Guide to Verbs Followed by Prepositions – TOEIC® Preparation

In English, many verbs require the use of a specific preposition to form grammatically correct constructions. The prepositions most frequently used in these verb combinations are "for," "on," "with," "to," "about," "in," and "at."

The most effective strategy for mastering these structures is to memorize the groupings detailed in this guide.

In this course, you will learn to quickly identify which preposition accompanies which verb. Mastering these combinations is extremely important for the TOEIC®: many questions in the Reading section (especially Parts 5 and 6) test precisely this skill. Knowing these associations will help you gain points quickly and efficiently.

1. Verbs that NEVER take a preposition (essential list)

Some English verbs are used directly with their object, without an intermediate preposition. This feature is a frequent trap for French speakers, as these same verbs often require a preposition in French.

Verb	Translation
to discuss	discuter (de)
to enter	entrer (dans)
to meet	rencontrer, retrouver
to phone	téléphoner (à)
to tell	dire (à)

Contextual Examples:

We need to discuss the budget. (not "discuss about")
She will enter the conference room. (not "enter in")
Let's meet the new manager tomorrow. (not "meet with" in this context)

2. Verbs followed by a fixed preposition (combinations to remember)

These verbs form stable collocations with a specific preposition. Using any other preposition would constitute a grammatical error penalized in the TOEIC®.

Verb + Preposition Combination	Translation
to account for	to explain, to give a reason for
to agree on	to reach an agreement about (a topic)
to agree with	to share the opinion of (a person/idea)
to apply for (+ PURPOSE)	to submit a formal request for (indicates the objective)
to apply to (+ INSTITUTION)	to submit a formal request to (indicates the recipient)
to approve of	to give consent or agreement to
to believe in	to have faith or confidence in
to belong to	to be a member of or property of
to benefit from	to receive an advantage or profit from
to complain about	to express dissatisfaction regarding (something)
to complain to	to express dissatisfaction to (someone)
to comply with	to act in accordance with, to follow
to concentrate on	to direct one's attention to
to consist of	to be made up of, to be composed of
to contribute to	to give something in order to help achieve or provide
to cope with	to deal effectively with difficulty
to deal with	to handle, to take action regarding
to depend on	to be determined by or contingent upon
to focus on	to give special attention to
to hear about	to receive information concerning (general news)
to hear from	to receive communication from (direct contact)
to insist on	to demand something forcefully
to invest in	to put money or effort into something promising
to lead to	to cause something to happen or result in
to look at	to direct one's eyes toward, to examine
to look for	to search for, to try to find
to object to	to express opposition to, to raise a protest against
to participate in	to take part in, to be involved in
to pay for	to give money in exchange for goods or services
to recover from	to get better after an illness or difficulty
to refer to	to mention or allude to, to direct attention toward
to rely on	to depend on for support or help
to result in	to end with, to cause a specific outcome
to specialize in	to concentrate on a particular area of study or work
to succeed in	to achieve a desired aim or result
to take care of	to look after, to be responsible for
to talk to	to speak directly to, to address
to think about (= consider)	to give serious consideration to
to think of (= opinion)	to have a particular view or judgment about
to wait for	to remain inactive until something happens
to write to	to compose and send a written message to

TOEIC® Tip: Some verbs change their meaning depending on the preposition used. For example, "apply for" (to apply for a job) vs "apply to" (to address an institution). These nuances are regularly tested!

3. Verbs with an Object + Preposition (complex structures)

These constructions involve three elements: the verb, a direct object (person or thing), followed by a preposition introducing a second complement. This structure is common in the professional contexts of the TOEIC®.

Verb + Object + Preposition Structure	Translation
to care about ...something...	se soucier de quelque chose
to worry about ...something...	s'inquiéter au sujet de quelque chose
to laugh at ...someone... for	se moquer de quelqu'un pour
to insure ...something... against	assurer quelque chose contre
to apply for ...something...	postuler pour obtenir quelque chose
to ask ...someone... for	demander quelque chose à quelqu'un
to blame ...someone... for	blâmer quelqu'un pour, reprocher à
to depend on ...someone... for	dépendre de quelqu'un pour
to pay for ...something...	régler, payer quelque chose
to rely on ...someone... for	compter sur quelqu'un pour
to thank ...someone... for	remercier quelqu'un pour
to apologize to ...someone... for	présenter des excuses à quelqu'un pour
to complain to ...someone... about	se plaindre auprès de quelqu'un au sujet de
to object to ...something... for	s'opposer à quelque chose pour
to borrow ...something... from	emprunter quelque chose à
to protect ...someone... from	protéger quelqu'un contre
to approve of ...something...	donner son approbation à quelque chose
to invest ...something... in	placer quelque chose dans
to specialize in ...something...	se spécialiser dans un domaine
to succeed in ...something...	réussir dans quelque chose
to congratulate ...someone... on	féliciter quelqu'un pour
to spend ...something... on	dépenser quelque chose pour
to divide ...something... into	diviser quelque chose en
to hear about ...something...	apprendre l'existence de quelque chose
to believe in ...something...	avoir foi en quelque chose
to provide ...someone... with	fournir à quelqu'un quelque chose
to supply ...someone... with	approvisionner quelqu'un en

Examples in a professional context:

The manager will provide the team with updated guidelines.
We need to thank our clients for their continued support.
The company decided to invest significant resources in research and development.

Conclusion

Questions concerning verb-preposition combinations appear systematically in the TOEIC®, particularly in Parts 5 and 6 of the Reading section.

Even if memorizing these lists seems tedious at first, the investment is well worth it: you will be able to instantly identify the correct answer and secure valuable points on the exam.

We understand that retaining all these associations is a challenge. This is precisely why we are developing interactive tools and gamified exercises that make learning more effective and enjoyable.

To go further, also consult these complementary resources:

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