They might be tiny, but prepositions pull a lot of weight in French. These little words show where, when, why, or how something is happening – and without them, you’re just pointing and hoping.
We’ve gathered around 42 of the most common French prepositions for learners who want to stop second‑guessing themselves. Each entry gives you a clear meaning and a natural example sentence, so you can see how the word behaves in real French – not a dusty textbook line.
Let’s make French prepositions feel a little less mysterious and a lot more useful—tiny words, big job! Scroll to the bottom of the article to find the free printable Most Common French Prepositions vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Most Common French Prepositions flashcards.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker French section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve locked these prepositions into memory? Give the quick quiz below a nudge – no pressure, just a friendly way to see which ones need a second look.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| à | ah | Je suis à l’école. |
| à + le | au | I’m going to the supermarket. |
| à + les | aux | He’s speaking to the children. |
| à + place | at / in / to | I’m at university. |
| à côté de | ah koh-tay duh | La boulangerie est à côté du cinéma. |
| à droite | ah drwaht | Tournez à droite après le café. |
| à gauche | ah gosh | La banque est à gauche. |
| à l’école | ah lay-kohl | Les enfants sont à l’école. |
| à la maison | ah lah meh-zohn | Je reste à la maison ce soir. |
| à partir de | ah par-teer duh | Le magasin ouvre à partir de neuf heures. |
| au bout de | oh boo duh | La gare est au bout de la rue. |
| au coin de | oh kwan duh | Le tabac est au coin de la rue. |
| au travail | oh trah-vy | Il est encore au travail. |
| chez | shay | Je vais chez Paul. |
| chez + person | at someone’s place | We’re at my parents’ house. |
| chez le médecin | shay luh med-sahn | Je suis chez le médecin ce matin. |
| City | Elle habite à Lyon. | She lives in Lyon. |
| Clock time | On se voit à huit heures. | We’ll see each other at eight o’clock. |
| Combination | Result | Translation |
| dans | dahn | Le livre est dans le sac. |
| dans + container/space | in / inside | He’s in the kitchen. |
| dans la rue | dahn lah ryu | Il y a beaucoup de monde dans la rue. |
| Day | often none | I’m working on Monday. |
| de | duh | Il part de la maison à huit heures. |
| de + le | du | I’m coming from the office. |
Free Most Common French Prepositions PDF and Flashcards to Download
You can download the Most Common French Prepositions vocabulary list from the purple button and the Most Common French Prepositions flashcards from the teal button. Everything is 100% free and requires no signup.
