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Prepositions are used to establish relationships between nouns, between nouns and verbs, and between different parts of a sentence.
À (to) and de (from, about) are the most common prepositions in French. They form contractions with definite articles: au, aux; du, des.
When prepositions have literal, spatial meanings, using them is straightforward: sur (on), sous (under), avec (with), sans (without).
Idiomatic uses: Idiomatic means “natural to a native speaker” (but not necessarily obvious to a non-native speaker.).
You can find these uses in wordreference.com or linguee.fr. These have to be memorized.
In addition to prepositions + noun (or pronoun) objects, discussed here, there are specific guidelines for using prepositions with place names. Finally, many prepositions, including some on this page, may be followed by infinitives.
à = to, at
See contractions with definite articles, the use of à with place names, and à + infinitive.
à cause de = because of, due to
The preposition à cause de is followed by a noun, whereas the conjunction parce que (because) is followed by a subordinate clause.
au centre de = at the center of
à côté de = beside
à droite de = to the right of, on the right of
à gauche de = to the left of, on the left of
après = after (temporal)
See also après used in past infinitive constructions.
à travers = across, through
au milieu de = in the middle of
au sujet de / à propos de = on the subject of; about
autour de = surrounding, around
avant = before [temporal]
Contrast avant with devant meaning 'before' in a spatial sense. See also avant de + infinitive.
avec = with
Avec + noun is often translated as an '-ly' adverb: avec joie (joyfully).
chez = 'at X's (house), at the house of, at the store of; to X's (house), to the store of'
Chez may refer to individual's homes as well as to someone's shop, as in the first example below. When applied to larger groups of people, such as nationalities, it means among: Chez nous les Chicagoans, on adore le sandwich italien au boeuf = "We Chicagoans love Italian beef sandwiches."
contre = against
Contre is used in several idiomatic expressions.
dans = in
Dans is always followed by a determiner (definite, indefinite or possessive). See also en.
d'après = according to
de l'autre côté de = on the other side of
derrière = in back of, behind (spatial)
devant = in front of, before (spatial sense)
Contrast devant with avant (temporal sense).
en = in
En means 'in' and immediately precedes the noun (i.e., it does not require a determiner; it is followed directly by its object, for example, en France). It is also used in many idiomatic expressions: Kiko roule en voiture (Kiko is driving in a car); Ali vient en vélo (Ali comes on a bike); and in some time expressions: en automne (in the fall); en août (in August). Compare with dans.
See also the use of en with place names and en with a present participle.
en bas de = at the bottom of, at the end of
en dehors de = outside of, excluding
en dépit de = in spite of
en face de = in front of, across from
en haut de = at the top of; to the top of
entre = between
Entre means 'between' and it is used when referring to two people or things (or two groups of people or things). Contrast with parmi ('among', when referring to three or more people or things).
envers = toward (figurative sense)
Envers means 'toward' in a figurative sense, indicating an attitude or gesture toward someone. Contrast with vers, which means toward in a spatial or temporal sense.
grace à = thanks to
hors de = outside of, out of (idiomatic)
jusqu'à = until
Distinguish between the preposition jusqu'à and the conjunction jusqu'à ce que.
loin de = far from
malgré = in spite of
par = by, through, per
Par has several idiomatic meanings. It means 'by' when it is used with the passive voice. See also the use of par + infinitive.
parmi = among
Parmi means 'among' and it is used when referring to three or more people or things (or groups of people or things). Contrast with entre (between).
pendant = during
pour = for, in favor of
See also the use of pour + infinitive.
près de = near to
quant à = as for
sans = without
Sans often is translated by '-less' or a negative prefix 'in-' or 'un-': un travail sans effort (effortless work); un film sans intérêt (an uninteresting film). See also the use of sans + infinitive.
sauf = except
selon = according to
sous = under, in (idiomatic)
Sous means 'under,' but it is often translated by 'in' in expressions such as sous la pluie (in the rain); sous le soleil (in the sun).
sur = on, upon, on top of
Sur means 'on,' but it is also used in several idiomatic expressions: un sur deux (one out of two); tourner son attention sur quelque chose (to turn one's attention to something); sur le moment (at the time); sur invitation (by invitation). etc.
vers = toward(s)
Vers means 'toward, around' in both a spatial and a temporal sense. Contrast with envers, which has a figurative sense.
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