why
Essayer de is the construction before an infinitive, and « essayer à » is one of the most frequent mistakes among all learners. Before a noun, essayer is direct: essayer une robe, essayer un plat. Tenter de follows the same pattern.
The trap for a Chinese speaker
試著做 is essayer de faire. Nothing in Chinese suggests the de, and nothing suggests à either: you simply have to remember de.
Read the full lesson : Prepositions: place, time, and verb + à, de or infinitive →