French prepositions establish relationships between words, indicating directions, locations, times, and more. Here are some essential French prepositions:
| French | English | Usage/Example |
|---|---|---|
| à | to, at, in | Je vais à Paris. (I go to Paris.) |
| de | from, of | Le livre de Marie. (Mary's book.) |
| en | in, on, to | Elle voyage en France. (She travels in France.) |
| avec | with | Je parle avec lui. (I talk with him.) |
| pour | for | C'est pour toi. (It's for you.) |
| sans | without | Café sans sucre. (Coffee without sugar.) |
| sur | on | Le livre est sur la table. (The book is on the table.) |
- French prepositions are typically followed by a noun or pronoun.
- Incorrect preposition use can change meanings drastically.
Correct answer: mais (it is a conjunction)
à, de, en: Versatile Core Prepositions
- à expresses "to," "at," or "in" for cities, some activities, and times.
- de means "from," "of," or shows possession/source.
- en covers "in," "to" (for feminine countries/regions), and "by" (transport/fashion).
| Preposition | Main Uses | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| à | to/at/in (cities, times) | Je vais à Paris. / RDV à 3h. |
| de | from/of/possession | Je viens de Lyon. / La maison de Paul. |
| en | in/to (fem. countries) | Elle habite en France. / en été. |
- Use à for most cities, en for feminine countries, au for masculine (not shown here).
- de often triggers contractions (du, des) with articles.
Use 'à' for cities: Je vais à New York.
Use 'de' for origin: Elle vient du Canada.
Use 'en' for feminine countries/regions and for time expressions like en été.
Prepositions of Time and Place
Specific prepositions focus on time and place:
| French | English | Usage/Example |
|---|---|---|
| dans | in (future) | Le train part dans 10 minutes. |
| avant | before | Avant midi (before noon) |
| après | after | Après le dîner (after dinner) |
| entre | between | Entre deux chaises (between two chairs) |
| chez | at the home of | Je vais chez Paul. (I'm going to Paul's house.) |
- dans is for future time; en is for duration (en trois jours).
- chez is used for people's homes or professionals (chez le médecin).
'dans' is used for future time: Nous partirons dans une heure.
Use 'avant' for before and 'après' for after.
'Chez' means going to someone's home or a professional's place.
Conjunction-Prepositions and Others
Some words blur lines between prepositions and conjunctions:
| French | English | Notes/Example |
|---|---|---|
| parce que | because | Conjunction for causal sentences. |
| afin de | in order to | Formal; introduces purpose. |
| malgré | despite | Used with a noun. |
- These require different sentence structures than simple prepositions.
- malgré is always followed by a noun, not a verb.
'parce que' functions as a conjunction meaning 'because'.
'afin de' introduces a purpose and is followed by a verb in the infinitive.
Conclusion
French prepositions are small words with big roles, linking ideas and clarifying relationships in ways that are essential to fluent expression.
- Core prepositions include à, de, en, with specific uses for places and times.
- Prepositions of time/place and some conjunction-prepositions add nuance and precision.
- Mastery of prepositions is key to understanding and constructing accurate French sentences.