In this section, you will learn how to use prepositions with geographic locations.
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Prépositions avec les lieux géographiques
Geographical Prepositions. When we talk about cities, countries, and regions we usually treat them as locations, destinations, and origins. For each of these cases, we need to know how to use prepositions, and it’s a little more complicated in French.
(a) Les villes. For cities, it is easy. Always place the word à before the name of the city to indicate that someone or something is at, in, or going to that city. Use de when someone or something is from or coming from that city.
Tanya habite à Paris. (Tanya lives in Paris.)
Robert va à Paris. (Robert is going to Paris.)
Guilaume est de Paris. (Guillaume is from Paris.)
Le train vient de Paris. (The train is coming from Paris.)
(b) Les continents, les pays et les provinces. The prepositions used for continents, countries and many provinces depend on the gender and number of the place’s name. Continents, countries and provinces that end in -e are usually feminine; all others are masculine. Exceptions to this rule include le Belize, le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique, le Zaïre, le Zimbabwe.
Here’s a chart to help you remember how it works:
Prepositions avec les continents, les pays et les provinces
Anglais
Feminine singular countries
Singular countries that start with a vowel
Masculine singular countries that start with a consonant
Plural countries
in, to
en France, en Suisse, en Amérique du Nord, en Occitanie
en Irak, en Uruguay
au Maroc, au Canada, au Québec
aux Etats-Unis
from
de Belgique, d’Espagne, d’Amérique du Sud
d’Iran, d’Argentine
du Mexique, du Sénégal
des Etats-Unis
Here are some examples:
La tour Eiffel n’est pas en Suisse. Je vais en France. (The Eiffel Tower is not in Switzerland. I am going to France.)
Elle est née aux Etats-Unis. João va au Maroc cet été. (She was born in the United States. João is going to Morocco this summer.)
Michel vient de Belgique. Ils arrivent du Mexique. (Michel comes from Belgium. They are ariving from Mexico.)
François n’est pas des Etats-Unis. (François is not from the U.S.)
(c) Régions, départements, états et comptés. For regions, departments, U.S. States and counties prepositional norms are a little different. This chart will help clarify these differences:
Prépositions avec les régions, les départements, les provinces, les états et les comtés
Anglais
Feminine singular places
Masculine singular places that start with a vowel
Masculine singular places that start with a consonant
in, to
en Alsace, en Californie, en Provence
en Aveyron, en Utah
au Michigan, au Nouveau-Brunswick
from
d’Alsace, de Louisiane
d'Iowa, d'Orne
du Québec, du Texas
Notes
Here are some exceptions to these rules: au Nouveau Méxique, au Texas ; d’Ontario.
Not all provinces follow the rules above. For example, you could say en Ontario or Dans l’Ontario.
Most of these places are preceded by a definite article: le Limousin, l’Occitanie, le Nouveau Méxique, etc.
Most U.S States are masculine, but the 9 following states are feminine in French: la Californie, la Caroline du Nord et du Sud, la Floride, la Géorgie, la Louisiane, la Pennsylvanie, la Virginie, et la Virginie-Occidentale. Le Maine is masculine.
Here are some more examples:
Ma mère habite au Nebraska. Je vais en Provence pour faire un pique-nique. (My mother lives in Nebraska. I am going to Provence to have a picnic.)
Mon père habite en Arizona. Nous venons du Limousin. (My father lives in Arizona. We come from Limousin.)
Vous venez de Californie ? (You (guys) come from California?)