Prepositions with Countries

The heart of this rule lies in French gender. Almost every noun in French is either masculine or feminine, and countries are no exception. The preposition you choose—en, au, or aux—acts as a signal to your listener. It tells them whether the destination is feminine, masculine, or a group of places. Why does this matter? Well, French is a language that deeply values "euphony," which is just a fancy way of saying it wants to sound pretty and smooth. If you use the wrong preposition, you create a "clash" of sounds that makes native speakers wince. It’s a bit like wearing socks with sandals—people will still understand you, but they’ll know something is slightly off. The good news is that there is a very simple trick to identifying a country's gender. You don't need to memorize a long list. You just need to look at the last letter of the country's name. Most of the time, that single letter will tell you everything you need to know. It’s a bit like a secret code hidden in plain sight.

1. 1To master these prepositions, follow these simple steps. It’s like following a recipe for perfect grammar:
2. 2Look at the end of the country name. Does it end in the letter e? If it does, it’s almost certainly feminine. Use en. Examples: en France, en Chine, en Espagne.
3. 3If the country does NOT end in e, it is usually masculine. Use au. Examples: au Canada, au Japon, au Brésil.
4. 4Is the country name plural? (Look for an s at the end). If yes, use aux. Examples: aux États-Unis, aux Pays-Bas.
5. 5Check the first letter. If a masculine country starts with a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y), the rule changes! To keep the sound smooth, we use en instead of au. Example: en Iran, en Angola, en Israël.
6. 6Keep an eye out for the "Rebel Four." These are masculine countries that end in e: le Mexique (au Mexique), le Cambodge (au Cambodge), le Mozambique (au Mozambique), and le Zimbabwe (au Zimbabwe). They like to keep us on our toes!

You will use these three prepositions in two main scenarios: when you are staying in a place (location) and when you are heading toward a place (destination). Unlike English, which switches between "in" and "to," French stays consistent.

• Location: J'habite en France. (I live in France.)
• Destination: Je vais en France. (I am going to France.)

Whether you’re talking about where you grew up, where you want to retire, or where you’re going for a weekend getaway, the preposition remains the same. It’s actually quite efficient once you get the hang of it! You'll use these during travel check-ins, when writing postcards, or when describing your heritage. Imagine telling a new friend about your dream trip: Je rêve d'aller au Japon et ensuite en Italie. It sounds fluid, logical, and very French.

There is one major trap you must avoid: don't use these for cities! Cities are the lone wolves of French geography. They almost always use the preposition à, regardless of their size or importance.

• Correct: Je vais à Paris.
• Incorrect: Je vais en Paris.

Another time to avoid these is when you are talking about where you are coming FROM. These prepositions are only for "in" and "to." If you’re at the baggage claim and someone asks where your flight originated, you’ll need to use de.

• Je viens de France. (I come from France.)

Think of en, au, and aux as your "arrival" and "staying" words. They are about being present in a place or moving toward it, not leaving it behind.

Even native speakers sometimes slip up on the exceptions, but for you, the most common mistake will be the "Vowel Clash." It is very tempting to say au Iran because Iran is masculine. But say it out loud—it feels like a tiny hiccup in your throat. French hates that! That’s why we switch to en Iran. Another big one is the "Mexico Mistake." Because Mexique ends in an e, your brain will scream "feminine!" and want to use en. Take a deep breath and remember it's a rebel. It’s au Mexique. Finally, avoid using à for countries. It’s a classic English-speaker move. We want to say Je vais à Canada. In French, countries are big territories that demand gendered respect. Save the à for your favorite city or cafe.

You might be tempted to use dans when talking about being "inside" a country. While dans does mean "in," it’s usually reserved for physical containers or very specific, enclosed spaces. You are dans la voiture (in the car) or dans la boîte (in the box). Countries are broad, abstract concepts, so we use en, au, and aux to show that relationship. It’s also helpful to look at continents. Almost all continents in French are feminine or start with a vowel (l'Afrique, l'Europe, l'Asie). This means they almost ALL use en. If you’re talking about a whole continent, you can almost always bet on en. En Afrique, en Océanie. It’s a nice little safety net when you’re talking about global travel.