Prépositions avec continents et pays
As with other other geographical names, French prepositions with continents and countries depend on the gender,* number, and first letter of the name, plus of course whether you’re coming or going.
Going to / Being in a continent or country
1) Masculine singular
a. Country begins with a consonant or aspirated h: au
Je vais au Maroc. |
|
I’m going to Morocco. |
Il est au Honduras. |
|
He’s in Honduras. |
b. Country begins with a vowel or mute h: en
Elle va en Uruguay. |
|
She’s going to Uruguay. |
Nous habitons en Iran. |
|
We live in Iran. |
2) Feminine singular: en
Ils sont en France. |
|
They’re in France. |
On va en Australie. |
|
We’re going to Australia. |
3) Plural: aux
Tu vas aux États-Unis ? |
|
Are you going to the US? |
Je veux voyager aux Philippines. |
|
I want to travel in the Philippines. |
Coming from a continent or country
1) Masculine singular
a. Country begins with a consonant or aspirated h: du
Je viens du Maroc. |
|
I’m from Morocco. |
Il arrive du Honduras. |
|
He’s arriving from Honduras. |
b. Country begins with a vowel or mute h: d’
Elle vient d’Uruguay. |
|
She’s coming from Uruguay. |
Nous rentrons d’Iran. |
|
We’re returning from Iran. |
2) Feminine singular: de (d’)
Ils sont de France. |
|
They’re from France. |
On arrive d’Australie. |
|
We’re arriving from Australia. |
3) Plural: des
Tu viens des États-Unis ? |
|
Are you from the US? |
Je rentre des Philippines. |
|
I’m returning from the Philippines. |
* Determining the gender of countries is pretty easy: the ones that end in
-e or
-es are feminine, the rest are masculine, with just 6 exceptions:
- le Belize
- le Cambodge
- le Mexique
- le Mozambique
- le Zaïre
- le Zimbabwe
All continents end in –e and are therefore feminine.
|
Geographical Prepositions Quiz |
Think you’ve got it? Test yourself on the French geographical prepositions with this fill-in-the-blank exercise: Un été international
Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless French account to take this test. If you don’t have one, sign up – it’s free!
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