How do you know if you need an accent on 'a' or not?
Is it the verb 'avoir' or the preposition 'à'?
To know which one to choose there is an easy question: can I say 'avait' instead of a/à? If the answer is yes, then it's the verb and it doesn't have an accent.
Exemple:
• Il a/à un chat. => Il avait un chat.
As we can say 'avait', you don't need an accent. The answer is: Il a un chat.
• Viens a/à la maison demain. => Viens avait la maison demain.
In this case you can't replace it by 'avait', therefore it's the prepositon 'à'. The answer is: Viens à la maison demain.
AC
Related French GCSE answers
All answers ▸How do I use the verb 'manquer' ?
Translate the following sentences into French: I live in London and am currently in Secondary school. I take the bus everyday to get to school at 9am and usually get home at around 4pm. I enjoy playing football in my spare time, as well as drawing.
When is the imperfect tense used in French and how is it formed?
When do you use imparfait instead of passé composé to describe past events?