à points out whatever furnishes an inference or ground for conjecture. À l’œuvre on connait l’ouvrier; the workman is known by his work. Attendre à l’œuvre; to await results.
à denotes succession, gradation, order. Petit à petit; little by little. Un à un; one by one. Traduire mot à mot; to translate word for word, i.e., literally.
à is used in speaking of goods sold or bought by weight, measure, or quantity. Vendre du vin à la bouteille; to sell wine by the bottle. Vendre de la viande à la livre; to sell meat by the pound.
à denotes value, price. Dîner à trois francs par tête; to dine at three francs a head.
à denotes conformity, manner. S’habiller à la Française; to dress after the French fashion. A l’instar de la capitale; after the manner of the capital. À mon avis; in my opinion. Aller à pied, à cheval; to go on foot, to ride on horseback. Marcher à reculons; to walk backwards.
à, between two nouns, makes the second serve to denote the species or quality of the first. Canne à sucre; sugar-cane. Vache à lait; milch-cow.
à, between two numeral adjectives, signifies between, or about. Un homme de quarante à cinquante ans; a man between forty and fifty. Il y a quatre à cinq lieues; it is about four or five leagues distant.
Remark.—The French say quatre à cinq lieues, because leagues are things which may be divided into fractions; but, in speaking of things which cannot be divided, ou must be used. For instance, Quatre ou cinq personnes; four or five persons.
à, before an infinitive, commonly denotes what is proper to be done. Un avis à suivre; an opinion worth following. Un homme à récompenser ou à pendre; a man that deserves to be rewarded or hanged.
à, used in speaking of vehicles, signifies and. Une voiture à quatre chevaux, grandes guides; a carriage and four.