Prepositions are the GPS coordinates of grammar. They tell us exactly where people, animals, and objects sit in physical space. Let's master spatial navigation in French!
Let's start with the three most basic prepositions of physical placement.
| French Preposition | Pronunciation Guide | English Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| sur | [soor] | On / Upon | sur la table (on the table) |
| sous | [soo] | Under / Beneath | sous la table (under the table) |
| dans | [dahn] | In / Inside | dans la boîte (in the box) |
Look away from the screen. Recite the French words for "on", "under", and "in" along with their pronunciation guides.
Click on the option that best answers each question, then click "Reveal Answers" below to check your work!
1. Which word means "under" in French?
2. Translate "in the kitchen" (kitchen is feminine singular: la cuisine):
3. How do you pronounce "sous" (under)?
Question 1: Correct Answer: sous.
Explanation: `sous` [soo] is French for under. `sur` means on, and `dans` means in.
Question 2: Correct Answer: dans la cuisine.
Explanation: `dans` [dahn] means "in" or "inside". Therefore, "in the kitchen" is `dans la cuisine`.
Question 3: Correct Answer: [soo] - the final 's' is completely silent.
Explanation: Just like many French words, the final consonant 's' in `sous` is completely silent.
Let's learn three more prepositions to pinpoint spatial relationships:
| French Preposition | Pronunciation Guide | English Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| devant | [duh-vahn] | In front of | devant la maison (in front of the house) |
| derrière | [dair-yehr] | Behind | derrière le canapé (behind the sofa) |
| entre | [ahntr] | Between | entre les chaises (between the chairs) |
Look away from the screen. Spell and recite the French prepositions for "in front of", "behind", and "between". Repeat them twice.
1. Translate "behind the house" (house is la maison):
2. Translate "in front of the dog" (dog is le chien):
3. What does "entre" mean?
Question 1: Correct Answer: derrière la maison.
Explanation: `derrière` [dair-yehr] means "behind" (linked to derriere). `devant` means in front of, and `entre` means between.
Question 2: Correct Answer: devant le chien.
Explanation: `devant` [duh-vahn] means "in front of" (linked to divan).
Question 3: Correct Answer: Between.
Explanation: `entre` [ahntr] means "between" (linked to entering between two areas).
When talking about traveling to or living in a location, French distinguishes between cities and countries.
Rule: Cities are dots on a map. You go at a dot. Therefore, all cities use the preposition à [ah] (meaning "to", "at", or "in").
Think of the accent grave on à as a little GPS map-pin pointing down directly onto a city dot: à.
→ `à Paris` [ah pah-ree] (to/in Paris)
→ `à New York` [ah new york] (to/in New York)
→ `à London` [ah lohn-druh] (to/in London - written as Londres in French)
Close your eyes. What preposition do we use for cities? What visual map marker does the letter "à" remind you of?
1. Translate "I live in Paris" (I live is J'habite):
2. True or False: The city preposition "à" changes spelling depending on the gender of the city.
Question 1: Correct Answer: J'habite à Paris.
Explanation: Paris is a city, so it takes `à` [ah].
Question 2: Correct Answer: False, all cities use "à", regardless of name or origin.
Explanation: Cities do not have grammatical genders in the same way countries do. Every city gets the standard map pin `à`.
Unlike cities, countries are wide geographical regions, and in French, they have grammatical genders.
Feminine Country Rule: If a country ends in the letter e (like France, Espagne [Spain], Italie), it is feminine. For feminine countries, we say we are going "to" or "in" them using en [ahn] .
en [ahn] : Sounds similar to English **"on"**.
Think: "We step **on** (en) the soils of **France**."
→ `en France` [ahn frahns] (to/in France)
→ `en Espagne` [ahn nes-pahn-yuh] (to/in Spain)
Look away. How do you identify if a country is feminine in French? What preposition do feminine countries take?
1. Translate "She lives in Spain" (She lives is Elle habite):
2. Which country name is feminine in French?
Question 1: Correct Answer: Elle habite en Espagne.
Explanation: `Espagne` is a feminine country, so it takes `en` [ahn].
Question 2: Correct Answer: Italie (ends in 'e').
Explanation: Most country names ending in the letter 'e' are grammatically feminine in French.
What if a country does not end in the letter 'e'?
Masculine Country Rule: If a country ends in any other letter (like Canada, Japon), it is masculine. For masculine countries, we use au [oh] to say "to" or "in".
au [oh] : Sounds like the exclamation **"Oh!"**.
Think: "**Oh** (au), what a massive territory Canada has!"
→ `au Canada` [oh kah-nah-dah] (to/in Canada)
→ `au Japon` [oh zhah-pohn] (to/in Japan)
Look away. How do we translate "in Canada"? What exclamation helps you remember the pronunciation [oh]?
1. Translate "We are going to Japan" (We are going is Nous allons):
2. What preposition matches "Mexique" (Mexico)? Note: This ends in 'e' but is a rare exception and is masculine!
Question 1: Correct Answer: Nous allons au Japon.
Explanation: `Japon` ends in 'n', meaning it is masculine. It takes `au` [oh].
Question 2: Correct Answer: au Mexique (because it is masculine).
Explanation: While most countries ending in 'e' are feminine, `Mexique` is a famous exception. Since it is grammatically masculine, it must take `au`.
English uses "'s" to indicate ownership of a location. For example: "I am going to Paul's." or "I am at the doctor's."
French does not have a possessive "'s". Instead, it uses the magic word chez [shay] , which means "at the house/place/office of".
chez [shay] : Sounds like English **"shade"**.
Think: "We find cool *shade* (chez) under the roof of **Paul's house**."
Close your eyes. How do you say "at my house" in French? Recite it using the magic word for "at the place of".
1. Translate "I am going to Alice's house":
2. What is the meaning of "chez le médecin" (médecin means doctor)?
Question 1: Correct Answer: Je vais chez Alice.
Explanation: `chez` handles "at the place of" cleanly. While `la maison de Alice` is technically understandable, it sounds extremely unnatural to a French native speaker.
Question 2: Correct Answer: At the doctor's office/place.
Explanation: `chez` is widely used when going to see professionals who operate in offices or shops.
Pierre and Marie are looking for their lost cat, Minou. Read the conversation, play the audio, and follow the prepositions.
Où est Minou ? Il est dans la cuisine ?
[oo ay mee-noo? eel ay dahn lah kwee-zeen]
"Where is Minou? Is he in the kitchen?"
Non. Regarde sur le canapé.
[nohn. ruh-gahrd soor luh kah-nah-pay]
"No. Look on the sofa."
Ah ! Il est sous la table !
[ah! eel ay soo lah tah-bluh]
"Ah! He is under the table!"
In Paris, location is everything. The Seine River splits the city into two distinct banks:
Saying `J'habite Rive Gauche` [zhah-beet reev gohsh] communicates a specific lifestyle style to Parisians!
Click the French preposition buttons to watch the blue block move relative to the box container.
On / Upon
Test your memory across three levels! Select a French card, then select its matching English equivalent.
Import the official Chapter 14 flashcard deck directly into your dashboard to practice daily recall checks.
Complete all three tiers of the test to prove you have mastered French prepositions of place with zero external assistance.
1. Which preposition means "in front of"?
2. What preposition fits: "Je vais _______ Paris"? (Paris is a city dot)
3. What preposition fits: "Nous sommes _______ Espagne"? (Spain ends in 'e', feminine)
4. Translate: "at my house" / "to my house"
5. What does "Le chat est sous la table" mean?
Choose the correct word from the dropdown menu to complete each sentence.
Write the complete French sentence. Capitalize the first letter.
1. Translate: "I live in Paris."
Hint: "J'habite..." and remember the map pin preposition.2. Translate: "She is in France."
Hint: "Elle est..." and France ends in 'e'.3. Translate: "The cat is on the sofa."
Hint: "Le chat est..." and sofa is "canapé" (masculine).4. Translate: "I am going to Paul's place."
Hint: "Je vais..." and use the magic word meaning "at the house of".5. Translate: "He is in Canada."
Hint: "Il est..." and Canada is masculine.