Reminder:
Prepositions are short words used with a verb, a noun or a pronoun to describe the relation of one part of a sentence to another. Sometimes, a preposition is needed in English and not in French or vice versa.
Ex: I wait for Pierre. J'attends Pierre.
Ex: I ask Martine to help me. Je demande à Martine de m'aider.
There are different types of propositions; for example, prepositions of place and movement, of time, and verbs with prepositions. Here are some common prepositions:
- Places: à = to/at, en = in + fem. countries, dans = in, en face de = on front of, derrière = behind, sur = on.
- Time: jusqu'à = until, depuis = since/for, avant = before.
- de = of, malgré = despite, selon = according to, contre = against, avec = with, pour = for / in order to.
Ex: Le dimanche, je vais à la piscine. On Sundays, I go to the swimming pool.
Ex: Quelquefois, j'étudie jusqu'à minuit. = Sometimes, I study until midnight.
* Note that there is a contraction with à and de if it is followed by a masculine definite noun after.
Ex: En face du cinéma, il y a un bon restaurant chinois. = In front of the cinema, there is a good Chinese restaurant.
'De le' is incorrect and should not be used, same for 'à le', it changes into 'au'.
Ex: Nous allons au restaurant. = We go to the restaurant.
Test your understanding with a quick starter!