Published May 16, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson • Native Audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Au-delà de, meaning “beyond”, is one of those B2 (upper-intermediate) French expressions that looks intimidating but is actually easier than you might think. This lesson explains how to use it naturally in everyday French with simple audio examples.
📘 Au-delà de meaning
Au-delà de is a French prepositional expression that means “beyond”, “past”, or “more than”. It is used when talking about something that goes farther than a place, limit, or idea. You’ll hear it in expressions like au-delà de mes espérances (beyond my expectations). As a noun, l’Au-delà means “the afterlife” or “the beyond”.
🎧 Au-delà de pronunciation
The pronunciation of au-delà de is /o.də.la də/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “oh-duh-lah duh”.
📝 Au-delà de examples
C’est au-delà de mes espérances.
It is beyond my expectations.
Le village se trouve au-delà de la colline.
The village is located beyond the hill.
Le rendez-vous s’est prolongé au-delà de midi.
The meeting lasted beyond noon.
Croyez-vous en l’Au-delà ?
Do you believe in the afterlife?
💡 In the song Tourner dans le vide, Indila sings “J’espère le revoir là, pas dans l’au-delà“, which I translated to “I hope to see him again here, not in heaven”.
❓ Do you need extra help?
🎯 À Moi Paris — My top recommended course by Camille Chevalier, featuring engaging audio stories (three speeds) to help you understand real spoken French and improve pronunciation.
👉 Explore À Moi Paris »
👉 Read my review »
🎧 French Verb Drills — Camille’s step-by-step audio drills help you finally master verb conjugations.
👉 See Verb Drills »
If you purchase the courses, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
🔗 Related words and expressions
- au-dessus de — above
- à travers — through
- plus loin que — farther than
- au bout de — at the end of
- en dehors de — outside of
- dépasser — to go beyond, to exceed
- l’Au-delà — the afterlife
📚 Related lessons
🚀 Continue learning on FrenchLearner!
👉 French Word of the Day (200+ lessons) »
👉 French verb conjugations »
👉 French vocabulary lists »
