Grammar / A1 : Beginner / Prepositions of place
Prepositions of place
à, dans, sur, sous, devant, derrière, entre, à côté de...
The words that place everything
Someone asks you where the post office is. You want to describe the layout of your flat. You are following directions in a French city, or reading a sign in a building. In every one of these situations, the same small group of prepositions handles the work. Spatial prepositions are among the first words to become automatic in a new language, because you use them constantly.
French spatial prepositions fall into two clear groups. The first group contains simple prepositions: dans, sur, sous, devant, derrière, entre. The second group contains compound prepositions built with de: à côté de, près de, en face de, loin de. The distinction matters because compound prepositions trigger contraction rules whenever de meets a definite article.
1. Simple prepositions
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| dans | in, inside (enclosed space) | Le chat est dans la boîte. (The cat is in the box.) Il y a du lait dans le frigo. (There is milk in the fridge.) |
| sur | on, on top of (surface) | Le livre est sur la table. (The book is on the table.) La carte est sur le mur. (The map is on the wall.) |
| sous | under, beneath | Le chien dort sous le lit. (The dog is sleeping under the bed.) Les clés sont sous le tapis. (The keys are under the mat.) |
| devant | in front of | Il attend devant la porte. (He is waiting in front of the door.) Je suis garé devant l'école. (I am parked in front of the school.) |
| derrière | behind, at the back of | Le jardin est derrière la maison. (The garden is behind the house.) Elle est assise derrière moi. (She is sitting behind me.) |
| entre | between | La pharmacie est entre la boulangerie et la banque. (The pharmacy is between the bakery and the bank.) Il est assis entre Marie et Paul. (He is sitting between Marie and Paul.) |
💡 dans vs sur: dans implies an enclosed or contained space: the thing is inside something. sur implies contact with a surface: the thing is resting on top. Compare: le stylo est dans le tiroir (the pen is inside the drawer) vs le stylo est sur le bureau (the pen is on the desk).
2. à, dans, and en : three that need attention
These three prepositions all translate loosely as "in" or "at" in English, but they are not interchangeable. Each signals something different about the relationship between the person and the place.
à : location at a point
à indicates a location understood as a point or general address. It is used with cities and many fixed expressions. It triggers the standard contraction rules: à + le = au, à + les = aux.
Je suis à la maison. (I am at home.) (fixed expression)
Elle travaille à l'hôpital. (She works at the hospital.)
Il est au cinéma. (He is at the cinema.) (au = à + le)
On se retrouve à la gare. (We are meeting at the station.)
J'habite à Paris. (I live in Paris.) (used with cities)
dans : inside a space
dans specifies that someone or something is physically inside an enclosed space. It often emphasises the interior rather than just the address.
Elle est dans sa chambre. (She is in her room.) (inside)
Nous sommes dans le métro. (We are in the metro.)
Il cherche ses clés dans son sac. (He is looking for his keys in his bag.)
Dans la rue, il y a beaucoup de monde. (In the street, there are a lot of people.)
en : countries, regions, and transport
en is used before feminine countries, most regions, and certain modes of transport. It does not trigger a contraction and does not take an article.
Je vis en France. (I live in France.) (feminine country)
Elle est en Chine pour le travail. (She is in China for work.)
On est en Bretagne cette semaine. (We are in Brittany this week.) (region)
Je viens en voiture. (I am coming by car.) (transport)
Il voyage en avion. (He is travelling by plane.)
3. chez : at someone's place
chez is one of the most distinctive French prepositions: there is no single English equivalent. It means "at the home of", "at the place of", or "at the practice/shop of". It is followed directly by a person's name, a pronoun, or a profession, never by a place name.
| With a pronoun | With a name | With a profession or brand |
|---|---|---|
| chez moi (at my place) | chez Marie (at Marie's place) | chez le médecin (at the doctor's) |
| chez toi (at your place) | chez les Martin (at the Martins') | chez le dentiste (at the dentist's) |
| chez lui / chez elle (at his/her place) | chez McDo (at McDonald's) | |
| chez nous (at our place) | chez le coiffeur (at the hairdresser's) |
On mange chez moi ce soir ? (Shall we eat at my place tonight?)
Elle passe la soirée chez ses parents. (She is spending the evening at her parents' place.)
J'ai un rendez-vous chez le médecin demain matin. (I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning.)
C'est une habitude très répandue chez les Français. (It is a very common habit among French people.)
4. Compound prepositions with de
The second group of spatial prepositions is built with de after a spatial noun. Because they end in de, they trigger the standard contraction rules: de + le = du, de + les = des. With la and l', de stays unchanged.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example with contraction |
|---|---|---|
| à côté de | next to, beside | La boulangerie est à côté du cinéma. (The bakery is next to the cinema.) |
| en face de | opposite, across from | L'hôtel est en face de la gare. (The hotel is opposite the station.) |
| près de | near, close to | Il habite près du parc. (He lives near the park.) |
| loin de | far from | Le bureau est loin de l'arrêt de bus. (The office is far from the bus stop.) |
| au bout de | at the end of | La sortie est au bout du couloir. (The exit is at the end of the corridor.) |
| au fond de | at the back of, at the bottom of | Mon bureau est au fond de l'open space. (My desk is at the back of the open-plan office.) |
| au coin de | on the corner of | Il y a un café au coin de la rue. (There is a café on the corner of the street.) |
| au-dessus de | above, over | L'appartement est au-dessus du restaurant. (The flat is above the restaurant.) |
| au-dessous de | below, under | La cave est au-dessous de l'immeuble. (The cellar is below the building.) |
| à gauche de | to the left of | La poste est à gauche du supermarché. (The post office is to the left of the supermarket.) |
| à droite de | to the right of | Le parc est à droite de l'église. (The park is to the right of the church.) |
⚠ The contraction rule always applies after the de of a compound preposition.
❌ à côté de le cinéma · ✓ à côté du cinéma
❌ près de les écoles · ✓ près des écoles
No contraction before la or l': à côté de la banque / en face de l'église ✓
5. Countries and cities
The preposition used before a country depends on the gender of the country. Before cities, à is used without exception. This system was introduced briefly in the definite articles lesson and is worth consolidating here.
| Context | Preposition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| City (any city) | à | à Paris, à Tokyo, à Hong Kong, à Londres, à Taipei |
| Feminine country | en | en France, en Chine, en Italie, en Corée, en Espagne |
| Masculine country | au | au Japon, au Portugal, au Canada, au Mexique, au Maroc |
| Plural country | aux | aux États-Unis, aux Pays-Bas, aux Philippines |
💡 Most countries ending in -e are feminine: la France, la Chine, l'Italie, la Corée, l'Espagne. Countries ending in any other letter tend to be masculine: le Japon, le Portugal, le Canada. Exceptions exist (le Mexique, le Mozambique), but the pattern covers most cases.
6. Prepositions of place in context
A short description of a neighbourhood, using prepositions of place throughout. This kind of text is a standard production task at A1 level.
Mon appartement est dans une rue calme, près du centre-ville. En face de mon immeuble, il y a une petite boulangerie. À côté de la boulangerie, il y a une pharmacie. Le supermarché est à gauche de la pharmacie, au bout de la rue. La station de métro est à cinq minutes à pied, derrière le parc. Chez le boucher du quartier, on trouve d'excellents produits. Je travaille dans un bureau au-dessus d'une librairie, à côté de la place principale.
My flat is in a quiet street, near the town centre. Opposite my building there is a small bakery. Next to the bakery there is a chemist's. The supermarket is to the left of the chemist's, at the end of the street. The metro station is five minutes on foot, behind the park. At the local butcher's, you find excellent produce. I work in an office above a bookshop, next to the main square.
7. Key points
✓ Simple prepositions: dans (inside) / sur (on) / sous (under) / devant (in front of) / derrière (behind) / entre (between)
✓ dans = enclosed space / sur = surface / à = location point (not interchangeable)
✓ chez = at someone's place or practice (always followed by a person, never a place name)
✓ en = inside/within, used with feminine countries, regions, and modes of transport
✓ Compound prepositions end in de: contraction rules apply: de + le = du / de + les = des
✓ Key compound prepositions: à côté de, en face de, près de, loin de, au bout de, au fond de, à gauche de, à droite de
✓ Cities: à / Feminine countries: en / Masculine countries: au / Plural countries: aux