3 – Les vacances
Carl Blyth
Grammaire: 3.2 – Les prépositions avec les villes, pays, et continents
Les prépositions avec les villes, pays, et continents = Prepositions with cities, countries, and continents
Prepositions are used in expressions which relate where you are, where you are going and where you are coming from.
The preposition used in such expressions depends on:
- whether you are going (to), are coming (from), or are (in/at) that location
- the nature of the location (city/island vs. other places)
- the gender/number of that location
- Remember: all countries and continents ending in “e” are feminin
- Ex: la France – la Polynésie vs. le Vietnam – le Kenya
- The only exception is: le Mexique
- Remember: all countries and continents ending in “e” are feminin
Review the list of countries and continents here if needed
| geographic location | to/in | from |
| Cites and islands | à | de (d’) |
| cites (Paris, Londres, Austin) | à Paris | d’Austin |
| islands (Cuba, Tahiti) | à Cuba | de Tahiti |
| All other places – feminine (usually ending in -e) | en | de (d’) |
| countries (la France) | en France | de France |
| states (la Californie) | en Californie | de Californie |
| provinces (la Bourgogne) | en Bourgogne | de Bourgogne |
| continents (l’Europe) | en Europe | d’Europe |
| All other places – masculine | au | du |
| countries (le Canada, le Texas 🙂 | au Canada | du Texas |
| provinces/states (le Colorado) | au Colorado | du Colorado |
| All other places – masculine beginning with a vowel | en | de (d’) |
| countries (l’Iran) | en Iran | d’Iran |
| provinces/states (l’Ontario) | en Ontario | d’Ontario |
| All other places – plural | aux | des |
| (les Etats-Unis) | aux Etats-Unis | des Etats-Unis |
| Tex est né au Texas, bien sûr. Mais par accident il a grandi en Europe. Comment expliquer cette histoire incroyable? | Tex was born in Texas, of course, but by accident he grew up in Europe. How de we explain this unbelievable story? | |
| Eh bien, quand il était tout petit, on l’a mis dans un avion avec les bagages à l’aéroport Bush International à Houston. | Well, when he was very little, he was put with the luggage in a plane at Bush International Airport in Houston. | |
| Son avion est arrivé à Paris (en France) où il a rencontré des nonnes françaises qui venaient de faire un voyage aux Etats-Unis. Elles arrivaient de Houston, elles aussi. Quelle coïncidence! | His plane arrived in Paris (in France) where he met some French nuns who had just taken a trip to the United States. They, too, were arriving from Houston. What a coincidence! | |
| Elles ont eu pitié de ce pauvre tatou égaré et elles l’ont emmené au couvent à Lyon. Tex a vécu heureux chez les nonnes pendant plusieurs années. | They took pity on this poor lost armadillo and they took him to their convent in Lyon. Tex lived happily with the nuns for several years. | |
| Malheureusement, un jour il a été expulsé de France, et il est retourné dans son pays natal, c’est-à-dire au Texas! | Unfortunately, one day he was deported from France and he returned to his native country, that is, to Texas! |
