French Prepositions: A Building Block to Fluent Speech

A single word can make a significant difference in many languages, and French is no exception. Prepositions are tiny parts of speech that establish connections between nouns, modifying the whole idea of the sentence. Learning French prepositions can be tricky, and using them correctly may take time.

French has complex grammar, with intricate rules about prepositions. But no worries! We'll walk you through common terms and their nuances to help you gain essential knowledge of French grammar.

Mastering French Prepositions: A Complete Guide for Beginners

Grammar is key to speaking naturally. Ordering a croissant at a café or daydreaming about your next trip to Paris? Learning French prepositions is essential to sounding smooth and confident. So, if you're ready to speak confidently, let's explore the useful prepositions that can help you make your speech coherent and correct.

Prepositions of Place: Defining Location in French

When planning an appointment or sharing your location with friends, you'll need to use the right prepositions. Look at the list of useful terms to say your whereabouts correctly.

1. À [a] [ah] – at, in, to (more general, not specific).

At a location:

Il est à la maison. (He is at home.)

In a city:

Je suis à Paris. (I am in Paris.)

To a destination:

Nous allons à la plage. (We are going to the beach.)

2. En [ɑ̃] – in, by.

Elle vit en Italie. (She lives in Italy.)

3. Dans [dɑ̃] – in, inside.

Le livre est dans le sac. (The book is in the bag.)

4. Sur [syʁ] [syur] – on, upon.

Le vase est sur la table. (The vase is on the table.)

5. Sous [su] [soo] – under, beneath.

Le chat est sous la chaise. (The cat is under the chair.)

6. Près de [pʁɛ də] [preh duh] – near, close to.

Il habite près de l'école. (He lives near the school.)

7. Contre [kɔ̃tʁ] [koh(n)-truh] – against.

La chaise est contre le mur. (The chair is against the wall.)

When reading or listening to daily French speech, you can notice how the prepositions that indicate places can change depending on whether you want to mention a city or a country. For instance, you'll use à like à Paris, meaning "in Paris."

In contrast, the use of en with countries depends on their gender. Feminine countries (usually those ending in -e) use en (like en France, meaning "in France"). Masculine countries use au (like au Sénégal, meaning "in Senegal"). If the country is plural, you use aux (like aux États-Unis, meaning "in the United States").

Prepositions of Time: Indicating Time in French

Telling about what time you wake up or how long you've been living in Paris? Let's learn useful prepositions related to time to form detailed and informative sentences. And if you need more information on time expressions in French, make sure to check out our comprehensive guide.

1. Pendant [pɑ̃.dɑ̃] [pahn-dahn] – during, for.

La pluie a duré pendant trois jours. (The rain lasted for three days.)

2. Depuis [də.pɥi] [duh-pwee] – since, for.

Ils travaillent ensemble depuis 2015. (They have worked together since 2015.)

3. Jusqu'à [ʒys.k‿a] [zhew-ska] – until, up to.

Nous resterons ici jusqu'à lundi. (We will stay here until Monday.)

4. Avant [a.vɑ̃] [ah-vahn] – before.

Il est parti avant le coucher du soleil. (He left before sunset.)

5. Après [a.pʁɛ] [ah-preh] – after.

Nous irons au cinéma après le dîner. (We will go to the cinema after dinner.)

Prepositions of Movement: Expressing Direction

You've already learned that a in French, in a broad sense, indicates place and direction. Several other prepositions also refer to movements:

1. Vers [vɛʁ] [vehr] – towards.

Il marche vers la maison. (He is walking towards the house.)

2. À travers [a tʁa.vɛʁ] [ah-trah-vehr] – through.

Elle regarde à travers la fenêtre. (She looks through the window.)

3. Chez [ʃe] [shay] – at/to someone's place.

Je vais chez mon ami. (I'm going to my friend's house.)

Using these propositions in your speech strengthens your language skills by making descriptions more precise and dynamic. Thus, you can convey direction, movement, and relationships in ways that feel natural and clear.

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Common Prepositions and Their Contractions in French

Like in English, French has definite articles for indicating specific things in singular and plural forms: le, la, les, and l' (a contraction of the French definite articles le or la). You'll use them to say the in French. When placed together with prepositions à and de, they become contracted to au, aux, du, des. These contractions simplify pronunciation and writing, making the speech smoother and more fluid, much like English contractions such as "can't" or "don't."

Let's find out how to make a contracted form with each preposition. For instance, à + le becomes au in French, and de + le becomes du. Similarly, à + les becomes aux, and de + les becomes des. For instance:

Il va au parc. (He's going to the park.)

à + le parc → au parc

In this case, le (the masculine article) follows the preposition à (to/at), resulting in au.

French Prepositions List: Practical Examples in Everyday Conversations

To carry out small talks or daily conversations, you'll need to learn some more prepositions that will help you fully convey your message.

1. De [də] [duh] – of, from, about.

Je viens de France. (I am from France.)

2. Avec [a.vɛk] [ah-vek] – with.

Je pars en vacances avec mes amis. (I'm going on vacation with my friends.)

3. Sans [sɑ̃] [sahn] – without.

Il est parti sans dire au revoir. (He left without saying goodbye.)

Note: À can be used in informal contexts to express possession, especially in phrases like "C'est à moi" (It's mine). However, in formal or written French, de is preferred.

Prepositions That Don't Translate Directly from English to French

It's a common practice that two languages may not always have identical equivalents. This also applies to French and English. For instance, in French, the translation of à depends on the context in which it occurs. À in "Je vais à Paris" and "Je parle à Paul" will refer to entirely different meanings. In the first example, you're talking about direction (to Paris). However, the next one is about the person you're talking to (to Paul).

Another unique term is chez. It's used when talking about going to someone's place. Chances are you won't find a direct equivalent in English, but it's similar to saying "heading to someone's place." And in French, chez can also apply to say that you are going to specific businesses or professionals, not just homes. For instance, Je vais chez le médecin ("I'm going to the doctor's").

Promova: Learning Prepositions in French with an Engaging Interactive App

Start your French journey with Promova, the language learning platform for students of all levels united by a passion for acquiring knowledge. It's a perfect solution for picking up real-life language. With Promova, you access the following features in a French learning program:

• real-life examples that demonstrate conversational patterns;
• bite-sized quizzes for daily language reinforcement;
• a wide range of interactive lessons to speed up your progress;
• user-friendly tools and vibrant illustrations for better perception.

Spend just a few minutes a day practicing, and you'll easily remember everything you've learned through fun and relevant content. Download a free version for iOS or Android and access the language fundamentals. For more insights into French grammar and vocabulary, sign up for a Premium subscription.

Conclusion

How to say in or at in French? Enhance your communicative skills with another language learning milestone. Mastering common French prepositions will make your speech more coherent and your description clearer.