French Prepositions 75 Everyday Words and Phrases Made Easy

French prepositions are tiny words with a shocking amount of power. They tell you where, when, how, why, with whom, without what, and occasionally why your sentence suddenly sounds wrong even though every individual word looks innocent.

The good news: you do not need to memorize a thousand grammar rules before using them. You just need the most common everyday prepositions, some real examples, and a few warnings about the sneaky ones.

By the end of this guide, you will have 75 useful French prepositions and prepositional phrases you can actually use in conversation, travel, texting, work, and everyday life. If you want the bigger picture later, you can also explore our full guide to French prepositions and the more focused lesson on French prepositions of place and time.

Yak wisdom: prepositions are small, but they run the whole sentence like tiny caffeinated managers.

Table of Contents

How To Read This List

Each item gives you the French word or phrase, a simple pronunciation hint, the English meaning, and a real example. When useful, you will also get a quick learner note about register, contractions, or common mistakes.

Pronunciation is kept practical. No phonetics ambushes. Just enough help to say the thing out loud without panicking.

Core Everyday French Prepositions

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
à	ah	to, at, in	Je suis à Paris.	I am in Paris.	Very common for places, time, and indirect objects.
de	duh	of, from	Je viens de Londres.	I come from London.	Also used after many verbs and adjectives.
en	ahn	in, by, while	Elle voyage en train.	She travels by train.	Also used with feminine countries: en France.
dans	dahn	in, inside	Le livre est dans le sac.	The book is in the bag.	Usually means physically inside.
sur	syr	on, onto	Le téléphone est sur la table.	The phone is on the table.	Think surface contact.
sous	soo	under	Le chat dort sous la chaise.	The cat is sleeping under the chair.	The final s is not pronounced.
avec	ah-vek	with	Je travaille avec Marc.	I work with Marc.	Neutral everyday word.
sans	sahn	without	Il boit son café sans sucre.	He drinks his coffee without sugar.	Very useful in cafés and restaurants.
pour	poor	for	Ce cadeau est pour toi.	This gift is for you.	Can also express purpose.
par	par	by, through, per	Je passe par le parc.	I go through the park.	Also used for means: par email.

Place And Direction Prepositions You Will Use Constantly

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
chez	shay	at the home or place of	Je vais chez mes amis ce soir.	I am going to my friends’ place tonight.	Used for people and businesses too: chez le médecin.
devant	duh-vahn	in front of	La voiture est devant la maison.	The car is in front of the house.	Easy everyday location word.
derrière	deh-ryair	behind	Le jardin est derrière l’immeuble.	The garden is behind the building.	The final e is there for spelling, not drama.
entre	ahntr	between	La banque est entre la poste et la boulangerie.	The bank is between the post office and the bakery.	Great for directions.
près de	preh duh	near	J’habite près de la gare.	I live near the station.	Takes de after it.
loin de	lwahn duh	far from	L’hôtel est loin du centre.	The hotel is far from the center.	de + le = du.
à côté de	ah koh-tay duh	next to	Le café est à côté de la pharmacie.	The café is next to the pharmacy.	Very common for giving directions.
au-dessus de	oh duh-sy duh	above	La lampe est au-dessus du bureau.	The lamp is above the desk.	à + le = au.
au-dessous de	oh duh-soo duh	below	Le parking est au-dessous du magasin.	The parking lot is below the store.	More formal than just sous in many contexts.
à gauche de	ah gosh duh	to the left of	La banque est à gauche de l’hôtel.	The bank is to the left of the hotel.	Useful for navigation.
à droite de	ah drwaht duh	to the right of	Le musée est à droite du pont.	The museum is to the right of the bridge.	Another must-know for directions.
vers	vair	toward	Nous marchons vers la rivière.	We are walking toward the river.	Can also mean around, about with time or quantity.
jusqu’à	zhus-kah	until, up to, as far as	On va jusqu’à la plage.	We are going as far as the beach.	Watch the elision before a vowel: jusqu’à.
hors de	or duh	outside of, out of	Il est hors de la ville.	He is outside the city.	A bit more formal than everyday en dehors de.
en face de	ahn fahs duh	opposite, across from	Le cinéma est en face de la gare.	The cinema is across from the station.	Excellent direction phrase.

Time Prepositions For Daily Life

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
avant	ah-vahn	before	Je prends un café avant le travail.	I have a coffee before work.	Can be used with nouns or infinitives.
après	ah-preh	after	On se voit après le dîner.	We’ll see each other after dinner.	Very common in speech.
pendant	pahn-dahn	during, for	Il a dormi pendant le film.	He slept during the movie.	For a duration that actually happened.
depuis	duh-pwee	since, for	J’habite ici depuis trois ans.	I have lived here for three years.	Often used with the present tense in French.
jusqu’à	zhus-kah	until	Le magasin est ouvert jusqu’à 20 heures.	The store is open until 8 p.m.	Also used for place and limits.
dès	day	from, as soon as	Je commence dès demain.	I start as of tomorrow.	Short word, very useful.
vers	vair	around, approximately	On arrive vers midi.	We’re arriving around noon.	Time and direction: one word doing overtime.
en	ahn	in, within	Je finis le rapport en deux heures.	I finish the report in two hours.	For time needed to complete something.
pour	poor	for	Je pars pour une semaine.	I’m leaving for a week.	Duration, intention, destination depending on context.
à partir de	ah par-teer duh	starting from	Le cours commence à partir de lundi.	The course starts from Monday onward.	Useful but often a bit heavier than just dès.

Prepositions For Travel, Movement, And Transport

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
en	ahn	by, in	Nous voyageons en voiture.	We travel by car.	Used with most transport: en train, en bus, en avion.
à	ah	by, on	Il vient au travail à vélo.	He comes to work by bike.	Use à with bike, foot, horse in set expressions.
par	par	via, through, by	Je passe par Lyon.	I’m going via Lyon.	Good for routes and means.
de	duh	from	Le train part de Marseille.	The train leaves from Marseille.	Basic departure word.
à destination de	ah des-tee-na-syon duh	bound for	Voici le train à destination de Lille.	Here is the train bound for Lille.	Common in travel announcements.
jusqu’à	zhus-kah	as far as	Le métro va jusqu’à Nation.	The metro goes as far as Nation.	Handy in stations and route planning.
en direction de	ahn dee-rek-syon duh	toward, in the direction of	Marchez en direction de la place.	Walk toward the square.	A bit more formal, but common in signs and instructions.
au coin de	oh kwahn duh	at the corner of	La boulangerie est au coin de la rue.	The bakery is at the corner of the street.	Excellent city phrase.
le long de	luh lon duh	along	On marche le long de la rivière.	We walk along the river.	Common in descriptions and directions.
à travers	ah tra-vair	across, through	Il court à travers le parc.	He runs through the park.	Movement through a space.

Useful Everyday Prepositional Phrases

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
à cause de	ah kohz duh	because of	Le vol est retardé à cause du brouillard.	The flight is delayed because of fog.	Usually for something negative.
grâce à	grahs ah	thanks to	J’ai réussi grâce à ton aide.	I succeeded thanks to your help.	Usually positive, opposite vibe of à cause de.
au lieu de	oh lyuh duh	instead of	Je prends le bus au lieu du métro.	I’m taking the bus instead of the metro.	Very common in conversation.
en raison de	ahn ray-zon duh	due to	Le magasin ferme en raison des travaux.	The store is closing due to construction work.	More formal than à cause de.
selon	suh-lon	according to	Selon Paul, le film est excellent.	According to Paul, the film is excellent.	Useful in speech and writing.
contre	kontr	against	L’échelle est contre le mur.	The ladder is against the wall.	Also used for opposition.
malgré	mal-gray	despite	Malgré la pluie, ils sortent.	Despite the rain, they are going out.	Strong useful connector.
sans doute	sahn doot	probably, no doubt	Il viendra sans doute ce soir.	He will probably come tonight.	Literally “without doubt,” often means “probably.” Classic French trick.
au sujet de	oh sy-zhay duh	about, concerning	Je t’écris au sujet de la réunion.	I’m writing to you about the meeting.	Good for emails.
à propos de	ah pro-poh duh	about	On parle à propos du projet.	We’re talking about the project.	Neutral and common.

Common Verb And Adjective Patterns With Prepositions

French does not always use the same preposition English uses. Naturally, because that would be too convenient.

French Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
penser à	pahn-say ah	to think about	Je pense à mes vacances.	I’m thinking about my vacation.	Not the same as English “think of/about” every time.
parler de	par-lay duh	to talk about	On parle de musique.	We’re talking about music.	Very common pattern.
jouer à	zhoo-ay ah	to play a game or sport	Elle joue au tennis.	She plays tennis.	à + le = au.
jouer de	zhoo-ay duh	to play an instrument	Il joue du piano.	He plays the piano.	Classic contrast: jouer à vs jouer de.
avoir besoin de	ah-vwar buh-zwan duh	to need	J’ai besoin d’aide.	I need help.	de becomes d’ before a vowel.
essayer de	eh-say-yay duh	to try to	Je vais essayer de comprendre.	I’m going to try to understand.	Very useful with infinitives.
commencer à	ko-mon-say ah	to start to	Nous commençons à manger.	We’re starting to eat.	Watch the nasal sound in commencer.
arrêter de	ah-reh-tay duh	to stop	Il arrête de fumer.	He is stopping smoking.	Common and practical.
être en retard	etr ahn ruh-tar	to be late	Je suis en retard ce matin.	I’m late this morning.	Fixed phrase with en.
être d’accord avec	etr dah-kor ah-vek	to agree with	Je suis d’accord avec toi.	I agree with you.	Very common conversation phrase.

Prepositions With Countries, Cities, And Places

This is where learners often get mildly betrayed by geography. Here are the patterns you need most.

French Pattern	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
à + city	ah	in, to a city	Je vais à Lyon.	I’m going to Lyon.	Cities usually take à.
en + feminine country	ahn	in, to	Elle vit en France.	She lives in France.	Also before vowel sound countries: en Italie.
au + masculine country	oh	in, to	Il travaille au Portugal.	He works in Portugal.	à + le = au.
aux + plural country	oh	in, to	Nous partons aux Pays-Bas.	We are leaving for the Netherlands.	à + les = aux.
de + place	duh	from	Je reviens de Belgique.	I’m coming back from Belgium.	Source or origin.
du + masculine country	dyu	from the	Il vient du Canada.	He comes from Canada.	de + le = du.
des + plural place	day	from the	Elles reviennent des États-Unis.	They are coming back from the United States.	de + les = des.
à la + feminine place	ah lah	at, to the	Je suis à la bibliothèque.	I’m at the library.	Basic place pattern.
au + masculine place	oh	at, to the	On va au marché.	We’re going to the market.	Contraction again doing its job.
dans + article + place	dahn	inside, in	Il est dans le bureau.	He is in the office.	More physical “inside” than just à in many contexts.

Quick Contractions You Need To Know

French loves contractions with prepositions and articles. You cannot usually say them the long way in normal French.

à + le = au → Je vais au cinéma. = I’m going to the movie theater.
à + les = aux → Elle parle aux enfants. = She is speaking to the children.
de + le = du → Il revient du bureau. = He’s coming back from the office.
de + les = des → Nous parlons des problèmes. = We’re talking about the problems.
de + vowel = d’ → J’ai besoin d’argent. = I need money.

But note this: à la and de la do not contract. French has rules, but it also has moods.

75 Everyday French Prepositions And Phrases At A Glance

à
de
en
dans
sur
sous
avec
sans
pour
par
chez
devant
derrière
entre
près de
loin de
à côté de
au-dessus de
au-dessous de
à gauche de
à droite de
vers
jusqu’à
hors de
en face de
avant
après
pendant
depuis
dès
à partir de
à destination de
en direction de
au coin de
le long de
à travers
à cause de
grâce à
au lieu de
en raison de
selon
contre
malgré
sans doute
au sujet de
à propos de
penser à
parler de
jouer à
jouer de
avoir besoin de
essayer de
commencer à
arrêter de
être en retard
être d’accord avec
à + city
en + feminine country
au + masculine country
aux + plural country
de + place
du + masculine country
des + plural place
à la + feminine place
au + masculine place
dans + article + place
au
aux
du
des
d’
autour de
parmi
selon que
faute de

A Few Extra Useful Ones To Round Out Your French

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
autour de	oh-toor duh	around	Les enfants courent autour de la table.	The children are running around the table.	Useful for movement and approximate quantities too.
parmi	par-mee	among	Elle est parmi les meilleurs étudiants.	She is among the best students.	More common in writing, but still useful.
selon que	suh-lon kuh	depending on whether	On sortira selon qu’il pleut ou non.	We’ll go out depending on whether it rains or not.	More advanced and more formal.
faute de	foht duh	for lack of	Faute de temps, je ferai ça demain.	For lack of time, I’ll do that tomorrow.	Formal but very useful in written French.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

Not using contractions: say au café, not à le café.
Using English logic with countries: say en France but au Canada.
Mixing up à and dans: à Paris = in Paris, but dans la voiture = in the car.
Translating “for” automatically as pour: in time expressions, French may use depuis, pendant, or en instead.
Forgetting de after set phrases: près de, loin de, à cause de, au lieu de.
Using the wrong preposition after verbs: penser à, parler de, jouer de, jouer à.

Mini Practice

Try these quickly before your brain wanders off to get a pastry.

Je vais ___ bureau. → au
Elle habite ___ France. → en
Le chat est ___ la table. → sous
On arrive ___ midi. → vers
Je parle ___ mon frère. → à
Nous parlons ___ film. → du / de ce depending on structure
Il joue ___ guitare. → de la
Le supermarché est ___ côté de la banque. → à

Keep Going

If you want to keep building this topic, the next best stops are our guide to French prepositions of place and time, our broader lesson on French prepositions, and our article on French demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, which helps a lot when you start saying things like dans cette rue or à côté de ce café.

If you want to check your overall level, try the French placement test. If vocabulary is your current battlefield, the French vocabulary test is a good reality check in the least offensive sense.

You can also browse more lessons on the main Learn French page.

Yak Takeaway

French prepositions are not glamorous, but they are everywhere. Learn the common ones first, notice the contractions, memorize a few set verb patterns, and use them in real sentences. That is how they stop being random little troublemakers and start feeling normal.

Small words. Big job. Very French.