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French I - Prepositions

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Study GuideFrench I–Prepositions1.Expressing “In” in FrenchIn French, the English word“in”can be translated in several ways depending on thetype of place orcontext. The three most common words used are:•dans•à•enEach one has a slightly different meaning and is used in different situations.1. Dans—“Inside” or “Within”The prepositiondansis used when something isinside an enclosed or specific place. It oftenappears with anindefinite article(un, une, des).Examples•Mon portefeuille est dans mon sac.My wallet is inside my purse.•Il habite dans une maison.He lives in a house.Here,dansemphasizes beingphysically inside something.2. À + Definite Article—General LocationThe prepositionàis used when referring to ageneral place or location without clear boundaries. Itusually appears with adefinite article:•le•la•l'•les

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Study GuideExample•Allons au grand magasin.Let’s go to the department store.In this example:•à + le → auThe phrase refers to ageneral destination rather than being inside a specific container.3. En—Used in Certain ExpressionsThe prepositionenappears in somefixed or idiomatic expressionsthat must simply be learned.Examples•en ville—in the city / downtown•en prison—in jailExample sentence:•Notre famille dîne en ville.Our family is eating in the city.Because these expressions areidiomatic, they are usuallymemorized rather than translatedword-for-word.Common Multi-Word PrepositionsFrench also has manyprepositions made of several words. These expressions are very commonin everyday language.ExamplesFrench ExpressionMeaningà cause debecause of

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Study Guideà côté denext toà droiteto the rightà gaucheto the leftà partir debeginning with / starting fromà peu prèsnearly / approximatelyà propos deabout / concerningà traversacross / throughafin dein order toau bas deat the bottom ofau bout deat the end ofau-dessous debelow / beneathau lieu deinstead ofau milieu dein the middle ofau sujet deabout / concerningau-dessus deabove / overautour dearounden face deoppositeloin defar fromprès denearThese expressions are useful when describinglocation, cause, direction, or relationshipsbetween things.

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Study GuideKey TakeawayTo express“in”in French:•dans→ inside a specific or enclosed place•à + definite article→ a general location•en→ used in certain idiomatic expressionsIn addition, French uses manymulti-word prepositionslikeà côté de,près de, andau milieu detogivemore precise descriptions of location or relationships.2.Contractions of Two PrepositionsIn French, the prepositionsà(to, at) andde(of, from) often combine withdefinite articlesto formcontractions. These contractions make sentences soundmore natural and smoother.The definite articles involved are:•le(the–masculine singular)•la(the–feminine singular)•l’(the–before a vowel)•les(the–plural)However, contractions only occur withleandles.1. Contractions with àWhenàis followed byleorles, they combine into a single word.Preposition + ArticleContractionMeaningà + leauto theà + laà lato theà + l’à l’to theà + lesauxto the (plural)

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Study GuideExamples•Il va au cinéma.He goes to the movies.•Nous parlons aux étudiants.We speak to the students.Notice thatà + laandà + l’donot change.2. Contractions with deThe prepositiondealso contracts withleandles.Preposition + ArticleContractionMeaningde + leduof the / from thede + lade laof thede + l’de l’of thede + lesdesof the (plural)Examples•Il mange des bonbons.He eats candy.•Le livre du professeur est intéressant.The teacher’s book is interesting.Again,de + laandde + l’stay the same.

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Study GuideImportant Rule to RememberContractions happenonly with:•le → au / du•les → aux / desTheydo not occurwith:•la•l’Key TakeawayFrench contractions make sentencesshorter and more natural. The most important ones toremember are:CombinationResultà + leauà + lesauxde + ledude + lesdes3.Prepositions with Geographical LocationsIn French, differentprepositionsare used when talking aboutcities, countries, provinces,continents, and islands. The choice of preposition depends mainly on thetype of placeandsometimes on thegender of the place name.A useful tip:Mostgeographical names ending in “-e” are feminine.Common exceptions

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Study GuideSome countries end in-ebut aremasculine, such as:•le Mexique(Mexico)•le Cambodge(Cambodia)•le Zaïre(Zaire)1. CitiesWhen talking aboutcities, French usually usesàfor “in” or “to” anddefor “from”.MeaningPrepositionin / toàfromde / d’Examples•J’habite à Paris.I live in Paris.•Je vais à Londres.I am going to London.•Il vientde Rome.He comes from Rome.2. Feminine Countries, Continents, Provinces, and IslandsForfeminine places, the prepositionenis used for both“in”and“to.”MeaningPrepositionin / toenfromde / d’

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Study GuideExamples•Elle habite en France.She lives in France.•Nous allons en Italie.We are going to Italy.•Il vient d’Italie.He comes from Italy.3. Masculine CountriesFormasculine countries, French usesauanddu.MeaningPrepositionin / toaufromduExamples•Il habiteau Canada.He lives in Canada.•Nous allons au Japon.We are going to Japan.•Elle vient du Japon.She comes from Japan.4. Plural Countries or RegionsWhen the place name isplural, French usesauxanddes.
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Document Details

University
Texas A&M University
Course
French I
Subject
Art

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