8.6.1

Prepositions (1/3)

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In, To, Of

Prepositions are words like 'in', 'to' or 'of'. They let you add more detail to a sentence.

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'À' - 'to', 'in' or 'at'

  • 'À' can mean 'to', 'in' or 'at' - it changes when followed by 'le' or 'les'.
    • À + le → Au - masculine singular.
    • À + la → À la - feminine singular.
    • À + l' → À l' - before a vowel or 'h'.
    • À + les → Aux - masculine, feminine plural.
    • Je vais au ciné - I go to the cinema.
    • Je suis à la plage - I am at the beach.
Illustrative background for 'En' can mean 'in' or 'to'.Illustrative background for 'En' can mean 'in' or 'to'. ?? "content

'En' can mean 'in' or 'to'.

  • 'En' is used instead of 'à' before feminine countries or countries that start with a noun.
    • J'habite en France - I live in France.
    • Je suis allé en Inde - I went to India.
  • To say how long an action takes, or when saying something happened at a pecific time (month, year, season).
    • J'y suis allé en janvier - I went there in January.
    • Je l'ai fait en dix minutes - I did it in 10 minutes.
  • To say what something is made of.
    • Un pull en laine - a wool jumper.
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'De' can mean 'of' or 'from'

  • 'De' can mean 'of'.
    • Une verre de l'eau - a glass of water.
    • Une tasse de café - a mug of coffee.
  • Like 'à', 'de' changes with 'le' and 'les'.
    • De + le → Du - masculine singular.
    • De + la → De la - feminine singular.
    • De + l' → De l' - before a vowel or some 'h'.
    • De + les → Des - masculine, feminine plural

Verbs That Use 'A' or 'De'

Some verbs are only followed by 'à' or 'de'.

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'À'

  • (S')intéresser à - to be interested in.
  • Aider à - to help.
  • Écrire à - to write to.
  • Rendre visite à - to visit (someone).
  • Demander à - to ask (something of/to).
  • Parler à - to speak to.
  • Téléphoner à - to phone (someone).
  • Faire attention à - to pay attention to.
  • Répondre à - to reply.
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'De'

  • S'agir de - to be about.
  • Manquer de - to lack.
  • Profiter de - to make the most of.
  • Avoir envie, besoin, peur de - to want, need, be scared of.
  • Penser de - to have an opinion about.
  • Dépendre de - depend on.
  • Se méfier de - to not trust.
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Jouer

  • The verb 'jouer' takes different prepositions depending on what the object is.
    • Jouer à - to play (sport)
    • Jouer de - to play (instrument).

Jump to other topics

1Everyday Activities

2Personal & Social Life

3The World Around Us

4The World of Work

5The International World

6Common Tenses

7Advanced Tenses

8Extra Grammar

8.1Articles

8.2The Passive Voice

8.3Pronouns

8.4Asking Questions

8.5Nouns

8.6Prepositions

8.7Adverbs

8.8Adjectives

8.9Negative

8.10Conjunctions

8.11Miscellaneous

8.12Verbs

8.13Numbers

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