Articles and Prepositions with Geographical Locations
4.8.1. The Main Idea
French uses different prepositions with cities, countries, continents, and regions.
J’habite à Calgary. | I live in Calgary. |
Je vais au Canada. | I am going to Canada. |
Je viens de Chine. | I come from China. |
Elle habite en France. | She lives in France. |
The preposition depends on the type of place and sometimes on gender.
4.8.2. Cities
Use à with cities.
J’habite à Calgary. | I live in Calgary. |
Je vais à Paris. | I am going to Paris. |
Il habite à Montréal. | He lives in Montreal. |
Elle va à Beijing. | She is going to Beijing. |
Nous sommes à Vancouver. | We are in Vancouver. |
4.8.3. Coming From Cities
Use de with cities.
Je viens de Calgary. | I come from Calgary. |
Tu viens de Beijing ? | Do you come from Beijing? |
Il vient de Paris. | He comes from Paris. |
Elle vient de Montréal. | She comes from Montreal. |
Nous venons de Vancouver. | We come from Vancouver. |
4.8.4. Feminine Countries
Many countries ending in -e are feminine. Use en for in / to with feminine countries.
la France | France |
la Chine | China |
la Belgique | Belgium |
la Suisse | Switzerland |
l’Italie | Italy |
l’Espagne | Spain |
en France | in / to France |
en Chine | in / to China |
en Belgique | in / to Belgium |
en Suisse | in / to Switzerland |
en Italie | in / to Italy |
en Espagne | in / to Spain |
4.8.5. Masculine Countries
Use au for in / to with masculine singular countries.
le Canada | Canada |
le Japon | Japan |
le Mexique | Mexico |
le Brésil | Brazil |
le Portugal | Portugal |
le Maroc | Morocco |
au Canada | in / to Canada |
au Japon | in / to Japan |
au Mexique | in / to Mexico |
au Brésil | in / to Brazil |
au Portugal | in / to Portugal |
au Maroc | in / to Morocco |
4.8.6. Plural Countries
Use aux for in / to with plural countries.
les États-Unis | the United States |
les Pays-Bas | the Netherlands |
les Philippines | the Philippines |
aux États-Unis | in / to the United States |
aux Pays-Bas | in / to the Netherlands |
aux Philippines | in / to the Philippines |
4.8.7. Coming From Countries
Use de, d’, du, or des to say from a country.
de France | from France |
de Chine | from China |
d’Italie | from Italy |
du Canada | from Canada |
du Japon | from Japan |
des États-Unis | from the United States |
des Pays-Bas | from the Netherlands |
4.8.8. Continents
Use en with continents.
en Asie | in / to Asia |
en Europe | in / to Europe |
en Afrique | in / to Africa |
en Amérique du Nord | in / to North America |
en Amérique du Sud | in / to South America |
en Océanie | in / to Oceania |
4.8.9. Provinces, States, and Regions
Many provinces, states, and regions use en, au, or dans le / dans la depending on the name.
en Alberta | in / to Alberta |
en Ontario | in / to Ontario |
au Québec | in / to Quebec |
en Californie | in / to California |
au Texas | in / to Texas |
dans le nord du Canada | in northern Canada |
dans la région de Calgary | in the Calgary region |
4.8.10. Articles with Countries
Countries usually have articles in French.
la France | France |
la Chine | China |
le Canada | Canada |
le Japon | Japan |
les États-Unis | the United States |
les Pays-Bas | the Netherlands |
But after en, the article disappears.
la France → en France | in / to France |
la Chine → en Chine | in / to China |
After au and aux, the article is built into the word.
à + le Canada → au Canada | in / to Canada |
à + les États-Unis → aux États-Unis | in / to the United States |
4.8.11. Core Patterns
à + city | in / to a city |
de + city | from a city |
en + feminine country | in / to a feminine country |
au + masculine country | in / to a masculine country |
aux + plural country | in / to a plural country |
de / d’ + feminine country | from a feminine country |
du + masculine country | from a masculine country |
des + plural country | from a plural country |
4.8.12. Practice
I live in Calgary. |
I am going to Paris. |
I come from Beijing. |
I live in France. |
I am going to China. |
I am going to Canada. |
He comes from Canada. |
She comes from China. |
They live in the United States. |
We are going to Japan. |
4.8.13. Answers
I live in Calgary. | J’habite à Calgary. |
I am going to Paris. | Je vais à Paris. |
I come from Beijing. | Je viens de Beijing. |
I live in France. | J’habite en France. |
I am going to China. | Je vais en Chine. |
I am going to Canada. | Je vais au Canada. |
He comes from Canada. | Il vient du Canada. |
She comes from China. | Elle vient de Chine. |
They live in the United States. | Ils habitent aux États-Unis. |
We are going to Japan. | Nous allons au Japon. |
4.8.14. Short Dialogue
A : Tu habites où ? | A: Where do you live? |
B : J’habite à Calgary, au Canada. Et toi ? | B: I live in Calgary, in Canada. And you? |
A : Moi, je viens de Beijing, en Chine. | A: I come from Beijing, in China. |
B : Très bien ! | B: Very good! |
4.8.15. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use à and de with cities, en, au, and aux with countries, de, du, and des to say where someone is from, and recognize the articles used with common geographical locations.