# FR: à/dans/de/avec la main - préposition



## locco7_2000

Hello 

In French sometimes certain verbs take de, while others take à

for example, Je cherche à comprendre cette langue […]

J'essaie de comprendre cette langue, mais ce n'est pas si facile […]

So there are certain verbs that take à ou de, it just depends. Well thats easy enough, because i can just study those verbs like a parrot 

However, im a bit confused, about more difficult examples of de and à

IE
"Il a une banane à la main!"

So im confused.
its ok to say il a une banane dans la main, is it not?????

Why do they say à la main? is that just a idiomatic expression?

ok, secondly 'de' in a context
"Il l'attrapa de la main gauche"

its interesting that the french dont say il l'attrapa avec la main gauche ? its wrong is it not? to say " il l'attrapa avec la main gauche?"

I was just wondering why they choose de and à in these cases and many others!

[…]

thanks


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## pieanne

locco7_2000 said:


> its ok to say il a une banane dans la main, is it not????? looks a bit weird... sounds as if the banana had pierced his hand...
> 
> Why do they say à la main? is that just a idiomatic expression? I guess so... You always (as far as I can tell) say *avoir* something* à la main, au cou, au poignet, aux pieds...*
> 
> its interesting that the french dont say il l'attrapa avec la main gauche ? its wrong is it not? to say " il l'attrapa avec la main gauche?"
> "Avec" shows *the means* with which you catch something: avec un filet, avec ... uh... un bol, un mouchoir..., or *the way/manner* you catch (or whatever) it: *avec adresse, avec facilité, difficultés, aso...*
> It's true when you want to say which hand you use to do things, you'll use "de".


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## elsouljacker

> Il l'a attrapé de la main gauche


it's not a great example because you can also say "Il l'a attrapé à la main gauche", which doesn't mean the same thing


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## pieanne

elsouljacker said:


> it's not a great example because you can also say "Il l'a attrapé à la main gauche", which doesn't mean the same thing


What does it mean?


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## elsouljacker

"Il l'a attrapé de la main gauche" means that the person who catch is using his left hand, without specifying where the other person is catched

"Il l'a attrapé à la main gauche" means that the person who catch targets the left hand of the person who is catched, without specifying how

I really don't think that it's clear ^^


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## pieanne

Yes, it is, and it's quite true!
Well spotted, Esoul!


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## Suehil

Just one point though, Elsouljacker, it's 'Caught', not 'catched'.


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## OlivierG

In my opinion, the difference between "une banane dans la main" and "une banane à la main" is that "dans" means that the banana fits entirely in his closed hand. Either he has big hands, or it's a small banana 
"à la main" means he's holding the banana with his hand.


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## Thomas1

Could someone please translate Elsouljacker's sentences into English keeping the differences he/she's pointed out?

I understand the first one as:
"Il l'a attrapé de la main gauche"
He caught him with his left hand. 

How about the other one?


Tom


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## pieanne

I'm not sure there's another solution  in English


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## jcrow046

tom,
il l'a attrapé de la main gauche.. he caught it (or him or whatever) with his left hand
il l'a attrapé à la main gauche... he caught him on (or at) the left hand (somehow.. for instance, with some handcuffs, or with a lasso, or with a mighty blow) ...
but now I have a further question. is this an exception for attraper or is it universal. 
Par exemple, si on remplaçait attraper par toucher. Serait-il mieux de dire : il l'a touché *sur* la main gauche, ou bien il l'a touché *à* la main gauche, 
Par intuition, j'aurais tendance à employer la première phrase, mais il se peut que je me trompe et que j'aie tord...

ps je suis d'accord, olivierG _une banane dans la main_ suggère que l'objet est en cachette, ou bien donne au monsieur un petit air clandestin, nous averti d'un soupçon de mystère. c'est génial!


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## Canard

Il l'a attrapé de la main gauche = He caught him with his left hand.
Il l'a attrapè à la main gauche = He caught him *by* his left hand. (though a simple "by the hand" would be much clearer, despite losing specificity)


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## sova

Sorry, but "il l'a attrapé à la main gauche" sounds a little bit weird.
I think that you can simply say "il l'a a attrapé à la main" : that means he caught it by his hand. 
But if you want to add a detail (left hand), it is better to say : il l'a attrapé de la main gauche".


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## bpipoly

Ok, but what sova said in now in contradiction with everything else. So is there a difference between _de la main_ and _à la main_ or not?


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## roymail

Read again the first post  of Pieanne.
The example of Sova is something else, but there is no contradiction.

Il a fait cela _à la main_ = without using a tool.
Il a attrapé un poisson à la main = sans filet, sans canne à pêche.


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## Messquito

écrit à la main
I've read this thread and came up with a conclusion myself:
In cases like this,
de=avec=with (*tool*)
à=by (*style*)
1. made by hand=fait à la main
2. made with hands=fait des mains -->(*fait de la main?*)
3. make something by hand=faire quelque chose à la main
4. make something with hands=faire quelque chose des mains
5. written by hand/handwritten=écrit à la main
6. written with hands=écrit des mains -->(*ecrit de la main?*)
7. written with the left hand=écrit de la main gauche
8. write something by hand=écrire quelque chose à la main
9. write something with hands=écrire quelque chose des mains
Did I get it right? And is it ok if I use a singular "main" in 2./4./6./9.?

_Merci mille fois!_


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## Oddmania

Hi,

Your interpretation regarding _tools _vs. _style _does make sense, but we would still use _à _in most of the cases you've mentioned. The only exceptions would be _écrit de la main gauche_ and the fixed expression _...de la main de l'homme _("by man's hand").

You can't really use the singular ("de la main") if you actually mean _with hand*s*_, and I don't think I've ever heard _faire qqch des mains_ (unless it is _de la main gauche / droite_, of course). I would just say _à la main. _Depending on the sentence, you might say *1.* _avec des mains_ (but I would expect an adjective to follow: _Il travaille avec des mains sales_) or *2.* _par des mains_ (but I would expect the sentence to be in the passive voice and to be followed by an adjective: _Ça a été écrit par des mains adultes._ If there was no adjective, then I would say _à la main_).


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