There are different types of prepositions in the French language. Apart from prepositions of place, there are also prepositions of time and prepositions of manner. They help to establish a grammatical concord between different parts of a sentence.
What are French Prepositions of Place?
French prepositions of place are used with a number of different verbs and nouns – usually followed by one of the definite articles. Prepositions of place are used in order to define the location of an object or the direction and/or destination of its movement.
A List of French Prepositions of Place
There are several, frequently used prepositions which are often confused by French language learners – they are listed below:
- à - meaning “in” or “to” – used to denote place of residence, or journey destination;
- chez - aller chez le dentist – used to denote journey destination or place of staying;
- dans - dans une quartier, dans la rue – used to denote some relatively small place or area;
- de - Je viens d'Allemagne – used to denote point/place of departure;
- en - Je vais en France – used to denote journey destination, plus it’s used in several fixed expressions;
- par - Nous allons à Lyon par Paris – used to denote a place on the way to the final point of destination;
- vers - vers l'ouest – used to denote direction (towards).
Important Rules Concerning French Prepositions of Place
There are at least three important grammatical rules that relate to the proper use of prepositions of place in French:
Preposition “à” and “de” assume contracted forms whenever they are followed by one of the definite articles. The final form of the preposition depends on gender and number of the article:
- à l' - e.g. Je suis à l'école
- à la - en, e.g. Nous vivons en France
- à le - au, e.g. Nous allons au Canada
- à les - aux, e.g. Nous vivons aux États-Unis
- de l’ – e.g. Je sortie de l'école
- de la - e.g. Je viens de la Pologne
- de le - du, e.g. Nous rentrons du stadion
- de les - des, e.g. Nous venons des États-Unis
Whenever preposition “à” is used in a phrase denoting movement or location directed inwards, preposition “de” will be used to denote movement or location outwards: Je vais à l'école – Je sortie de l'école.
Correct use of prepositions is very important because they influence the meaning of verbs they follow and, quite frequently, change their meaning: parler à Marie means “to talk to Mary”, while parler de Marie means “to talk about Marie”.
Other French Prepositions of Place
In the French language, prepositions of place can be roughly divided into two groups – those followed by “de” and those standing alone:
French prepositions of place followed by “de”:
- à côté de – next to
- à droit de – to the right of
- à gauche de – to the left of
- au bout de – by the end of
- au fond de – in the depth of
- en face de – in front of
- loin de – far away from
- prés de – near by
- au milieu de – in the middle of
French prepositions of place not followed by “de”:
- derriére – behind
- devant – in front of
- entre – between
- sous – under
- sur – on
- dans – in
- au-dessous – under, below
- à gauche – to the left
- à droite – to the right
- par terre – on the ground, below
- contre – next to, near by
Overall, French prepositions of place are not difficult to learn. It’s important to remember that the same preposition can be used in various grammatical and semantic contexts. During the study process, it’s advised to consult French collocation dictionary.
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