Prepositions: the Basics
CONTENT
In French, there are many rules regarding the use of the prepositions. Let's take a closer look at them.
Native
Translation
Nous sommes allés à l'école.
We went to school.
Prepositions of Place
Rule 1: To express indication of places in French, the prepositions of place are used. You can combine them with nouns or pronouns.
| dans | in |
| sous | under |
| sur | over |
| devant | in front of |
| derrière | behind |
| à gauche de | left of |
| à droite de | right of |
| au milieu de | in the middle of |
| à côté de | next to |
| en face de | opposite |
| chez | at/to (someone’s place) |
| contre | against |
Here's an example:
Native
Translation
Le livre est sur la table.
The book is on the table.
Prepositions of Place vs. Geographic Places
Most French prepositions of place and time can be translated directly from English. They are also pretty easy to use. However, that is not the thing with the geographic indicators.
Rule 2: There are four prepositions of place you can use with geographical places: en, au, aux and à. Here's how they are used:
En, au, and aux are all used with country names.
- en is used with feminine nouns ending in -e and all nouns starting with a vowel or a mute h.
Native
Translation
Je suis en France.
I am in France.
Je vais en Iran.
I'm going to Iran.
- au is used masculine nouns and nouns ending in a consonant.
Native
Translation
Je vais au Canada.
I'm going to Canada.
Je suis au Japon.
I am in Japan.
- aux is used with plural nouns.
Native
Translation
Je vais aux États-Unis.
I am going to the United States.
- à is used with city names.
Native
Translation
Je suis à Paris.
I am in Paris.
Prepositions of Time
Rule 3: To express indication of time in French, the prepositions of time are used. You can combine
them with nouns or pronouns.
| à | at/in |
| avant | before |
| après | after |
| depuis | since/for |
| jusqu'à | until |
| de ... à | from ... to |
| dans | in |
| pendant | during/for |
Here's an example:
Native
Translation
Nous avons mangé pendant la pause.
We ate lunch during the break.
Other Important Prepositions
| à | by, [is also used for describing a purpose or material] |
| avec | with |
| de | of, by, from |
| en | made of, by |
| pour | for |
| sans | without |
Here are a few examples:
Native
Translation
J'y suis allé en train.
I went there by train.
Une page du livre.
A page of the book.
Une tasse de café sans lait.
A cup of coffee without milk.
Fusion of À with Articles
Rule 4: The preposition à is combined with the articles le and les to make one word:
- à + le = au
- à + les = aux
Note: Be careful, the articles la and l‘ do not merge.
Native
Translation
Je vais au cinéma / tu vas à la boulangerie / il va aux États-Unis.
I go to the movies / you go to the bakery / he goes to the United States.
Chez vs. À
Rule 5: Chez (at) refers to the place where someone lives or does a particular job. It's also commonly used with the name of the company.
Native
Translation
Chez moi, chez Lola, chez le boucher, chez Amazon.
At my house, at Lola's, at the butcher's, at Amazon.
In all other cases, à is used.
Native
Translation
Au travail, à la bibliothèque.
At work, at the library.
Verbs with Prepositions
Rule 6: For certain verbs, the infinitive follows without a preposition, e.g. for movement verbs and verbs that express opinions or wishes.
Native
Translation
Il part marcher dans la foret.
He's going for a walk in the forest.
- For some other verbs, the preposition de + infinitive follows:
Native
Translation
Il refuse de travailler.
He's refusing to work.
- For some other verbs, the preposition à + infinitive follows:
Native
Translation
Je l'encourage à travailler.
I encourage him to work.
Quiz
1/4
The book is behind the vase.
0
correct answers.