au + Masculine Country

In/to a Masculine Country with Au

Level 1

In French, the preposition for 'in' or 'to' a country depends on the country's gender. For singular masculine countries starting with a consonant, we use au.

How It Works

To use au correctly, follow these conditions:

  • The country must be grammatically masculine (usually doesn't end in -e).
  • The country must be singular.
  • The country must start with a consonant or an aspirated H (e.g., au Honduras).

The Vowel Exception: If a masculine country starts with a vowel (like l'Iran), you must use en instead to avoid a sound clash (e.g., en Iran).

Plural Countries: If the masculine country is plural, use aux (e.g., aux États-Unis). Note that the plural rule always overrides the vowel rule.

Coming 'From' a Country: To say you are from a masculine country, use du (e.g., Je viens du Canada).

States and Provinces: This pattern also applies to masculine sub-national entities, such as au Texas or au Québec.

Countries without Articles: Some island nations do not use an article and simply use à (e.g., à Cuba). For Haïti, both à Haïti and en Haïti are commonly used and accepted.

The '-e' Exceptions: Most countries ending in -e are feminine, but there are six masculine exceptions that use au:

  • au Mexique (Mexico)
  • au Cambodge (Cambodia)
  • au Mozambique (Mozambique)
  • au Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
  • au Belize (Belize)
  • au Suriname (Suriname)

Examples (4)

  1. Je vais au Canada cet été.

    I am going to Canada this summer.

    Word by Word: I go to-the Canada this summer.

    Canada is masculine and starts with a consonant, so 'à + le' becomes 'au'.

  2. Il habite au Japon depuis deux ans.

    He has lived in Japan for two years.

    Word by Word: He lives in-the Japan since two years.

    Japon is masculine. 'Au' is used here to mean 'in'.

  3. Nous passons nos vacances au Mexique.

    We are spending our holidays in Mexico.

    Word by Word: We pass our vacations in-the Mexico.

    Mexique ends in -e but is a masculine exception, so it takes 'au'.

  4. Elle travaille au Portugal.

    She works in Portugal.

    Word by Word: She works in-the Portugal.

    Portugal is a standard masculine country starting with a consonant.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'en' for all countries.

    J'habite en Canada.
    J'habite au Canada.

    'En' is for feminine countries or those starting with a vowel. Masculine countries starting with a consonant require 'au'.

  • Using 'au' for masculine countries starting with a vowel.

    Je vais au Afghanistan.
    Je vais en Afghanistan.

    Even if a country is masculine, if it starts with a vowel, you must use 'en' to make the pronunciation smoother.

  • Using 'au' for cities.

    Je vais au Paris.
    Je vais à Paris.

    Cities use the simple preposition 'à', while masculine countries use the contracted 'au'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

au + Masculine CountryLevel 1In/to a Masculine Country with Au

Learn This First

To use 'au' with countries, you first need to understand that French nouns (including countries) have grammatical genders and how the preposition 'à' contracts with the masculine article 'le' to form 'au'.

Words in This Pattern