{"id":96,"date":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/prepositions-in-french\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","slug":"prepositions-in-french","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/prepositions-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Prepositions in French: place, time, countries and \u00e0, en, dans, chez"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prepositions of place<\/h2>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
dans<\/td>in, inside<\/td><\/tr>
sur<\/td>on<\/td><\/tr>
sous<\/td>under<\/td><\/tr>
devant<\/td>in front of<\/td><\/tr>
derri\u00e8re<\/td>behind<\/td><\/tr>
entre<\/td>between<\/td><\/tr>
\u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de<\/td>next to<\/td><\/tr>
pr\u00e8s de<\/td>near<\/td><\/tr>
loin de<\/td>far from<\/td><\/tr>
en face de<\/td>opposite<\/td><\/tr>
\u00e0 gauche de<\/td>to the left of<\/td><\/tr>
\u00e0 droite de<\/td>to the right of<\/td><\/tr>
au-dessus de<\/td>above<\/td><\/tr>
au-dessous de<\/td>below<\/td><\/tr>
au milieu de<\/td>in the middle of<\/td><\/tr>
autour de<\/td>around<\/td><\/tr>
chez<\/td>at the home of, at the shop of<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Pronunciation: sur<\/span> has the French u (lips rounded, tongue forward), sous<\/span> the “oo” of “food”: pupils must hear the difference, because the meanings are opposite.<\/p>\n\n

Contractions: au, aux, du, des<\/h3>\n\n
  1. \u00c0 + le = au, \u00e0 + les = aux.<\/strong> Je vais au cin\u00e9ma.<\/span> Je parle aux \u00e9l\u00e8ves.<\/span> \u00c0 la<\/span> and \u00e0 l’<\/span> do not change: \u00e0 la piscine<\/span>, \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole<\/span>.<\/li>
  2. De + le = du, de + les = des.<\/strong> \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 du cin\u00e9ma<\/span>, pr\u00e8s des magasins<\/span>. De la<\/span> and de l’<\/span> do not change: en face de la gare<\/span>, pr\u00e8s de l’\u00e9cole<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Le chat est sous la table.<\/span>The cat is under the table.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    La boulangerie est \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 du cin\u00e9ma.<\/span>The bakery is next to the cinema.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    J’habite pr\u00e8s de l’\u00e9cole.<\/span>I live near the school.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    \u00c0, dans, en or chez?<\/h2>\n\n
    1. \u00c0<\/span>: a point on the map.<\/strong> \u00e0 Paris<\/span>, \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole<\/span>, \u00e0 la maison<\/span> (at home), au stade<\/span>.<\/li>
    2. Dans<\/span>: inside a space, with an article.<\/strong> dans la classe<\/span>, dans mon sac<\/span>, dans la rue<\/span>.<\/li>
    3. En<\/span>: usually without an article.<\/strong> en classe<\/span>, en ville<\/span>, en vacances<\/span>, en fran\u00e7ais<\/span>.<\/li>
    4. Chez<\/span>: with a person, never with a place.<\/strong> chez moi<\/span>, chez Paul<\/span>, chez le dentiste<\/span>. For a shop: \u00e0 la boulangerie<\/span> or chez le boulanger<\/span>, never “chez la boulangerie”.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      Towns, countries and the UK<\/h2>\n\n
      Type<\/th>“in” or “to”<\/th>“from”<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      towns<\/td>\u00e0 Paris, \u00e0 Londres<\/td>de Paris, de Londres<\/td><\/tr>
      feminine countries (mostly ending in -e)<\/td>en France, en Espagne, en \u00c9cosse<\/td>de France, d’Espagne<\/td><\/tr>
      masculine countries starting with a vowel<\/td>en Iran, en Irak<\/td>d’Iran<\/td><\/tr>
      masculine countries<\/td>au Canada, au Japon, au Portugal<\/td>du Canada<\/td><\/tr>
      plural countries<\/td>aux \u00c9tats-Unis, aux Pays-Bas<\/td>des \u00c9tats-Unis<\/td><\/tr>
      continents (all feminine)<\/td>en Europe, en Afrique<\/td>d’Europe<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

      For your pupils: en Angleterre<\/span>, en \u00c9cosse<\/span>, en Irlande du Nord<\/span>, but au pays de Galles<\/span> and au Royaume-Uni<\/span>, because these two are masculine.<\/p>\n\n

      A few masculine countries end in -e and take au<\/span>: au Mexique<\/span>, au Cambodge<\/span>, au Mozambique<\/span>. Islands vary: \u00e0 Malte<\/span>, \u00e0 Cuba<\/span>, but en Corse<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

      Transport<\/h3>\n\n
      1. Inside a vehicle: en<\/span>.<\/strong> en voiture<\/span>, en bus<\/span>, en train<\/span>, en avion<\/span>, en m\u00e9tro<\/span>.<\/li>
      2. On foot or astride: \u00e0<\/span>.<\/strong> \u00e0 pied<\/span>, \u00e0 v\u00e9lo<\/span>, \u00e0 cheval<\/span>. In everyday speech you will also hear en v\u00e9lo<\/span>; \u00e0 v\u00e9lo<\/span> is the form to teach.<\/li>
      3. A particular vehicle: dans<\/span>.<\/strong> Je suis dans le bus.<\/span> (“I’m on the bus.”)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

        Prepositions of time<\/h2>\n\n
        English<\/th>French<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
        at eight o’clock<\/td>\u00e0 huit heures<\/td>Le cours commence \u00e0 huit heures.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        in January, in 2026<\/td>en<\/td>en janvier<\/span>, en 2026<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        in summer, autumn, winter<\/td>en<\/td>en \u00e9t\u00e9<\/span>, en automne<\/span>, en hiver<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        in spring<\/td>au<\/td>au printemps<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        on Monday (this one)<\/td>lundi<\/td>Lundi, j’ai un contr\u00f4le.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        on Mondays<\/td>le lundi<\/td>Le lundi, j’ai sport.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        on 3 May<\/td>le 3 mai<\/td>Mon anniversaire, c’est le 3 mai.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        in the morning<\/td>le matin<\/td>Le matin, je prends le bus.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        at the weekend<\/td>le week-end<\/td>Le week-end, je joue au foot.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        from \u2026 to \u2026<\/td>de \u2026 \u00e0 \u2026, du \u2026 au \u2026<\/td>de 9 h \u00e0 16 h<\/span>, du lundi au vendredi<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        two years ago<\/td>il y a deux ans<\/td>Je suis all\u00e9 en France il y a deux ans.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        for (and still)<\/td>depuis + present<\/td>J’apprends le fran\u00e7ais depuis trois ans.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        for (finished)<\/td>pendant<\/td>J’ai habit\u00e9 \u00e0 Lyon pendant deux ans.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        in two days’ time<\/td>dans deux jours<\/td>On part dans deux jours.<\/span><\/td><\/tr>
        within, in (time taken)<\/td>en<\/td>J’ai fait mes devoirs en une heure.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

        Depuis<\/span> takes the present tense when the action is still going on: J’habite ici depuis cinq ans<\/span> is “I have lived here for five years”. English speakers reach for the perfect: “j’ai habit\u00e9 ici depuis” is a mistake.<\/p>\n\n

        Verbs with a different preposition from English<\/h2>\n\n

        No preposition in French: \u00e9couter<\/span> (listen to), regarder<\/span> (look at), chercher<\/span> (look for), attendre<\/span> (wait for), payer<\/span> (pay for).<\/p>\n\n

        A preposition in French: t\u00e9l\u00e9phoner \u00e0<\/span> (phone), r\u00e9pondre \u00e0<\/span> (answer), demander \u00e0<\/span> (ask someone), penser \u00e0<\/span> (think about), avoir besoin de<\/span> (need), d\u00e9pendre de<\/span> (depend on).<\/p>\n\n

        Sports and instruments: jouer au foot<\/span>, jouer aux cartes<\/span>, but jouer du piano<\/span>, jouer de la guitare<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n

        English “on” rarely becomes sur<\/span> in fixed phrases: \u00e0 la t\u00e9l\u00e9<\/span> (on TV), \u00e0 la radio<\/span> (on the radio), dans le bus<\/span> (on the bus), en vacances<\/span> (on holiday), \u00e0 pied<\/span> (on foot). But sur la photo<\/span> (in the photo) and sur internet<\/span> (on the internet).<\/p>\n\n

        Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
        • “\u00c0 le”, “de le”:<\/strong> always au<\/span>, du<\/span>.<\/li>
        • “\u00c0 France”, “en Canada”:<\/strong> en France<\/span>, au Canada<\/span>.<\/li>
        • “Sur lundi”:<\/strong> days take no preposition.<\/li>
        • “Dans le matin”:<\/strong> le matin<\/span>.<\/li>
        • “J’\u00e9coute \u00e0 la musique”, “je cherche pour mon stylo”:<\/strong> J’\u00e9coute de la musique.<\/span> Je cherche mon stylo.<\/span><\/li>
        • “Chez la boulangerie”:<\/strong> \u00e0 la boulangerie<\/span>.<\/li>
        • Perfect tense with depuis:<\/strong> J’apprends le fran\u00e7ais depuis trois ans.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

          In class: prepositions in a daily routine<\/h2>\n\n
          1. Put an object somewhere unusual in the classroom: a toy cat on the shelf, under the desk, behind the door.<\/li>
          2. Ask O\u00f9 est le chat ?<\/span> The class answers together: Il est sous la table.<\/span><\/li>
          3. Move it and ask again, once or twice.<\/li>
          4. Link to time with today’s date: Aujourd’hui, c’est lundi. Qu’est-ce que tu fais le lundi soir ?<\/span><\/li>
          5. One pupil hides the object for tomorrow and prepares the question.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

            This is exactly what a short daily routine offers: one structure, a real object, and a new answer every day.<\/p>\n\n

            Other activities: a map game with countries (Tu habites o\u00f9 ?<\/span> J’habite au Portugal.<\/span>), drawing a room from a spoken description, or a treasure hunt with clues in French.<\/p>\n\n

            Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n
            • A1<\/b>Place: dans<\/span>, sur<\/span>, sous<\/span>: Il est sur la table.<\/span><\/li>
            • A2<\/b>Towns, countries, transport: Je vais en Espagne en avion.<\/span><\/li>
            • B1<\/b>Time: depuis<\/span>, il y a<\/span>, pendant<\/span>: J’apprends le fran\u00e7ais depuis trois ans.<\/span><\/li>
            • B2<\/b>Verb + preposition: \u00c7a d\u00e9pend de toi. Je pense \u00e0 mes examens.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

              At KS2, place prepositions work well with toys and songs. At KS3, countries and transport come up with holidays. At GCSE, depuis<\/span> with the present and the country rules make a visible difference to accuracy.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Dans, sur, sous, \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de, \u00e0, en, au, chez: the French prepositions of place and time, countries and towns, and the classic traps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":27,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Prepositions in French: Place, Time, Countries | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"French prepositions of place and time: dans, sur, sous, \u00e0, en, au, chez, countries and towns, depuis and il y a, and the traps for English speakers.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"prepositions","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"","_vd_level":"A1\u2013B1","_vd_minutes":"8","_vd_card_word":"chez\u2026","_vd_answer":"The key French prepositions of place are dans<\/span> (in), sur<\/span> (on), sous<\/span> (under), devant<\/span> (in front of), derri\u00e8re<\/span> (behind), \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de<\/span> (next to) and chez<\/span> (at someone's place). With towns use \u00e0<\/span> (\u00e0 Paris<\/span>); with feminine countries en<\/span> (en France<\/span>); with masculine countries au<\/span> (au Canada<\/span>); with plural ones aux<\/span> (aux \u00c9tats-Unis<\/span>). \u00c0 + le becomes au<\/span>, de + le becomes du<\/span>.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the prepositions of place in French?\",\"a\":\"dans<\\\/span> (in), sur<\\\/span> (on), sous<\\\/span> (under), devant<\\\/span> (in front of), derri\u00e8re<\\\/span> (behind), entre<\\\/span> (between), \u00e0 c\u00f4t\u00e9 de<\\\/span> (next to), pr\u00e8s de<\\\/span> (near), loin de<\\\/span> (far from), en face de<\\\/span> (opposite).\"},{\"q\":\"When do you use en, au or aux with countries?\",\"a\":\"En<\\\/span> with feminine countries and masculine ones starting with a vowel (en France<\\\/span>, en Iran<\\\/span>), au<\\\/span> with masculine countries (au Canada<\\\/span>), aux<\\\/span> with plural ones (aux \u00c9tats-Unis<\\\/span>). Towns take \u00e0<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"What does chez mean?\",\"a\":\"At or to someone's home or workplace: chez moi<\\\/span> (at my house), chez le m\u00e9decin<\\\/span> (at the doctor's). It is used with people, not places.\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"on Monday\\\" in French?\",\"a\":\"Lundi<\\\/span> for one particular Monday, le lundi<\\\/span> for every Monday. No preposition.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the difference between depuis and il y a?\",\"a\":\"Depuis<\\\/span> + present means \\\"for\\\" or \\\"since\\\" with an action still going on: J'habite ici depuis 2020<\\\/span>. Il y a<\\\/span> means \\\"ago\\\": Je suis arriv\u00e9 il y a deux ans.<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"Is it \u00e0 v\u00e9lo or en v\u00e9lo?\",\"a\":\"\u00c0 v\u00e9lo<\\\/span> is the traditional form and the one to teach; en v\u00e9lo<\\\/span> is very common in speech.\"}]","_vd_key":"prepositions-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-96","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/96","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/96\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}