Prepositions of Place in French

In Brief

French uses à for a general location or destination, de for origin, dans for being inside, and sur, sous, devant, derrière, and entre for physical position. Use chez when the place is understood through a person, profession, or business: chez Marie, chez le médecin. These words do not always match English “at,” “in,” “on,” and “to” one for one, so learn them as French patterns.

Overview

A preposition is a short linking word that shows how one part of a sentence relates to another. A preposition of place can tell you where something is, where it is going, or where it comes from: sur la table (“on the table”), à Paris (“in/to Paris”), and de Lyon (“from Lyon”). The noun after the preposition—the person, place, or thing it introduces—is sometimes called its complement (simply, the word or phrase completing its meaning).

This is an A1 topic because it supports everyday tasks from the beginning: giving an address, finding an object, arranging a meeting, and saying where you are going. The physical meanings of dans, sur, sous, devant, derrière, and entre are usually easy to picture. À, de, and chez require more attention because their French uses do not line up neatly with a single English word.

English speakers often try to choose a French preposition by translating “in,” “at,” or “to.” That works sometimes, but not reliably. For example, English “in Paris” is à Paris, while “in the bag” is dans le sac. A better habit is to notice the kind of place and the relationship being expressed.

How It Works

The core prepositions

Preposition	Core meaning	Basic pattern	Example
à	at, in, or to a general place	à + place	à Paris — in/to Paris
de	from or away from	de + place	de Paris — from Paris
dans	in, inside	dans + article + noun	dans le sac — in the bag
sur	on, on top of	sur + article + noun	sur la chaise — on the chair
sous	under, beneath	sous + article + noun	sous le lit — under the bed
devant	in front of	devant + article + noun	devant la gare — in front of the station
derrière	behind	derrière + article + noun	derrière la maison — behind the house
entre	between, among	entre + noun(s)	entre la banque et le café — between the bank and the café
chez	at/to the place of a person or professional	chez + person/pronoun	chez Paul — at Paul’s place

À: general location and destination

Use à with a city or town to say where someone is or where they are going:

• J’habite à Bordeaux. — I live in Bordeaux.
• Nous allons à Lille. — We are going to Lille.

With ordinary place nouns, à often presents the place as a destination, institution, or activity location: à l’école (“at/to school”), au bureau (“at/to the office”), à la gare (“at/to the station”). Context and the verb tell you whether English needs “at” or “to”:

• Elle est à la bibliothèque. — She is at the library.
• Elle va à la bibliothèque. — She is going to the library.

Before an article, à changes form. These contractions are mandatory:

Combination	Form	Example
à + le	au	au cinéma
à + la	à la	à la banque
à + l’	à l’	à l’hôtel
à + les	aux	aux toilettes

De: origin and movement away

Use de to indicate where someone or something comes from:

• Je reviens de la gare. — I am coming back from the station.
• Le train part de Marseille. — The train leaves from Marseille.

De also combines with articles:

Combination	Form	Example
de + le	du	du bureau
de + la	de la	de la banque
de + l’	de l’	de l’aéroport
de + les	des	des magasins

With city names, there is normally no article: à Nice but de Nice. Countries follow a larger gender-and-number system, covered separately in Prepositions with Countries.

Dans: inside a bounded space

Use dans when something is physically inside a container, room, building, or other bounded space:

• Les clés sont dans le tiroir. — The keys are in the drawer.
• Il y a quelqu’un dans la cuisine. — There is someone in the kitchen.

Unlike à, dans normally needs a determiner (a small word such as le, la, un, or mon) before a common noun: dans la boîte, dans un café, dans ma chambre.

The contrast between à and dans is often one of viewpoint:

• Je suis au restaurant. — I am at the restaurant, typically as a customer or for the activity associated with it.
• Je suis dans le restaurant. — I am inside the restaurant; the physical interior is important.

This is a useful distinction, not a claim that every place allows both forms equally naturally.

Sur and sous: above with or without contact

Sur usually means that something is on a surface, often touching it. Sous places it lower than another object:

• Le téléphone est sur le canapé. — The phone is on the sofa.
• Les chaussures sont sous le canapé. — The shoes are under the sofa.

English “on” does not always become sur. Being “on” a bus, train, or plane is usually expressed with dans: dans le bus, dans le train, dans l’avion.

Devant and derrière: front and back

Use devant for “in front of” and derrière for “behind”:

• Attends-moi devant l’hôtel. — Wait for me in front of the hotel.
• Le parking est derrière l’hôtel. — The car park is behind the hotel.

A key difference from English is that French uses no equivalent of “of” here. Say devant la maison, not devant de la maison.

Entre: between or among

For two reference points, the common pattern is entre X et Y:

• La pharmacie est entre la poste et la boulangerie. — The pharmacy is between the post office and the bakery.

Entre can also mean “among” when several people or things form a group: entre amis (“among friends”). No separate word equivalent to English “among” is required.

Chez: a place identified with a person

Use chez before a person’s name, a stressed pronoun (a standalone form such as moi or toi), or a profession when you mean that person’s home or workplace:

• On dîne chez Léa. — We are having dinner at Léa’s place.
• Je rentre chez moi. — I am going home.
• Il va chez le dentiste. — He is going to the dentist’s office.

The common forms are chez moi (my place/home), chez toi (your place), chez lui (his place), chez elle (her place), chez nous (our place), chez vous (your place), and chez eux/elles (their place). Do not put à before chez: chez Marie already means “at/to Marie’s place.”

Useful multiword expressions

Several frequent place prepositions end in de, so the following noun may trigger du, de la, de l’, or des:

Expression	Meaning	Example
à côté de	next to	à côté du musée
près de	near	près de la rivière
loin de	far from	loin de l’aéroport
en face de	opposite, across from	en face de l’école
au-dessus de	above	au-dessus de la porte
au-dessous de	below	au-dessous de la fenêtre

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
Je suis à Paris.	I am in Paris.	à with a city
Nous allons au marché samedi.	We are going to the market on Saturday.	destination; à + le = au
Le bus part de la gare.	The bus leaves from the station.	point of origin
Le livre est dans le sac.	The book is in the bag.	inside a container
Il y a du lait dans le réfrigérateur.	There is milk in the refrigerator.	inside an enclosed space
Le chat est sur la table.	The cat is on the table.	on a surface
Ton manteau est sous la chaise.	Your coat is under the chair.	lower than another object
Je t’attends devant le cinéma.	I’m waiting for you in front of the cinema.	no de after devant
Le jardin se trouve derrière la maison.	The garden is behind the house.	position at the back
La banque est entre l’hôtel et la poste.	The bank is between the hotel and the post office.	entre X et Y
Il est chez Marie.	He is at Marie’s place.	a person’s home
Demain, je vais chez le médecin.	Tomorrow, I’m going to the doctor’s office.	professional’s workplace
Nous habitons près de la mer.	We live near the sea.	expression ending in de
La boulangerie est en face de l’école.	The bakery is opposite the school.	position across from something
Mes voisins sont dans le bus.	My neighbours are on the bus.	French uses dans for the interior

Common Mistakes

Translating every English “in” as dans

• Wrong: J’habite dans Paris. (for the simple meaning “I live in Paris”)
• Right: J’habite à Paris.
• Why: Use à with a city for ordinary location. Dans Paris can occur when the city is viewed as an area—roughly “within/around Paris”—but that is not the beginner default.

Adding de after devant or derrière

• Wrong: La voiture est devant de la maison.
• Right: La voiture est devant la maison.
• Why: French devant and derrière directly introduce the place noun. English “in front of” is a single French preposition: devant.

Forgetting contractions with à and de

• Wrong: Nous allons à le parc. / Elle revient de le bureau.
• Right: Nous allons au parc. / Elle revient du bureau.
• Why: À + le must become au, and de + le must become du. Likewise, à + les = aux and de + les = des.

Using à together with chez

• Wrong: Je vais à chez Paul.
• Right: Je vais chez Paul.
• Why: Chez already expresses being at or going to a person’s place.

Using sur for public transport

• Wrong: Je suis sur le train. (to mean you are travelling inside it)
• Right: Je suis dans le train.
• Why: French normally describes passengers as being inside the vehicle. Sur le train would suggest a physical position on top of the train.

Omitting the article after dans

• Wrong: Les clés sont dans sac.
• Right: Les clés sont dans le sac.
• Why: A French common noun usually needs a determiner. Learn the whole phrase: dans le sac, not just dans + sac.

Usage Notes

The verb often determines how the same place phrase is understood. With a verb of position, à la gare means “at the station”; with a movement verb, it means “to the station.” French does not need separate forms corresponding exactly to English “at” and “to”: compare Je suis à la gare and Je vais à la gare.

In everyday directions, à often treats a building as a practical destination, while dans focuses on its interior. If someone says On se retrouve au café, they are arranging to meet at the café. Il fait chaud dans le café comments specifically on the space inside it.

English “home” requires special attention. Chez moi means “at my place/home” or, after a movement verb, “to my place/home”: Je suis chez moi and Je rentre chez moi. For “from home,” use de chez moi. French also has à la maison, often meaning “at home,” especially when home is contrasted with work, school, or going out.

Beyond the Basics: Meanings You Will Meet Later

You do not need to master these uses at A1, but they explain why the same prepositions appear outside literal descriptions of space.

Place prepositions can become abstract. French says sur Internet (“on the internet”), à la télévision (“on television”), and dans un livre (“in a book”). These are conventional combinations, so a purely physical rule will not always predict them. Record them as complete phrases.

Sur and au-dessus de are not identical. Sur usually suggests contact with a surface: Le vase est sur la table. Au-dessus de means “above” and does not require contact: La lampe est au-dessus de la table. Likewise, sous is the everyday opposite of sur, while au-dessous de gives a more explicit “below” relationship and is less common in ordinary conversation.

Chez can describe a wider social or professional sphere. Besides a home or office, it may refer to a company (chez Renault), an author’s work (chez Molière), or a trait found in a group (chez les enfants). These extended meanings all preserve the idea of something being “in the world, work, or group associated with” a person or people.

Dans Paris is possible, but marked by viewpoint. While à Paris gives ordinary location, dans Paris presents Paris as a bounded area: Il cherche un appartement dans Paris (“He is looking for a flat within Paris”). Similarly, dans can emphasize entry or presence inside a space rather than the usual activity connected with it.

Finally, advanced French often replaces a previously mentioned place phrase with the pronoun y: Tu vas à la bibliothèque ? Oui, j’y vais. (“Are you going to the library? Yes, I’m going there.”) This is a next step rather than part of the basic preposition rule.

Practice Tips

1. Describe one room from a fixed viewpoint. Choose five objects and say where they are using dans, sur, sous, devant, and derrière: Le sac est sous la chaise. This turns each word into a spatial image rather than an English translation.
2. Learn places with their full phrase. Write au bureau, à la gare, dans la cuisine, and chez le médecin, including the article or contraction. Test each phrase with both être and aller to practise location versus destination.
3. Draw and explain a simple street map. Place a café, bank, station, and pharmacy on it, then use entre, à côté de, près de, and en face de. Change the map and say the directions again without looking at your notes.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Prepositions with Countries — learn how destination and origin change with cities, countries, and continents.
• Next step: The Pronoun Y — replace many previously mentioned place phrases with y, meaning “there” or “to it.”