Prepositions by Bruce Sallee and David Hebert
Prepositions are relational words that are used in front of nouns and articles. English words like “to,” “with,” “in,” and “on” are prepositions. When prepositions are used in a sentence, they take an object. In other words, the preposition must have a noun to complete its meaning.
English grammar tells you never to end a sentence with a preposition, but this rule is often ignored in common usage. In French, a preposition cannot be used without a noun following it, so if you find yourself using a preposition at the end of a sentence, you'd better find a noun to put after it.
In English, many verbs, when used with a preposition, take on a slightly different meaning, such as “to go out.” Like English, French has a number of prepositions. This section lists some common ones.
The Preposition À
The preposition à is one of the most versatile in the language. It can have a wide variety of meanings, including “at,” “to,” “in,” “of,” and “by”; the meaning will usually be associated with the noun, as follows:
à Paris |
in Paris |
à pied |
on foot |
à la pharmacie |
at the pharmacy |
The preposition à sometimes contracts when used with a definite article. The following table shows how the various definite articles are used with the preposition.
Table 9-3
Definite Articles Used with À
article |
result |
le |
au |
la |
à la |
l' |
à l' |
les |
aux |
The following examples illustrate the different functions à can perform, including the English equivalents to the constructions.
Location or Destination
Use à to indicate a location or destination:
J'habite aux États-Unis. |
I live in the United States. |
Nous sommes allés au cinéma. |
We went to the movies. |
Je suis allé à Paris. |
I went to Paris. |
Distance
À can also be used to indicate a degree of separation in either time or space, as follows:
Il habite à un kilomètre de chez moi. |
He lives one kilometer from me. |
Je suis à dix minutes de l'école. |
I am ten minutes away from the school. |
Specific Points in Time
À can be used to refer to specific hours or moments, including calendar dates, as follows:
Il arrivera à dix heures. |
He will arrive at ten o'clock. |
Characteristics or Manner
À can be used to indicate the fashion in which something is done or the characteristics of something that exists:
J'ai vu le garçon aux cheveux blonds. |
I saw the boy with blond hair. |
Elle fait la cuisine à la française. |
She is cooking in the French way. |
Possession
When the preposition à is used to indicate possession, it is more emphatic than when a possessive pronoun or the preposition de is used to indicate the owner. Use this construction only when you want to make absolutely certain that everyone understands what you mean:
Cette voiture est à moi, pas à lui. |
This car is mine, not his. |
Non, je lis le roman qui est à Pierre. |
No, I am reading Pierre's book. |
To Describe How the Action of a Verb Is Performed
Use à to describe exactly how verbs are performed:
Elle écrit la lettre à la main. |
She writes the letter by hand. |
To Describe Weights and Measures
Use à for weights and measures:
J'avais acheté la farine au kilo. |
I used to buy flour by the kilogram. |
Ils boivent la bière au verre. |
They drink beer by the glass. |
To Describe the Function or Purpose of an Item
Use à to describe the function or purpose of an item:
Je porterai mon sac à dos. |
I will be wearing my backpack. |
Donne-moi une cuillère à soupe. |
Give me soup with a soup spoon. |
Après
Après means “after,” when referring to time, either in a direct or indirect sense, as follows:
après le dîner |
after dinner |
après 5h00 |
after 5:00 |
Après can sometimes be used with verb. The grave accent isn't pronounced, but it acts as a reminder not to turn the ending into an “ay” sound.
Avant
Avant means “before,” when referring to time.
avant le dîner |
before dinner |
avant midi |
before noon |
French often uses what we call military time (24 hour time) to indicate the hour: Il est dix-sept heures. (It is 5 p.m.) Note that to abbreviate time, use a small h: Il est 17h.
Avec
Avec means “with” and functions very similarly to its English equivalent:
avec un sourire |
with a smile |
Chez
Chez is a convenient little French word that often takes a number of English words to translate. It is used with names or personal pronouns, and conveys a sense of habitual residence. Possible English translations include “at the home of” and “at the office of.” In less formal speech, chez Pierre could even be translated as “at Pierre's place.”
Dans
Dans means “in.” When translating from English to French, however, be careful, because à can sometimes be the proper choice. When referring to time, dans can also mean “during.”
dans la voiture |
in the car |
dans la journée |
during the day |
De
De is another versatile French preposition. Normally, it means “of” or “from,” as in de Paris (from Paris), but it also has other uses, including being used as the partitive article. De is used extensively throughout the French language.
Depuis
Depuis is used to indicate a sense of time. It can mean “since” or “for” and is used with events that began at some point in the past but are still occurring, as in the following examples:
depuis cinq ans |
for five years |
depuis hier |
since yesterday |
En
En is another versatile preposition. Because it can be used in such a wide variety of situations, it can be difficult to translate. Its meanings include “in,” “on,” “to,” “as,” “like,” and “by,” depending on its usage.
en avion |
by plane |
en service |
in service, working |
Pendant
Pendant, which means “during” or “while,” can be easily confused with depuis or the next preposition in this list, pour. Pendant refers to duration, whereas depuis refers to time elapsed. Finally, pour refers to a projected length of time
pendant mes vacances |
during my vacation |
depuis deux ans |
for the last two years |
Il part pour deux jours. |
He is leaving for two days. |
Pour
Pour also means “for” and will be the most common translation for “for” in English.
pour vous |
for you |
pour la vie |
for life |
Sans
Like its opposite, avec, sans, which means “without,” is used much the same as in English, as in the following examples:
sans amour |
without love |
sans toi |
without you |
Sur
Sur normally means “on,” but can sometimes be translated as “at,” “in,” or “about,” as in the following examples:
sur le bureau |
on the desk |
deux dentistes sur cinq |
two dentists out of five |
Vers
Vers can mean “toward” or “around” and can be used in both a physical sense and to convey a sense of time, as in the following examples:
vers New York |
toward New York |
vers Boston |
around Boston |
vers midi |
around noon |
Pronouncing Objects and Prepositions
In these sections, you learned about objects and prepositions. Listen to the CD for the pronunciation of some of the expressions you learned.
Il a donné le cadeau à Jean. |
J'habite aux États-Unis. |
Il arrivera à dix heures. |
après le dîner |
avant midi |
dans la journée |
depuis cinq ans |
en avion |
pendant mes vacances |
pour la vie |
sans toi |
sur le bureau |
|
vers Boston |
