"Please listen me carefully."

That sentence is missing a small but very important word: to. In English, you don't listen someone, you listen to someone. Drop the preposition and the sentence falls apart - even though native speakers will still understand you, they'll wince a little.

The other side of the same coin: "Let's discuss about the budget." Now you've added a preposition that English doesn't want. "Discuss" travels alone; "talk" brings "about" with it. Same idea, different rules.

Here's how to keep these two patterns straight.

Quick Answer

• Some verbs always need a preposition: listen to, look at, depend on, wait for.
• Some verbs never want one: discuss, answer, marry, enter, mention.
• Same verb + different preposition can mean completely different things: look at (observe) vs look for (search) vs look after (take care of).

The Simple Rule

• Verb + preposition is usually a fixed unit you memorize.
• A small group of transitive verbs in English are "silent" - they take a direct object with no preposition, even though learners often insert one by analogy with their first language.
• When choosing between two prepositions, the meaning changes - so listen for context, not just the verb.

Natural Examples

Verbs that always bring a preposition

• Could you listen to this voicemail and tell me what she said?
• I've been looking at that painting for ten minutes and I still don't get it.
• We're looking for a quieter cafe - this one's too loud.
• Don't wait for me; I might be late.
• The whole plan depends on the weather.

Same verb, different preposition, different meaning

• I agree with my boss. (I share her opinion - person.)
• We agreed on Tuesday for the meeting. (We chose Tuesday - topic.)
• The bus arrived at the station. (Specific small place.)
• They arrived in Tokyo last night. (City or country.)
• I'm thinking about quitting my job. (Considering, current.)
• What do you think of the new logo? (Opinion request.)

Apologise: who and what

• I want to apologise to my colleague for missing the meeting.

Notice the two-preposition combo: to the person, for the action. Both are needed.

The silent-preposition verbs (do NOT add a preposition)

• We need to discuss the budget. (Not "discuss about the budget.")
• Please answer the question. (Not "answer to the question.")
• They got married last year. (Not "married with each other"; you marry the person directly: "She married Daniel.")
• He entered the room quietly. (Not "entered into the room" - that means committed to an agreement.)
• She didn't mention the problem. (Not "mention about the problem.")

Common Mistakes

• ❌ "Please listen me." → ✅ "Please listen to me." · "Listen" is one of those verbs that absolutely refuses to travel without "to."
• ❌ "Let's discuss about the deadline." → ✅ "Let's discuss the deadline." · "Discuss" is silent - it takes the topic directly with no preposition.
• ❌ "I'm waiting you at the cafe." → ✅ "I'm waiting for you at the cafe." · "Wait" needs "for" before the person or thing you're waiting on.
• ❌ "I agree with your idea is great" (when you mean the topic). → ✅ "I agree with you that the idea is great." · "Agree with" goes before a person; "agree on" goes before a topic.
• ❌ "She married with a French guy." → ✅ "She married a French guy." · "Marry" is silent - no preposition between the verb and the person.
• ❌ "He apologised me." → ✅ "He apologised to me for being late." · "Apologise" takes "to" before the person and "for" before the action.
• ❌ "We arrived to Bangkok at 7 a.m." → ✅ "We arrived in Bangkok at 7 a.m." · "Arrive" never takes "to" - use "at" for small places and "in" for cities or countries.

Exam Trap

TOEIC Part 5, TOEFL grammar-style questions, and IELTS error-correction sections love this category because the wrong answer almost always sounds right. The classic setup gives you a verb followed by a blank, with four prepositions to choose from - and one or more of them are direct translations of what the verb takes in another language ("discuss about," "marry with," "answer to"). The fix is to memorize the silent verbs as a short list (discuss, answer, mention, enter, marry, reach, approach, contact, attend) and to lock in the fixed pairs (listen to, look at, wait for, depend on, apologise to/for, arrive at/in). Bonus trap: when two prepositions are both grammatically possible (think about vs think of, agree with vs agree on), the question is really testing meaning, not grammar.

Mini Practice

1. We need to discuss _____ the new policy at tomorrow's meeting.
2. I've been waiting _____ the bus for twenty minutes.
3. She apologised _____ her manager _____ arriving late.
4. The flight arrives _____ Heathrow at 6 p.m.
5. What do you think _____ my new haircut?

Answer Key

1. (nothing - leave blank) - "Discuss" is a silent verb in English; it takes the topic directly with no preposition.
2. for - "Wait for" is the fixed pair; the bus is what she's waiting on.
3. to / for - "Apologise to" the person, "apologise for" the action; both prepositions are needed.
4. at - "Arrive at" is correct for specific small places like airports; "in" would be used for "London."
5. of - "Think of" is used when asking for an opinion; "think about" implies considering or pondering.

Tiny Summary

The fastest way to fix this category: keep two short lists in your head - "verbs that need a preposition" and "verbs that refuse one" - and check yourself before speaking. Once you've heard yourself say "discuss the budget" instead of "discuss about the budget" a few times, your brain will lock it in for life.