VERBS - EXTRA OR FEWER WORDS

Some verbs in French "leave out" a word you might expect to find in the English translation. For example 'chercher' means 'to look for' (ie there's no "for" word required to be attached to it).

So we have 'I look for the dog.' - 'Je cherche le chien.' There are more verbs like this.

chercher - to look for	He looks for the cat.	Il cherche le chat.
attendre - to wait for	She waits for the teacher.	Elle attends le professeur.
payer - to pay for	I pay for the cakes.	Je paie les gateaux.
regarder - to look at	We look at (watch) the television.	Nous regardons la télévision.
écouter - to listen to	They are listening to the radio.	Ils écoutent le radio.

In contrast, some verbs in English don't need 'an extra word' - but the corresponding French verbs require one. For example, 'I telephone my friend.' - 'Je téléphone à mon amie.'

téléphoner - to telephone	He telephones his friend.	Il téléphone à son ami.
obéir - to obey	She obeys her parents.	Elle obéit à ses parents.
jouer - to play	He plays football.	Il joue au [à+le] football.
plaire - to please	The dog pleases the boys.	Le chien plaît aux [à+les] garçons.
ressembler - to resemble	The girl resembles her brother.	La fille ressemble à son frère.