French prepositions
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Lesson outline
Hide- 1.What is a preposition?
- 2.Using French prepositions
- 2.1.Examples
- 3.The temporal prepositions
- 3.1.Examples
- 4.The local prepositions
- 4.1.Examples
- 5.The prepositions of purpose
- 5.1.Examples
- 6.The prepositions of manner
- 6.1.Examples
- 7.The prepositions of cause
- 7.1.Examples
- 8.Exercises
- 8.1.Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of modes of transportation
- 8.2.Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of cause
What is a preposition?
A preposition (French: les prépositions) is a word such as at, for, with, into or from, which is usually followed by a noun, pronoun or, in English, a word ending in -ing. Prepositions show how people and things relate to the rest of the sentence.
The French grammar has many prepositions along them you can find
- temporal prepositions
- local prepositions
- prepositions of purpose
- prepositions of manner
- prepositions of cause
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Using French prepositions
Prepositions can create many kinds of connections or relationships between different parts of a sentence. They can indicate place, time. cause, goal, means, manner, possession, and so on.
In general they are used:
- in front of nouns and pronouns
- before verb forms ending in -ing in English
- after certain adjectives and verbs
Please note that you can NEVER end a French sentence with a preposition.
Examples
- Il va au bureau. (He goes to the office.)
- Il habite ici depuis deux ans. (He has been living here for two years.)
- Elle a le livre de ma mère. (She has the book of my mother.)
- Il le fait avec hésitation. (He does it with hesitation.)
The temporal prepositions
The temporal prepositions (French: les prépositions temporels) are small words used to express a particular situation in time.
She answers the question "quand ?" (when ?), to express when an action occurred, an event and to express several temporal values.
Examples
| Temporal | Translations |
|---|---|
| Je suis arrivée à 10 heures | (I arrived at 10) |
| Il viendra me voir en août | (He will come to see me in August) |
| Je serais à Paris jusqu'à dimanche | (I will stay in Paris until sunday) |
The local prepositions
The local prepositions (French: les prépositions de lieu) are small words used to express a particular situation in space. It answers the question "où ?" (where ?), to express where an object, a person or an animal is.
These prepositions are used to describe the direction to a place, to orient yourself in a place or to establish a precise itinerary.
Examples
| Local | Translations |
|---|---|
| La table est à côté de l'armoire | (The table is near the wardrobe) |
| Il faut emprunter la direction vers le Sud | (You need to go towards the South) |
| Nous allons aux Bahamas | (We are going to the Bahamas) |
The prepositions of purpose
The prepositions of purpose (French: les prépositions de but) are small words that serves to express a particular goal, an intention. It answers the question "pourquoi ?" (why ?) an action is done.
The purpose can be expressed through the following structure:
- preposition of purpose + verb in the infinitive
- preposition of purpose + noun
Examples
| Purpose | Translation |
|---|---|
| Il fait tout pour être aimé de son père | (He does his best to be loved by his father) |
| De peur d'une bagarre, il ne dit rien | (He says nothing to avoid a fight) |
| Il étudie pour faire plaisir à son père | (He studies for the pleasure of his father) |
The prepositions of manner
The prepositions of manner (French: les prépositions de manière) are small words that serves to express the way in which an action is performed. She answers the question "comment ?" (how ?).
Examples
| Manner | Translation |
|---|---|
| Il le donne de bon coeur | (He gives it with all his heart) |
| Il l'apaise par la tendresse | (He soothes him with tenderness) |
| Il a dit cela dans la colère | (He said it with anger) |
The prepositions of cause
The prepositions of cause (French: les prépositions de cause) are small words that serves to express a cause, a particular reason. She answers the question "pourquoi ?" (why ?)
Examples
| Cause | Translations |
|---|---|
| À cause de la chaleur j'ai soif | (Cause of the warmth now I am thirsty) |
| À force de manger j'ai pris du poids | (I took some weight by dint of eating) |
| Du fait de ton comportement, tu es puni | (Because of your behavior, you are punished) |
Take a look at our subpages for the most used prepositions and to learn in deep about them
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of modes of transportation
- Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of cause
Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of modes of transportation
Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of cause
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of modes of transportation
- Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of cause
Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of modes of transportation
Fill in the blank exercise about the prepositions of cause
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I am a multilingual teacher with experience in teaching French to German, Japanese, English, Bulgarian and Italian-speaking students, etc. (levels A1 to C1).
I have been teaching French for 8 years in Luxemburg and now in Bulgaria for 4 years, to teenagers, housewives, businessmen, employees, doctors, etc. I can also help you with DELF and DALF preparation. I give lessons via Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams in several countries.
My teaching method for each class : a grammar point together with listening, a lot of speaking with conversation questions or games. While you speak, I write all the new words you need to express yourself, illustrated by pictures or translated in your language.
I do my best to make you feel comfortable to speak and for you to have a pleasant time. According to me, using humour will help you learn more easily.
Whether you need to learn French for business, integration in a French-speaking country or studying, I will be happy to help you. Do not hesitate to contact me for a free trial lesson.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
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