What level is Prepositions of Geographical Destination (en, au, aux, à)?

This lesson is designed for A2 learners and can still help a learner revising the topic at another level.

Can I open the interactive lesson?

Yes. Use the lesson button to practise the topic with interactive exercises and progress tracking.

French Grammar

Prepositions of Geographical Destination (en, au, aux, à)

The system of prepositions required before country, continent, and city names when expressing destination or origin.

Level A2 Category Grammar

Start Interactive Lesson

Lesson Summary

The system of prepositions required before country, continent, and city names when expressing destination or origin.

Grammar

Prepositions with Geographic Names

The prepositions used before countries, continents, and cities were introduced in countries, continents and nationalities. This lesson provides the complete set of rules for expressing destination and origin, including the choice between en, au, aux, and à, as well as their corresponding forms with de for origin.

Destination: Countries and Continents

Type of Geographic Name	Preposition	Example
Feminine country (usually ends in -e)	en	en France, en Italie, en Chine
Masculine country (begins with consonant)	au	au Canada, au Japon, au Maroc
Masculine country (begins with vowel)	en	en Iran, en Uruguay
Plural country	aux	aux États-Unis, aux Pays-Bas
Continent (all feminine)	en	en Europe, en Afrique, en Asie

Destination: Cities and Regions

Type of Geographic Name	Preposition	Example
City (any gender)	à	à Lyon, à Tokyo, à New York
Feminine region (usually ends in -e)	en	en Bretagne, en Normandie
Masculine region	dans le or en	dans le Berry, en Limousin
Island (varies)	à / en	à Cuba, en Corse, à Madagascar

Expressing Origin

The preposition de (or its contracted forms) is used to indicate origin.

- City: Je viens de Paris.
- Feminine country: Je viens de France.
- Masculine country: Je viens du Canada. (de + le = du)
- Plural country: Je viens des États-Unis. (de + les = des)

For the full paradigm of the definite article, see definite articles. For the preposition à and its contractions, see cardinal prepositions.

Examples

Je vais au Japon cet été, mais ma sœur va en Espagne.
Au Japon (masculine, consonant) vs. en Espagne (feminine).
Elle est née en Iran et elle habite aux États-Unis.
En Iran (masculine, vowel) and aux États-Unis (plural).

Related searches

These are the main phrases this lesson covers:

Prepositions of Geographical Destination (en, au, aux, à)The system of prepositions required before country, continent, and city names when expressing destination or origin.Select the correct preposition—en, au, aux, or à—based on the gender and number of the geographic name.GrammarA2grammarLearn French GrammarFrench GrammarPrepositions with Geographic NamesThe prepositions used before countries, continents, and cities were introduced in countries, continents and nationalities. This lesson provides the complete set of rules for expressing destination and origin, including the choice between en, au, aux, and à, as well as their corresponding forms with de for origin.