Prepositions of Place: à, dans, sur, sous, devant, derrière

French prepositions of place are quite straightforward. Unlike verbs, they do not change their shape. You do not need to conjugate them for different people. They stay the same whether you are talking about one cat or ten. Their job is to link a noun to a location. They usually sit right before the article and the noun. For example, you say sur la table for "on the table." It is a very logical system for your brain. Most of these words have a direct English equivalent. This makes them feel very familiar very quickly. However, they do interact with the words that follow them. Specifically, the preposition à likes to merge with certain articles. This is the only "moving part" you need to watch. Otherwise, you just pick the word and drop it in. It is like building with Lego blocks. You just snap the pieces together to make a sentence. Even native speakers find this part of grammar quite relaxing. It is the foundation of every single conversation you will have.

1. 1Using these prepositions follows a very predictable recipe. You can master this in just three simple steps.
2. 2Start with your preposition (like dans or sur).
3. 3Add the definite article (le, la, l', or les).
4. 4Finish with the noun that represents the place.
5. 5For most prepositions, this is the end of the story. You say dans le sac or devant la banque. However, the preposition à is a bit of a social butterfly. It changes when it meets the masculine article le.
6. 6à + le becomes au.
7. 7à + les becomes aux.
8. 8à + la stays à la.
9. 9à + l' stays à l'.
10. 10Think of it like a grammar traffic light. When you see à and le together, the light turns red. You must stop and change them into au. This keeps the language sounding smooth and melodic. It prevents that awkward "ah-le" sound that French people avoid. Once you memorize these two small merges, you are a pro. You are now ready to build sentences about anything in your house.

Use these words whenever you want to pinpoint a location. Imagine you are at a job interview in Lyon. You might say your laptop is dans le sac. Or maybe you are ordering food at a bistro. The waiter puts the croissant right sur la table. Use à for general locations or cities, like à Paris. Use dans when something is physically inside a container or room. Use sur for anything resting on a surface, like a roof or a desk. Sous is for the sneaky cat hiding under the sofa. Devant and derrière are perfect for giving street directions. "The cinema is in front of the park" becomes Le cinéma est devant le parc. These words help you navigate real-world scenarios with ease. They make your French feel concrete and practical. You aren't just reciting rules from a book anymore. You are actually describing the world around you. It’s like putting on a pair of glasses that make everything clear. You can finally tell someone where the bathroom is located!

Do not use dans when you are talking about being "at" a general place. English speakers often make this mistake. If you are at the office, say au bureau, not dans le bureau. Dans implies you are deep inside the physical walls. Also, do not use sur if you mean "about" a topic. In English, we say a book is "on" history. In French, we use sur mostly for physical contact with a surface. For people, we usually avoid these prepositions and use chez. If you are at your friend’s house, say chez Marie. Saying à la Marie sounds like she is a museum or a city! Be careful not to use devant for "before" in terms of time. Use avant for time and devant for physical space. Mixing these up is a common trip-wire for beginners. Just remember: these six words are for things you can touch or see. They describe the 3D world, not your schedule. Keep them in their physical box and you will be fine. It is all about staying in the right lane.

One of the biggest blunders is confusing sur and sous. One letter changes everything! Sur means on top, while sous means underneath. Imagine telling a friend their keys are sous la table when they are sur la table. They will be crawling on the floor for no reason! Another classic error is forgetting the au contraction. Saying à le restaurant is a giant neon sign that you are a beginner. It’s not a crime, but it sounds very clunky to French ears. Many people also struggle with dans versus en. For A1 learners, stick to dans for physical boxes and rooms. Don't worry about the complex en rules yet. Also, watch out for the "phantom de." In English, we say "in front of." In French, devant already includes the "of" part. Do not say devant de la maison. Just say devant la maison. It is shorter, cleaner, and much more natural. It’s like a grammar discount; you get more meaning for fewer words! Take your time with these small details. Even native speakers mess this up when they are tired. Just laugh it off and keep going.

You might wonder how these differ from words like près de (near) or à côté de (beside). The six prepositions we learned today are "simple." This means they are usually just one word. The others are "compound" prepositions because they use de. Our six words are much more direct. Sur means specifically on the surface, whereas près de is just generally nearby. Dans means inside the boundaries, while à côté de means you are neighbors. It is the difference between being in the car and being next to the car. Think of à as a general pointer. It is the most flexible of the bunch. Dans is the most restrictive; it’s like a cage. Use the simple ones first to build your confidence. They are the high-frequency words you will hear in every movie. Once you have these down, the compound ones will feel easy. It’s like learning to walk before you try to run a marathon. You are building a solid foundation for your future French skills.