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Published September 11, 2012 • Updated March 20, 2026 — This lesson is part of the French grammar curriculum developed by David Issokson, a graduate of McGill University and professional French teacher since 2014. All linked lessons include native-speaker audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier.
French prepositions are short but essential words like “to”, “in”, “on”, and “with”. They connect ideas and show relationships between words in a sentence.
Unlike English, French prepositions don’t always translate directly. One preposition can have several meanings—and choosing the right one takes practice.
This guide starts with the most important beginner prepositions and gradually builds up to more advanced expressions used by fluent speakers.
⭐ Essential French Prepositions (A1–A2)
These are the most common and important prepositions you’ll see every day.
à — to, at, in
de — from, of, about
avec — with
pour — for
sans — without
par — by, through
chez — at someone’s house / place
dans — in, inside
sur — on
sous — under
entre — between
contre — against
vers — toward
avant — before
après — after
👉 These core prepositions appear constantly in everyday French and are essential for building sentences.
📍 Prepositions of Place (Location & Position)
Use these to describe where things are.
dans — in, inside
sur — on
sous — under
devant — in front of
derrière — behind
entre — between
parmi — among
chez — at someone’s place
à côté de — next to
près de — near
loin de — far from
en face de — opposite
au-dessus de — above
au-dessous de — below
autour de — around
au milieu de — in the middle of
🧭 Prepositions of Movement & Direction
Used with verbs like aller, venir, marcher.
à — to
vers — toward
jusqu’à — up to, until
en direction de — in the direction of
à destination de — bound for
à travers — across, through
le long de — along
en passant par — via, passing through
à partir de — starting from
au départ de — departing from
⏰ Prepositions of Time
Very important—and often tricky.
à — at (specific time)
avant — before
après — after
depuis — since, for (ongoing)
pendant — during, for (completed duration)
durant — during
dès — from, starting from
jusqu’à — until
à partir de — from, starting at
au cours de — during, in the course of
lors de — during (formal)
au moment de — at the moment of
🎯 Prepositions of Cause, Purpose & Means
These show why or how something happens.
pour — for, in order to
par — by, through
à cause de — because of (negative)
grâce à — thanks to (positive)
en raison de — due to
faute de — for lack of
au moyen de — by means of
dans le but de — in order to
en vue de — with a view to
sous prétexte de — under the pretext of
⚖️ Prepositions of Comparison & Relation
Used to connect ideas and relationships.
avec — with
sans — without
contre — against
selon — according to
suivant — depending on
d’après — according to
envers — toward (people)
vers — toward (direction/place)
vis-à-vis de — with respect to
à l’égard de — toward, regarding
🚫 Prepositions of Exception & Limitation
Useful for everyday conversation.
sauf — except
hormis — apart from (formal)
excepté — except (formal)
à part — aside from
en dehors de — outside of
mis à part — aside from
hors de — outside of
🌍 Common Multi-Word Prepositions (A2–B1)
These are extremely common and often tested.
à côté de — next to
à partir de — from, starting from
en face de — opposite
au lieu de — instead of
près de — near
loin de — far from
autour de — around
à propos de — about
au sujet de — about, regarding
en plus de — in addition to
en dehors de — outside of
au sein de — within
au bord de — at the edge of
au fond de — at the bottom of
au sommet de — at the top of
🔥 Advanced French Prepositions (B2–C1)
These are more formal and are commonly used in written French, news, academic texts, and advanced conversation.
en ce qui concerne — concerning
quant à — as for
au-delà de — beyond
en dépit de — despite
malgré — despite
au mépris de — in defiance of
compte tenu de — given, considering
à la lumière de — in light of
dans le cadre de — within the framework of
au titre de — in the capacity of
en matière de — in matters of
au regard de — in view of
du point de vue de — from the point of view of
en vertu de — by virtue of
à l’issue de — at the end of
en faveur de — in favor of
à l’encontre de — against
en opposition à — in opposition to
à défaut de — failing, for lack of
à force de — as a result of repeated action
au sein de — within (group, organization)
au prorata de — in proportion to
en amont de — before, upstream of
en aval de — after, downstream of
en guise de — as, by way of
à l’aide de — with the help of
en fonction de — depending on
au fur et à mesure de — as, progressively
en présence de — in the presence of
en l’absence de — in the absence of
sous réserve de — subject to
sous peine de — under penalty of
à charge de — to be borne by
à compter de — starting from (formal)
à hauteur de — up to, in the amount of
en accord avec — in agreement with
en conformité avec — in accordance with
en contradiction avec — in contradiction with
🔥 Common Preposition Mistakes & Contrasts
These pairs are frequently confused—even by intermediate learners.
👉 Grâce à vs. à cause de — thanks to vs due to
👉 Vers vs. envers — toward
👉 Au-dessus vs. en dessous — under / over
👉 En vs dans — in (general/abstract) vs in (inside/specific)
👉 Grâce à vs. à cause de — thanks to, due to
👉 Avant vs. devant — before vs. in front of
👉 Depuis vs pendant — since/for (ongoing) vs for (completed)
👉 À vs de — to/at vs of/from
👉 Pour vs pendant — for (purpose) vs for (duration)
💡 These small differences can completely change the meaning of a sentence.
📚 Related French grammar lessons
👉 French grammar hub »
👉 French verb conjugation hub (250 verbs) »
👉 Verbs with prepositions à »
👉 Verbs with prepositions de »
👉 French Word of the Day archive »
I just discovered that ‘avant’ also means ‘front’. And how come both ‘devant’ and ‘avant’ mean ‘before’? French language is quite confusing huh.