Compound nouns formed with [noun] + à + [infinitive] in French

In English we often simply squash two words together to make a compound noun ("dining room"), whereas in French the two words are always joined by a preposition (à, de, en).

Look at these examples:

Compound nouns in English formed with -ing + noun are often used to indicate function (e.g. "dining room"). In French, these typically take the form noun + à + verb-infinitive. For example, salle à manger. 

Also have a look at Compound nouns formed with prepositions à/de/en in French