Exceptional prepositions in French
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Lesson outline
HidePrepositions à, de and en
The prepositions à and de are combined with the articles le and les to make one compound word.
| Prepositions + Article | Examples |
|---|---|
à + le = au | J'habite au Mexique. (I live in Mexico.) |
à + les = aux | Elle est aux Etats-Unis. (She's in the States.) |
de + le = du | Parler du livre. (Speak about the book.) |
de + les = des | Parler des livres. (Speak about the books.) |
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Prepositions avant and devant
In general avant and devant are translated into English as “before”. In French, however, these prepositions can have a different meaning – so we use avant when we refer to time and devant when we refer to space.
| Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Temporal relationship | Quitter le cinéma avant la fin du film. Sophie se brosse les dents avant d’aller se coucher. | Leaving the cinema before the end of the film. Sophie brushes her teeth before she goes to bed. |
Spatial relationship | Attendre son ami devant le cinéma. Il attend tous les jours devant la boulangerie. | To wait for your friend in front of the cinema. He waits every day in front of the bakery. |
Prepositions afin/avant + Infinitive
If afin and avant are used in front of an infinitive, you have to regard that de is placed between the preposition and the infinitve:
- avant le repas → before the meal
- avant de manger → before the meal
Prepositions with verbs
Some French verbs can be followed by an infinitive and linked to it by either de or à, or no preposition at all:
| Verb + Preposition | Translation |
|---|---|
| apprendre à faire qc | learn to do something |
| arriver à faire qc | reach to do something |
| assister à qc | to attend something |
| chercher à faire qc | look to do something |
| choisir de faire qc | choose to do something |
| commander à qn de faire qc | order someone to do something |
| commencer à / de faire qc | beginning to do something |
| continuer à / de faire qc | continue to do something |
| décider de faire qc | decide to do something |
| défendre qc à qn | defend something from someone |
| demander à qn de faire qc | require something from someone |
| penser à qc / qn | think of someone/something |
| répondre à qc / qn | answer something/someone |
| téléphoner à qn | to call someone |
| voler qc à qn | steal something from someone |
Prepositions with adjectives
Just like verbs, some French adjectives can be linked to what follows by either à or de:
| Adjective + Preposition | Translation |
|---|---|
| être capable de faire | being able to do |
| être certain de faire | being certain to do |
| être content de faire qc | being satisfied to do something |
| être exclu de qc | being excluded from something |
| être heureux de faire qc | being happy to do |
| être impatient de faire | being impatient to do |
| être incapable de faire | being incapable to do |
| être nécessaire à qc | being necessary to do sth |
| être prêt à faire qc | being ready to do |
| être responsable de qc | being responsible to do |
| être satisfait de qc | being satisfied to do |
| être seul à faire qc | being alone with doing sth |
Exercises
- Fill in the blank about French exceptional prepositions
- Quiz about the French exceptional prepositions
Fill in the blank about French exceptional prepositions
Rewrite the sentences by using the proper prepositions (avant or devant). Bonne chance!
Example: Bettina est arrivée avant Anna.
1. Elle se brosse les dents d’aller se coucher. (She brush her teeth before going to bed)
2. Quittez le cinéma la fin du film. (Leave the movie theater before the end)
3. Est-ce que tu peux venir deux heures ? (Can you be here before 2pm ?)
4. Il attend tous les jours la boulangerie. (He always wait at the bakery)
5. Attends ton ami le cinéma. (Wait for your friend in front of the cinema)
6. Elle est arrivée les autres. (She arrived before the others)
7. Il est la maison. (He is in front of the house)
8. Annika et Pedro se rencontrent la salle de sport. (Annika and Pedro meets in front of the gym)
9. Elle arrive cinq heures. (She will be here before 5)
10. la porte, il a remarqué qu’il avait oublié ses clés au travail. (He noticed that he forgot his keys in front of the door)
Quiz about the French exceptional prepositions
Solution
Arriver ... faire qc
à
Choisir ... faire qc
de
Décider ... faire qc
de
Voler qc ... qn
à
Penser ... qc / qn
à
Choisir ... faire qc
de
Être incapable ... faire
de
Être content ... faire qc
de
Être nécessaire ... qc
à
Être capable ... faire
de
Répondre ... qc / qn
à
Exercises
- Fill in the blank about French exceptional prepositions
- Quiz about the French exceptional prepositions
Fill in the blank about French exceptional prepositions
Rewrite the sentences by using the proper prepositions (avant or devant). Bonne chance!
Example: Bettina est arrivée avant Anna.
1. Elle se brosse les dents d’aller se coucher. (She brush her teeth before going to bed)
2. Quittez le cinéma la fin du film. (Leave the movie theater before the end)
3. Est-ce que tu peux venir deux heures ? (Can you be here before 2pm ?)
4. Il attend tous les jours la boulangerie. (He always wait at the bakery)
5. Attends ton ami le cinéma. (Wait for your friend in front of the cinema)
6. Elle est arrivée les autres. (She arrived before the others)
7. Il est la maison. (He is in front of the house)
8. Annika et Pedro se rencontrent la salle de sport. (Annika and Pedro meets in front of the gym)
9. Elle arrive cinq heures. (She will be here before 5)
10. la porte, il a remarqué qu’il avait oublié ses clés au travail. (He noticed that he forgot his keys in front of the door)
Quiz about the French exceptional prepositions
Solution
Arriver ... faire qc
à
Choisir ... faire qc
de
Décider ... faire qc
de
Voler qc ... qn
à
Penser ... qc / qn
à
Choisir ... faire qc
de
Être incapable ... faire
de
Être content ... faire qc
de
Être nécessaire ... qc
à
Être capable ... faire
de
Répondre ... qc / qn
à
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Mabuhay! Magandang Araw! Kumusta ka? I am Rey Corañes. I am a licensed professional teacher and I have 4 years of teaching experience in teaching Filipino/Tagalog language. I have a degree in education and my specialization is teaching Filipino. Let me help you set your goals and have amazing results. Do you want to speak the common Filipino phrases? Do you want to learn how to converse with the people in the community? Do you want to master the grammar and have conversational practices? No worries, I am here to help you learn it all. So what are you waiting for? Book a lesson with me.
G. P.
Ray has been a teacher for four years. He taught Filipino in a private school for two years, while now he is working in a public school. Specialized in teaching for many years, in Rey you will find an experienced but at the same time young and creative teacher. His teaching methods will be based on the level of the student. He also delivers the lessons in an interactive and stimulating way, such as games.
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Hello everyone,
My name is Ilaria, I am 30 years old, I have a post-graduate Master in Linguistic Education at the Ca'Foscari University of Venice. I currently teach Italian to foreigners online.
I gained numerous experiences abroad, I volunteered for one year in Romania, then I worked for two years in Bucharest and two in Ireland in the field of customer service for international companies.
I am a native speaker of Italian but I speak fluent English, Romanian and French.
I currently live in Bologna.
I also love fitness, sitcoms, social media (memes are my passion) and, when the crown allows it, travel.
Can't wait to hear from you! Do not hesitate to send me a message if you would like to be guided in your process of learning my beautiful language.
I have a CEDILS certification.
In the first lesson I try to get an impression of the students, their attitude, cognitive style, needs, level of exposure to the language, motivation etc. I try an inductive - conversational approach first, I plan every lesson and I provide the student with a Google Drive file, anticipating contents and activities.Mostly I tend to work on what it's best for the students (ex. some of them prefer learning tables with grammar rules, verbs etc by heart, I make them understand that this is not considered the fastest nor most efficient way generally, but if it works for them I encourage it). I always try to make them capable of learn by their own and I want them to see me as a facilitator, a guide, not "the person who owns the knowledge". I keep my students focused by constantly stimulating them, asking questions, asking them to share thoughts and formulate hypotheses. Also I always provide explanations for what I do, why I do it in a certain way and at a certain time. I also use a manual.
I often propose topics related to intercultural themes, news, environment, LGBT+ but also tv series, movies and so on, I discuss with students what they'd like to work on and I find or create from scratch activities for them.
G. P.
Ilaria is a young and motivated teacher. He personally writes the exercises to be done and uses a very innovative method for learning. It uses Google to share documents to use during the lesson, making it more fluid and effective, with the aim of facilitating the learning of its students. Learning with her is a great choice.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Ilaria V.
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Hello,
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,
Katia
J. V.
I was so pleased with my lesson with Katia. She speaks a clear French that is easy to follow and handles the technology brilliantly. She is a good listener and instantly types up vocabulary words, generating a list so I could reinforce and see what I had learned. I was really impressed. I highly recommend her for learning French.
Katia H.
Bonjour ! Comment ça va ?
My name is Lou, and I would be happy to be your french teacher !
French classes are for all levels, beginner to advanced and are based on conversations.
My classes are fun and dynamic ! We will use various documents to work on and always adapt the classes to your needs and interests. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner, we will speak french and I am sure you will improve quickly.
Free 30 min trial lesson !
Feel free to contact me to talk about your goals and to plan a trial lesson.
See you soon online ! :-)
P. .
Lou works in a very structured way and sent me teaching material before the lesson. After a bit of small talk, we worked on the topic of the lesson, with the lesson divided into reading comprehension, discussion of the text, listening comprehension of a video and a written assignment on the topic. Lou picked an interesting topic that created plenty of opportunity for conversation. She corrected mistakes in a friendly manner and responded very well to my learning requests. That was fun!
Lou P.
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I have studied, worked and lived in the French and in the German part of Switzerland, supporting customers from different ages and countries around the world. I am currently working for two online-schools (in the UK and in China).
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I am a tutor in French as a foreign language. I specialize in conversation and communication from B1 level upwards, but I also have A2 students with whom I follow a more traditional method.
With me, you can express yourself freely and make mistakes without fear, I'll take note of them without interrupting. Essential is that the conversation flows and that we understand each other.
I am Belgian and my mother tongue is French. I have always loved literature, culture, and languages. I studied in Flanders for 10 years, lived in France and Switzerland for 4 years, and I currently live in Valencia, Spain.
I followed the DAEFLE training (teaching French as a foreign language) in 2017.
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Hello everyone. My name is Will Alberts, 52 years old, and I live in Roermond, a beautiful city in the south of Limburg (Netherlands) and I am a first-degree qualified teacher of English.
I have been teaching English at all levels to 12-18 year olds for 15 years. I've always enjoyed doing that, even during Covid-19, when we were forced to teach online. I have experience with Zoom, Teams and Skype. I liked online teaching so much that I would like to do this part-time, in addition to giving physical tutoring to my students at home.
I think it is very important that the student also decides what a lesson should look like.
If you are partly in control as a student, you are more motivated!
I have worked with many (digital) methods, but I also make my own lessons.
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G. P.
Will started his career as a teacher in the Czech Republic at the age of 27. He worked in Prague for an American school for 4 years and then returned to the Netherlands to teach in different schools for different levels. Specialized in teaching for many years, in him, you will find a well-prepared, expert, friendly and inspiring teacher with a creative and simple teaching method.
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Will A.
Hi,
I m claudie , I m french and i have experience to teach french to foreign people.
I create in a school of langage in Spain a little faculty for my french lessons with a group from 15 years olds until 25.
The pupils were all the levels A1 until C2!
I was teaching as well with lillte children and adults in Spain and Rumania.
I m a very dynamic teacher with a lot of patient and empathy.
You will make a lot of progress!
L. T.
Highly recommended, very personable and the lessons are a lot of fun. Claudie is flexible when it comes to class topics. Adapts to your interests or profession. In my case, she adapted the lessons to my employer and integrated the homepage into the lessons (sales). We recommend!
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thank you very much, I really enjoyed the hours spent working French together on many topics and also our laughter !!
Experienced mother tongue French teacher offers lessons for all levels online or face-to-face (Bologna)
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Mathieu is a very knowledgeable teacher and has a very good teaching method, recommended for both teenagers and adults. Highly recommended for beginners and those who already have a basic knowledge of French. He uses university textbooks, which are very specific and well written. He customizes the lessons according to the student, he is young but expert at the same time. In addition, he speaks very good Italian. Highly recommended.
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Mathieu H.
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My name is Krisztina! I’m a teacher of German and French with the corresponding qualifications. I've grown up in a bilingual family (Hungarian-German), so I speak both languages as a native language. I’ve been teaching for six years, so I’m able to estimate your needs, and to meet them. In my lessons, I recreat real life situations, so that you will be able to adapt yourselves to different circumstances. I’m a patient, positive and creative person, who is looking forward to see you in her lessons. So don’t hesitate to book a lesson with me.
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I am very satisfied with my new teacher. Looks like I'm going to get French soon! Looking forward to each lesson. Krisztina knows many languages, which allows her to understand pronunciation difficulties and to remain patient. Hope to pass C1 one day!
Krisztina L.
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Hadjer is a teacher in a middle school. Before that, she was working in a high school. In addition to school-based classes, she has taught English on many online platforms. Her teaching method is efficient and innovative, and the teaching materials she uses belong to the school. In her, you will find a well-prepared, expert, and friendly teacher.
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Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
I. G.
I really enjoy my lessons with Natalia! She is a very talented teacher. So far she has helped me to improve a lot my vocabulory, grammaire and my conversational skills, in general. I like that all the time we talk in French, which is very useful if you already start from a certain language level (like my case). But also, she can explain in English , if I need. She chooses a lot of different topics for conversations, and for grammaire she uses the best learning materials which exist on the market! Thank you Natalia!
Natalia L.
Hi Irina. Thank you very much for your comment. It has been a real pleasure to work with you these months and to see how you have improved your grammar as well as your oral and written expression. You have a very good level of French and I will help you to improve it in the way you need. See you soon!
Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
R. T.
Very helpfull teacher with excellent tips on how to improve your french. The informal style has a lot of merit and can help you aquire the language in a natural, unstructured and unforced fashion. Recommended for anyone who prefers a learn by doing approach.
Hella K.
Mabuhay! Magandang Araw! Kumusta ka? I am Rey Corañes. I am a licensed professional teacher and I have 4 years of teaching experience in teaching Filipino/Tagalog language. I have a degree in education and my specialization is teaching Filipino. Let me help you set your goals and have amazing results. Do you want to speak the common Filipino phrases? Do you want to learn how to converse with the people in the community? Do you want to master the grammar and have conversational practices? No worries, I am here to help you learn it all. So what are you waiting for? Book a lesson with me.
G. P.
Ray has been a teacher for four years. He taught Filipino in a private school for two years, while now he is working in a public school. Specialized in teaching for many years, in Rey you will find an experienced but at the same time young and creative teacher. His teaching methods will be based on the level of the student. He also delivers the lessons in an interactive and stimulating way, such as games.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Thank you so much for this review! I'm so overwhelmed.
Hello everyone,
My name is Ilaria, I am 30 years old, I have a post-graduate Master in Linguistic Education at the Ca'Foscari University of Venice. I currently teach Italian to foreigners online.
I gained numerous experiences abroad, I volunteered for one year in Romania, then I worked for two years in Bucharest and two in Ireland in the field of customer service for international companies.
I am a native speaker of Italian but I speak fluent English, Romanian and French.
I currently live in Bologna.
I also love fitness, sitcoms, social media (memes are my passion) and, when the crown allows it, travel.
Can't wait to hear from you! Do not hesitate to send me a message if you would like to be guided in your process of learning my beautiful language.
I have a CEDILS certification.
In the first lesson I try to get an impression of the students, their attitude, cognitive style, needs, level of exposure to the language, motivation etc. I try an inductive - conversational approach first, I plan every lesson and I provide the student with a Google Drive file, anticipating contents and activities.Mostly I tend to work on what it's best for the students (ex. some of them prefer learning tables with grammar rules, verbs etc by heart, I make them understand that this is not considered the fastest nor most efficient way generally, but if it works for them I encourage it). I always try to make them capable of learn by their own and I want them to see me as a facilitator, a guide, not "the person who owns the knowledge". I keep my students focused by constantly stimulating them, asking questions, asking them to share thoughts and formulate hypotheses. Also I always provide explanations for what I do, why I do it in a certain way and at a certain time. I also use a manual.
I often propose topics related to intercultural themes, news, environment, LGBT+ but also tv series, movies and so on, I discuss with students what they'd like to work on and I find or create from scratch activities for them.
G. P.
Ilaria is a young and motivated teacher. He personally writes the exercises to be done and uses a very innovative method for learning. It uses Google to share documents to use during the lesson, making it more fluid and effective, with the aim of facilitating the learning of its students. Learning with her is a great choice.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Thanks Giacomo!
Hello,
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,
Katia
J. V.
I was so pleased with my lesson with Katia. She speaks a clear French that is easy to follow and handles the technology brilliantly. She is a good listener and instantly types up vocabulary words, generating a list so I could reinforce and see what I had learned. I was really impressed. I highly recommend her for learning French.
Katia H.
Bonjour ! Comment ça va ?
My name is Lou, and I would be happy to be your french teacher !
French classes are for all levels, beginner to advanced and are based on conversations.
My classes are fun and dynamic ! We will use various documents to work on and always adapt the classes to your needs and interests. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner, we will speak french and I am sure you will improve quickly.
Free 30 min trial lesson !
Feel free to contact me to talk about your goals and to plan a trial lesson.
See you soon online ! :-)
P. .
Lou works in a very structured way and sent me teaching material before the lesson. After a bit of small talk, we worked on the topic of the lesson, with the lesson divided into reading comprehension, discussion of the text, listening comprehension of a video and a written assignment on the topic. Lou picked an interesting topic that created plenty of opportunity for conversation. She corrected mistakes in a friendly manner and responded very well to my learning requests. That was fun!
Lou P.