Prepositions of place are used to say where someone or something is located. They answer the question where? and indicate a fixed position, without movement. In The cat sleeps on the sofa, on the sofa locates the cat. If we remove this group, the sentence remains correct, but we lose the exact place. With a static position, we often use in, on, under, in front of, behind, beside, or near. They introduce a locative complement that completes the verb, often with to be, to stay, to be located, to live or to work.

To say where someone or something is

Usage	Explanation
Closed space	We use dans to indicate that a person or an object is inside a closed space.
Address or destination	We use à to talk about presence in a specific place or an address.
Feminine country	We use en to locate a person or an object in a feminine country.
At a person’s home	We use chez to say that one is in the home or place of a person.

When we indicate a destination, the preposition shows the final point of the movement. We say I am going to the station, She enters the house, We go up to the first floor. Here, the place is not just a backdrop: it is reached, aimed at or joined. With movement verbs like to go, to come, to leave, to enter, to go out, to climb or to go down, the preposition specifies the direction. The complement then answers where? or toward where? depending on the context. A sentence like He runs the park does not fit; a preposition is needed to mark the destination.

Saying toward which place one moves

Usage	Explanation
Entry into a closed space	We use dans to show movement toward the interior of a closed space.
Arrival at a specific place	We use à to indicate the destination when arriving at a determined place.
Movement toward a country	We use en to talk about a trip toward a feminine country.
Visit to someone’s place	We use chez to say that we are going to the place where a person lives.

À often indicates a specific place, a precise point or a named location without the idea of interior: at the cinema, to the station, to the market. En is mainly used for certain countries, certain regions, and certain modes of transport or clothing: in France, in Brittany, by car, in a shirt. Dans emphasizes the interior of a closed or delimited space: in the box, in the room, in the garden when talking about the interior space. Chez designates the home, the business or the place related to a person, a family or a professional: at Paul’s, at the doctor’s, at my parents’. These four forms do not substitute freely for one another, as each builds a different reference frame.

Choose the correct preposition of place

Idea
We use à for a city, a precise place, or an address.
We use en for most feminine countries and for certain means of transport.
We use dans to talk about the interior of a closed space.
We use chez for the home or place of a person.

These prepositions locate an object relative to another. On places something in contact with a surface: the book is on the table. Under indicates a lower position, covered or hidden by the reference: the bag is under the chair. In front of shows what is on the front side of a reference: the car is in front of the house. Behind marks the rear side: the garden is behind the building. With near, we express proximity without a precise direction: the pharmacy is near the square. The choice depends on the exact relationship between the two elements.

Locate an object in relation to another

Usage	Explanation
Above contact	We use sur when one object rests above another object.
Position underneath	We use sous to say that an object is lower than another.
Front position	We use devant to locate something in the front part of a reference.
Rear position	We use derrière to indicate that an object is behind another.
Immediate proximity	We use près de to show that an object or a person is not far from the reference.

Between places a person or an object in the space separating two precise elements: the chair is between the window and the desk. Among is used with several elements of a group, when we want to say something is included in the set: there is a mistake among the answers. In the middle of emphasizes the central position within a group, a room or a space: the tree is in the middle of the garden, she is in the middle of the crowd. Between asks for two references, while among and in the middle of are suitable for multiple references.

Place an element within a group

Usage	Explanation
Position between two elements	We use entre when something is in the space that separates two elements.
Choice within a set	We use parmi to designate an element inside a larger group.
Center of a group	We use au milieu de to say that a person or an object is at the center of a set.

Above places an element at a greater height than another, without necessarily contacting: the painting is above the sofa. Below places an element at a lower height: the garage is below the apartment. These forms express verticality with a clear reference. They do not say that something touches the surface, unlike on or under. They are used for objects, places, levels and spaces: a cloud above the mountains, a basement below the street. They are followed by de before the name of the reference.

Expressing height and verticality

Usage	Explanation
Higher position	We use au dessus de to show that an element is placed higher than another.
Lower position	We use au dessous de to show that an element is placed lower than another.

Far from marks a great distance from a reference point: the farm is far from the village. Very close to indicates a very close proximity: the bakery is very close to the station. These expressions do not give a direction, but a relative spatial measure. They are constructed with de before the name of the location or the reference person. They can also be used with people: he lives far from his friends, I work very close to your place. They express the relation between two points, not just the position of one of them.

Express distance relative to a reference

Usage	Explanation
Great distance	We use loin de to say that a person or an object is at a significant distance from the reference.
Very short distance	We use tout près de to show that an element is almost touching the reference.

In front of designates what is placed on the front side of a reference, not necessarily implying direct visual contact or a direct relationship: the car is in front of the door. Opposite indicates a position on the opposite side, across an axis or space, often with a face-to-face relationship: the bank is opposite the town hall. We use in front of for the simple front position and opposite for two places that correspond to each other. For people, opposite can also show a position facing each other: he sits opposite me. The difference therefore depends on the exact spatial relationship.

Distinguish two opposite positions

Idea
We use devant for a position at the front, without a direct relational sense.
We use en face de when two elements look at each other from opposite sides of a space.

The name of the place often determines the preposition. With cities, we generally use to: to Paris, to Montreal, to Lyon. With many countries, we use in for feminine countries and those that begin with a vowel: in France, in Italy, in Iran. We use to for masculine countries: to Canada, to Japan. We use to with plural countries: to the United States, to the Netherlands. These forms agree with the following name, not with the verb. For regions, usage varies depending on the name: in Brittany, in the South, to Quebec depending on the reference frame chosen.

Match the preposition with the place

Idea
We use au with masculine singular countries.
We use en with feminine countries.
We use aux with plural countries.
We use à with cities.

The locative complement often comes after the verb: He works in Marseille, We ate in that little restaurant. When the sentence contains several complements, the place generally comes after the verb and after the object complement: She placed her keys on the table. A locative complement can also be placed at the beginning of the sentence to foreground the place: In the garden, the children are playing. This shift changes the rhythm and draws attention to the place. With certain verbs of movement or position, the final position remains the most natural in ordinary speech.

Place the locative complement naturally in the sentence

Usage	Explanation
Short complement	The locative complement is often placed at the end of the sentence to keep a natural order.
Emphasis on the place	We can place the locative complement at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize the place.