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 |
|---|---|---|
| Region / island | varies | She is in Corsica. |
| Repeated day | definite article | I do sports on Mondays. |
| Season | en / sometimes au | We travel in summer. |
| sous | soo | Le chat dort sous le lit. |
| sur | syr | Le téléphone est sur la table. |
| sur Internet | syr an-tair-net | J’ai vu ça sur Internet. |
| Time Expression | Preposition | Translation |
| tout droit | too drwah | Allez tout droit pendant cinq minutes. |
| vers | vair | Marchez vers la rivière. |
| Year | en | She was born in 1998. |
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.
