Le Prépositionnaire - Françoise Bulman
Reviewed by Françoise Herrmann

2004 - Paris, France: Viamédias Éditions, ISBN 2-84964-020-4.
2003 - Québec, Canada: L'Instant même, ISBN 2-89502-150-3.

Just in case you are wondering… The term “prépositionnaire”, composed of the common noun “préposition” and of the suffix “-aire”, meaning “to include” or “to contain”, refers to that which includes prepositions. Just like “questionnaire” contains “questions”, “ovaire [ovary]” contains “ova [eggs]”, and “dictionnaire” contains “dic(t) [dire/to say]”, Le Prépositionnaire contains prepositions, even if it does not yet appear listed in any of the major institutional dictionary giants.

Le Prépositionnaire, as the subtitle Dictionnaire des verbes et adjectifs pouvant être suivis d’une préposition indicates, is a wonderful resource that lists French verbs and adjectives with their correct prepositions. Written by Françoise Bulman, professor of translation since 1974 at the University of Laval in Québec, this resource was written by a translator, primarily for French translators and editors. As Bulman notes in the preface of her work, even the most experienced translators sometimes hesitate “.. la plume en l’air, ou plutot les doigts en suspens au dessus du clavier…” [“quills in mid air, or fingers above keyboards”] wondering which preposition to use. Does one write “merci de votre fidélité” [thanks for your patronage] or “merci pour votre fidélité” ? Is it “travailler chez IBM” [to work for IBM] or “travailler pour IBM”? To save you time looking up the answer in several dictionaries, in several grammar books, or both, Bulman has regrouped all these types of questions concerning prepositions in a single, user-friendly, “prepositionary” work.

Le Prépositionnaire contains 1800 verb or adjective entries, listed in alphabetical order, with numerous examples, and succinct explanations concerning usage and/or syntax and semantics, which will immediately and clearly resolve all your hesitations. In answer to the abovementioned hesitations, consider for example the entry for “remercier” [to thank]:

And consider the entry for “travailler” [to work]:

You’ll notice immediately that not only do the entries supply valuable clarification to the prepositional quagmires previously mentioned, they are also surprisingly easy and pleasant to read. Without heavy grammatical descriptors for transitive and intransitive verbs and their different types of objects, it is consistent use of stylistic conventions - of bolds and italics, of common abbreviations, of the tilde- and excellent punctuation, which contribute to this friendliness, as well as the simplicity of the explanations and the appropriateness of the examples. You could perhaps have found part of your answers in Le Petit Robert (the entry for the verb “travailler” [to work] is almost three pages long), or in Le Bon Usage, had you time to invest and reflect. But why would you want to, when an expert has compiled all of the prepositional information you need in a single, handy format, tailored for translators? Plus more, since the entries also contain pointers and explanations of the most common pitfalls, marked with the symbol “Ø”, as in the above, in regards the use of “chez” [at].

You may have also noticed that there are two editions of the Le Prépositionnaire. An edition distributed in France by ViaMedias, and an edition distributed in Canada (“Outside of French-speaking Europe”) by L’Instant même, even though you would eventually find out that both books are printed in Canada! [Both editions were reviewed here.] Upon inquiry concerning the differences, I was told that localized cultural references in some of the examples, reflecting French spoken in Montréal, were changed in the edition published in France. For example, reference to hockey teams, and the store “Canadian Tire” in the Quebec edition were changed to football and “Fnac” references respectively, in the ViaMedias edition. This leaves unchanged the bulk of the prepositional information in both editions, consistent with the belief held that there is only one French language with regional variations. What was perhaps more surprising was the absence, in the ViaMedias edition, of the bibliography to which Bulman refers in the introduction to the Le Prépositionnaire. Upon inquiry, I was assured that future ViaMédias Éditions would re-instate bibliographic information.

If by chance you have never heard of Le Prépositionnaire, grab a copy of this wonderfully practical resource and add it to your tools of the trade. It deserves to sit on your shelf right next to the Bescherel for French conjugations. You’ll need it to resolve some of your hesitations. Is it “continuer de remplir” [continue to fill-in] or “continuer à remplir”? Is it always “responsable de” (responsible for)? You’ll need it any time you are translating, just in case there is a preposition you cannot quite grasp. And you’ll love finding the answer to your prepositional queries in Le Prépositionnaire. Enjoy!

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