CARROTTA
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🔗 Compendium
Grammar
EN
English — prepositional verbs
Many English verbs are followed by a fixed preposition that is not chosen freely: depend on, listen to, wait for. The preposition is part of the pattern and rarely translates word-for-word.
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How it works
✓ Rule
Learn the verb and its preposition together as one unit, then add the object: It depends on the weather. I listen to music. We waited for the bus. The choice of preposition is fixed by the verb, not by meaning you can guess.
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Examples
| Verb + preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| depend on | be determined by | It depends on the weather. |
| listen to | pay attention to a sound | I listen to music every day. |
| wait for | stay until someone/something comes | We waited for the bus. |
| look at | direct your eyes towards | Look at this photo. |
| belong to | be owned by | This book belongs to Sara. |
| apologize for | say sorry about | He apologized for the delay. |
| agree with | share someone's opinion | I agree with you. |
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Good to know
⚠ Note
Don't map the preposition from your own language: it is depend on, not "depend of"; listen to, not "listen" alone; and wait for, not "wait" alone. Some verbs change meaning with a different preposition (agree with a person, agree on a plan), so store each pattern as a whole.