SUMMARY
Click on a link below to jump to the right place on the page or simply scroll through to read everything in order.
There are several prepositions in French that cn be used to express a position (where you are) or a destination (where you are going).
"à" morphs when followed by noun that is masculin singulier or masculin plural.
à + le X= au X à + l'X= à l'X
à + la X = à la X à + les X = aux X
Je vais à l’université
I’m going to the university.
Nous allons à la campagne ce weekend !
We are going to the countryside this weekend !
Elles vont souvent au restaurant le vendredi soir.
They often go to the restaurant on Friday nights.
"chez" is a classic French preposition that means "to/at X's house". There is no exact translation for it in English, as you tend to use this " 's" that doesn't exist in French. You use "chez" in front of proper names (first names, for instance) or in front of people's title.
Elle va chez son amie.
She is going to her friend's place.
Nous mangeons chez Momo ce soir !
We are eating at Momo's tonight !
Il va chez mamie.
He is going to grandma's.
We have seen a few of the fixed expressions that take "en" in 1010. Do you remember them ?
Nous n'allons pas en classe.
We are not going to class.
Vous allez en cours ?
You are going to class ?
Ils habitent en ville.
They live in town / downtown.
You will learn in 2010 that some countries take the preposition "en" as well.
“y” is a pronoun that replaces a position or a destination, which includes structures like “à + place” or “chez + proper noun ” or “en classe/cours”. Look at the dialogs below.
Tu vas à la maison ?
Are you going home?
Oui, j’y vais.
Yes, I’m going there/here.
Ils sont chez Anna ?
Are they at Anna’s place?
Oui, ils y sont.
Yes, they are there/here.
It is quite untranslatable in English, as you only have “here” and “there”, which are not technically pronouns.
However, “y” is very important, especially since verbs like aller demands a destination. You can’t just say “I go”, you need to specify where…or add “y” and let people make their best guess!
Allons-y !
let’s go!
shall we go?
on y va ?
Go!
vas-y !
Have you noticed? In class, the professor always says “allez-y”, which sounds like /alézy/ and means “go there”, or rather “let’s go” but in a “vous” form... So weird!
“Y” is placed directly in front of the verb it is connected to:
Je mange au restaurant tous les jours--> j’y mange tous les jours
I eat there every day
Nous aimons manger à la cafétaria. --> Nous aimons y manger.
We like to eat there.
Note : "y"/"à la cafétaria" is the location for "eating", not of "liking", hence why "y" goes in front "eating".
Ils pensent étudier à la bibliothèque. --> Ils pensent y étudier.
They think about studying there.
Note: "y"/"à la bibliothèque" is the location for "studying", not of "thinking", hence why "y" goes in front "studying".
"Y" is placed directly in front the verb, so inside the negation sandwich if there is one:
Il ne joue jamais sur le campus. --> Il n’y joue jamais
He never plays there
Je ne voudrais pas manger à Chick-Fill-A --> Je ne voudrais pas y manger !
I would not like to eat there!
Let's try it ! Put the words in the correct order to build the sentences.
Like in English, if you use venir (to come) or aller (to go), you need a preposition before the transport (by ____). There are two options: à or en.
“en” is for transport that you ride inside: the bus, the plane, any type of car, a boat…
Nous venons chez Mamie en voiture.
We come to Granny’s by car.
Ils vont à la fête en über.
They go to the party by ûber.
“à” is for transport that you ride: a bike, a motorbike, a horse… It’s also used in the expressions “à pied” (by foot).
Il va à l’école à pied.
He goes to school by foot. / he walks to school.
Nous allons au parc à vélo.
We go to the parc by bike / we bike to the parc.
IMPORTANT NOTE
French only use the "en/à + transport" expression.
We would not say “I walk to school”, we only say “I go to school by foot”.
I walk to school = Je vais à l’école à pied
I go to school by foot.
I drive to the party = Je vais à la fête en voiture
I go to the party by car.
Ready ? Let's check if you undersood!
We have learned earlier that to express a position or a destination, you should use the preposition "à" (and it's other forms "au" & "aux"). When you wish to express a place of origin, the preposition used is "de". This preposiion also takes different forms.
"de" morphs when followed by noun that is masculin singulier or masculin plural.
de + le X= du X de + l'X= de l'X
de + la X = de la X de + les X = des X
Je viens de l’université
I came from the university.
Nous revenons de la campagne ce weekend !
We are coming back from the countryside!
Elles sont du Sud des Etats-Unis.
They are from the South of the USA.