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Grammar
B1IntermediateTopic: Prepositions

Verbs and adjectives with prepositions

Depend on, listen to, wait for, good at, married to, and verbs like discuss and enter that take no preposition at all.

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Many verbs and adjectives take a fixed preposition before a noun or a pronoun: It depends on the weather. I'm good at maths. These are called dependent prepositions. The preposition often doesn't match the one your own language uses, and there is no rule that predicts it, so learn the verb or adjective together with its preposition. After the preposition, a verb takes -ing: I'm good at cooking.

Verb + preposition

Preposition
Verbs
on
depend on, rely on, concentrate on, spend money on
to
listen to, belong to, talk to, explain something to someone
for
wait for, pay for, look for, ask for, apply for
about
think about, worry about, talk about, complain about
at
look at, laugh at, arrive at (a building)
with
agree with, deal with
  • It depends on the price.
  • Who does this coat belong to?
  • We're waiting for a taxi.
  • Incorrect: It depends from the weather.
  • Correct: It depends on the weather.
    The preposition after depend is on.
  • Incorrect: I listen music on the way to work.
  • Correct: I listen to music on the way to work.
    Listen needs to before what you hear.
  • Incorrect: I'm waiting you outside.
  • Correct: I'm waiting for you outside.

Explain to someone, ask for something

Some verbs have two objects, and the preposition goes before one of them.

  • Can you explain this rule to me? (not explain me)
  • She asked the waiter for the bill.
  • We paid fifty pounds for the tickets.

No preposition

Some English verbs take a direct object with no preposition, where other languages have one.

  • We discussed the plan. (not discussed about)
  • She entered the room. (not entered into)
  • Call me tomorrow. (not call to me)
  • He married a doctor. (not married with)
  • Please answer the question. (not answer to)
  • Incorrect: We discussed about the problem at the meeting.
  • Correct: We discussed the problem at the meeting.
    Discuss takes its object directly. With the noun, it's a discussion about the problem.

Arrive in, arrive at

We arrive in a city or a country and arrive at a building, a station or an airport. We never arrive to a place.

  • We arrived in London at six.
  • What time did you arrive at the hotel?
  • Incorrect: We arrived to Paris late at night.
  • Correct: We arrived in Paris late at night.
    For a city, use arrive in.

Adjective + preposition

Preposition
Adjectives
at
good at, bad at, surprised at
of
afraid of, proud of, tired of, full of, fond of
in
interested in
to
married to, kind to, similar to, nice to
about
worried about, excited about, sorry about
for
famous for, responsible for, late for
with
angry with (a person), pleased with, busy with
from
different from
  • I'm afraid of spiders.
  • Kazan is famous for its old Kremlin.
  • She's very kind to animals.
  • Incorrect: She's married with a doctor.
  • Correct: She's married to a doctor.
    Be married or get married takes to. Married with is for children: married with two children.
  • Incorrect: He's very good in maths.
  • Correct: He's very good at maths.
    Good and bad take at.

Different from is the safest choice. British English also uses different to.

A verb after the preposition

When a verb follows any of these prepositions, it takes -ing, as on the page about gerunds.

  • I'm tired of waiting.
  • She apologised for being late.
  • We're thinking about moving to the coast.

In questions

In a question, the preposition stays with its verb at the end: What are you worried about? Who are you waiting for?

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Related rules

Where this rule sits

All B1 rulesPrepositions: all rules

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  1. Prepositions of time: at / on / inA1Beginner