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French Grammar

Introduction to Cardinal Prepositions (à, de, dans)

Locating objects in space and indicating origin, destination, or enclosure with à, de, and dans.

Level A1 Category Grammar

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Lesson Summary

Locating objects in space and indicating origin, destination, or enclosure with à, de, and dans.

Grammar

Core Prepositions

The prepositions à, de, and dans are among the most frequent words in French. They express location, direction, origin, and containment. They have already appeared in expressions such as à la bibliothèque, de France, and dans la cuisine. This lesson presents their fundamental rules.

The Three Core Prepositions

Preposition	Main Meanings	Example
à	to, at, in (with cities and general places)	Je vais à Paris. Je suis à la maison. Il est au cinéma.
de	from, of, about	Je viens de Lyon. C'est le livre de Thomas. La porte de la chambre.
dans	in, inside (enclosure)	Le stylo est dans le sac. Nous sommes dans la classe. Dans la chambre, il y a un lit.

Contractions with the Definite Article

When à or de is followed by the definite article le or les, a contraction is obligatory.

- à + le → au (Je vais au bureau.)
- à + les → aux (Il parle aux étudiants.)
- de + le → du (Je viens du Canada.)
- de + les → des (C'est le cahier des élèves.)

No contraction occurs before la or l': à la, de la, à l', de l'. For the full article system, see definite articles.

Distinguishing à and dans

À indicates a general location, destination, or being at a place without emphasis on the interior: à Paris, à la maison, à l'école.

Dans stresses the idea of being physically inside an enclosed space: dans la boîte, dans le salon, dans mon sac.

With some buildings, both can be used: au restaurant (at the restaurant) focuses on the establishment as a point, while dans le restaurant (inside the restaurant) emphasizes the interior. For the verbs aller and venir, see aller present and the corresponding conjugation lessons.

Examples

Je vais au lit. Le chat est dans la chambre.
au = à + le (destination); dans = inside an enclosed space.
Elle vient du Japon et elle habite à Tokyo.
du = de + le (origin); à before a city.

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These are the main phrases this lesson covers:

Introduction to Cardinal Prepositions (à, de, dans)Locating objects in space and indicating origin, destination, or enclosure with à, de, and dans.Use à, de, and dans accurately, including their contracted forms with definite articles, to express basic spatial and directional relationships.GrammarA1grammarLearn French GrammarFrench GrammarCore PrepositionsThe prepositions à, de, and dans are among the most frequent words in French. They express location, direction, origin, and containment. They have already appeared in expressions such as à la bibliothèque, de France, and dans la cuisine. This lesson presents their fundamental rules.