ce qui nécessite de réfléchir à différentes combinaisons lors des combats.

Question

I had written this as plural: "différentes combinaisions lors des combats", but on listening again, what was said before it was clearly "à" rather than "aux", so I changed it to singular: "à différente combinaision lors de combats".

Since it is actually plural - which certainly makes more sense! - I cannot understand why it isn't "aux différentes combinaisions" ?

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Jim,
If you have "aux différentes combinaisons", it implies that there are a very specific set of them (aux = à + les) and that you "already" know them (that they've been mentioned).
Take a look at the examples below:
Je réfléchis à une combinaison = I am thinking about a combination
Je réfléchis aux combinaisons = I am thinking about the combinations
Je réfléchis à des combinaisons = I am thinking about (some) combinations
Je réfléchis à des combinaisons différentes = I am thinking about  different combinations
Je réfléchis à de différentes combinaisons = I am thinking about different combinations
-> "de" is omitted because "différentes" is used as an indefinite adjective like "plusieurs, diverse(s), certain.e (s)+ [noun]". So here, you're referring to multiple combinations.
Also, be careful with the spelling of "combinaison" ;-)
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Jim Luetchford · Answer

Hmm - I'm just thinking - is this "à" operating the same as "de" with an adjective ?   As in, it would be "de différentes combinaisions" rather than "des différentes combinaisions" and thus "à différentes combinaisions" rather than "aux différentes combinaisions" ? Or am I grasping at straws ?