dins
The Preposition Dins
Dins means inside, and it goes before the place or thing that holds something.
How It Works
Dins means inside. It is a small word that never changes. It also never joins with the article, so you always see two words: dins lo, dins la, dins los and dins las.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| dins lo sac | in the bag |
| dins la tassa | in the cup |
| dins los sacs | in the bags |
| dins l'ostal | in the house |
Before a vowel, the article drops its vowel and takes an apostrophe: dins l'ostal, dins l'aiga.
Use dins for a room, a building, a bag or a cup. For a city, Occitan usually uses a: a Tolosa. For a country, it uses en: en França. Later you will also meet dins before a length of time, as in dins una ora (in an hour).
Examples (4)
- Lo gat es dins l'ostal.
The cat is in the house.
Dins l'ostal: dins, then l' before a vowel.
- Los libres son dins lo sac.
The books are in the bag.
Dins lo stays as two words.
- Lo cafè es dins la tassa.
The coffee is in the cup.
Dins la goes before a feminine noun.
- Maria es dins la cosina.
Maria is in the kitchen.
Dins la cosina names the room.
Common Mistakes
Using the French word for in
Lo gat es dans l'ostal.Lo gat es dins l'ostal.Dans is French. Occitan writes dins.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Dins is another word that sits before a place, so the preposition a comes first.
Related Patterns
- enThe Preposition En
En goes before a country.
Level 1 - susThe Preposition Sus
Sus is the word for on, where dins means inside.
Level 1 - dins + Length of TimeIn a Length of Time
The same word dins also shows a length of time in the future.
Level 3 - l'Elision of the Article
The article becomes l' before a vowel: dins l'ostal.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice dins in Bubblegum
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