Verb drill
French action verbs: who lends, borrows, allows and prevents?
Track who does what with prêter, emprunter, autoriser and empêcher. Compare the roles, then complete eight French sentences in a focused verb drill.
- B1
- 8 answers
- Checked all at once
- Accents count
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Start with the person doing the action. Nora prête son carnet à Samir makes Nora the lender; Samir emprunte le carnet à Nora makes Samir the borrower. For permission and prevention, keep the whole pattern: autoriser quelqu’un à faire and empêcher quelqu’un de faire.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
| Subject | Sentence | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Nora | Nora prête son carnet à Samir. | Nora lends; Samir receives it temporarily. |
| Samir | Samir emprunte le carnet à Nora. | Samir borrows; Nora supplies the notebook. |
The notebook moves from Nora to Samir in both sentences. The subject changes, so the verb changes. À Nora means “from Nora” after emprunter. That same preposition introduces the recipient after prêter: learn each verb with its participants.
Things people lend and borrow
Find:
| Pattern | Example | Who does the final action? |
|---|---|---|
| autoriser quelqu’un à + infinitive | La responsable autorise Samir à entrer. | Samir can enter; the manager grants permission. |
| permettre à quelqu’un de + infinitive | Le plan permet à Nora de trouver l’entrée. | Nora can find it; the map provides the means. |
| interdire à quelqu’un de + infinitive | La responsable interdit aux visiteurs de filmer. | The visitors are forbidden to film. |
| empêcher quelqu’un de + infinitive | Le bruit empêche Samir de se concentrer. | Samir cannot concentrate because of the noise. |
A rule and an obstacle tell you different things. Il est interdit de filmer states a prohibition. La panne empêche la projection says the breakdown blocks the screening. For the drill, follow the verb named in the hint and put it in the present, or supply the missing preposition.
1 · Lender or borrower? Use the present tense.
- Nora son carnet à Samir. (prêter · Nora is the lender)
- Samir le carnet à Nora. (emprunter · Samir is the borrower)
- Nous notre vélo à Léa. (prêter)
- Vous un parapluie à Noé. (emprunter)
2 · Keep the person and complete the construction.
- La responsable autorise Nora entrer. (preposition)
- Le plan permet à Samir trouver la salle. (preposition)
- Le bruit Nora de dormir. (empêcher · present tense)
- Le règlement interdit aux visiteurs filmer. (preposition)