Prepositions

Basic French Prepositions

• Prepositions are small words used to link elements of a sentence together. Some common French prepositions include “à” (to, at, in), “de” (of, from), “en” (in, to), “pour” (for), “sur” (on), and “avec” (with).
• Prepositions can indicate location, direction, time, cause, and possession.
• They usually come before a noun or a pronoun.

French Prepositions of Place

• To express ‘in a country or state, use “en” if the place is feminine, begins with a vowel, or is plural, otherwise use “au” for masculine places or states and “aux” for the plural. For example, ‘Je vais au Canada’ and ‘Elle vit en France’.
• When discussing cities, use “à”, such as ‘Il habite à Paris’.
• For indicating a specific location within a larger place, use “dans” (in).
• For expressing ‘at someone’s place’, use “chez”.

French Prepositions of Time

• Use “en” to express seasons, years, and time of day (except night), as in “en été” (in summer), “en 1995” (in 1995), or “en journée” (during the day).
• However, use “à” to express specific times, such as “à six heures” (at six o’clock).

Combinations of Prepositions with Definite Articles

• Prepositions may combine with definite articles to create contracted forms, for example: “au” (à + le), “aux” (à + les), “du” (de + le), “des” (de + les) and “à l’“ (à + l’).
• These contracted forms must be used wherever they apply, such as ‘Je vais au cinéma’ and not ‘Je vais à le cinéma’.

Prepositions with Infinitives

• French uses prepositions before infinitives in places where English does not, and vice versa. For instance, ‘I am thinking of going’ translates to ‘Je pense à aller’.
• No preposition is needed when the verbs “pouvoir” (can), “vouloir” (want), “devoir” (must), etc. are followed by another verb in the infinitive.

Understanding and applying French prepositions correctly is vital since misuse can often drastically change the meaning of a sentence. Practice through sentence construction helps in getting a better grasp of prepositions.