With prepositions the verb leaves the body entirely.
Porter sur means to be about, to bear on: « la réunion porte sur le budget ». It is the standard verb in academic and professional French for stating a topic, and far more idiomatic than être à propos de.
Porter plainte means to file a complaint with the police — a fixed phrase with no article. Knowing it matters practically if you ever need it in France.
💡 Focus at this level: porter sur / porter plainte
1. « Porter sur » = to be about. Meetings, studies, articles.
2. « Porter plainte » has no article. Never « une plainte » here.
3. Future for commitments. « L’étude portera sur… »
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