à

Location, Direction with a

Level 1

The preposition à is a versatile word used for location ('at' or 'in'), direction ('to'), and identifying the person receiving an action. It changes form when followed by le or les.

How It Works

The preposition à is essential for basic communication in French. It serves several primary roles:

1. Location and Direction: It indicates where you are or where you are going.

  • Je suis à la banque. (I am at the bank.)
  • Je vais à Paris. (I am going to Paris.)

2. Time: It is used to state specific times of day.

  • Le cours commence à neuf heures. (The class starts at nine o'clock.)

3. Possession and Indirect Objects: It shows who owns something or to whom an action is directed.

  • Ce sac est à Marie. (This bag belongs to Marie.)
  • Je parle à mon frère. (I am speaking to my brother.)

4. Manner and Ingredients: It describes how something is done or what it contains.

  • Un gâteau au chocolat. (A chocolate cake.)
  • Aller à pied. (To go on foot.)

5. Forms and Contractions: When followed by a definite article, à must contract:

  • à + le = au (Mandatory for masculine singular): au cinéma
  • à + les = aux (Mandatory for plural): aux États-Unis
  • à la (Feminine singular, no contraction): à la gare
  • à l' (Before a vowel/silent h, no contraction): à l'hôtel

Note: Use à for cities. For countries, use en for all feminine countries AND masculine countries starting with a vowel (en Iran). Use au only for masculine countries starting with a consonant (au Japon). Use chez for a person's home.

Examples (6)

  1. Je vais à la bibliothèque pour étudier.

    I am going to the library to study.

    Word by Word: I go to the library for to study.

    Here, 'à la' indicates direction toward a feminine noun (bibliothèque).

  2. Ce livre est à moi.

    This book belongs to me.

    Word by Word: This book is to me.

    The preposition 'à' is used with 'être' to indicate possession.

  3. Je préfère le café au lait.

    I prefer coffee with milk.

    Word by Word: I prefer the coffee at-the milk.

    Use 'à' (contracted here to 'au') to indicate an ingredient or a characteristic feature.

  4. Il va au travail à vélo.

    He goes to work by bicycle.

    Word by Word: He goes to-the work at bicycle.

    Use 'à' for certain modes of transport that you sit on or use by foot, like 'à pied' or 'à vélo'.

  5. Nous sommes à l'hôtel.

    We are at the hotel.

    Word by Word: We are at the hotel.

    Use 'à l'' before a noun starting with a silent 'h' or a vowel.

  6. Ils vont aux États-Unis cet été.

    They are going to the United States this summer.

    Word by Word: They go to-the States-United this summer.

    For plural locations, 'à + les' must become 'aux'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the mandatory contraction for masculine nouns.

    Je vais à le supermarché.
    Je vais au supermarché.

    In French, 'à le' is ungrammatical when 'le' is a definite article. You must always use the contracted form 'au'.

  • Using 'à' for a person's home or business.

    Je suis à mon ami.
    Je suis chez mon ami.

    When referring to a person's place, use 'chez' instead of 'à'.

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

    Je vais au Iran.
    Je vais en Iran.

    While 'au' is used for most masculine countries, use 'en' for any country (masculine or feminine) that starts with a vowel to avoid a vowel clash.

How It Connects

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

àLevel 1Location, Direction with a

Learn This First

To use the preposition 'à' effectively, you need to understand basic sentence structure and how nouns are introduced by definite articles, as 'à' often links verbs to these noun phrases to indicate location or direction.

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