Despite its very short size, the preposition “à” is one of the most important word in French. French people use it all the time. It has different meanings and uses, but it generally means “to, at or in”. It’s often confused with the preposition “de” which usually means “of or from”. “à” has two contracted forms: with the masculine definite article “le” and the plural definite article “les”.
à + le = “au” – Je vais au cinéma, I’m going to the cinema
à + les = “aux” – Je suis aux Champs Élysées, I am at the Champs Élysées
But it doesn’t contract itself with the feminine definite article “la” and the article with elision “ l’ ”
à + la stays “à la” – Je vais à la plage, I’m going to the beach
à + l’ stays “à l’ ” – Je suis à l’hôpital, I am at the hospital
Contents
The different uses of “à” in French:
1) For a destination or a location:
2) For a distance in time or space (with “de”):
3) For a point in time:
4) For a manner, a style, a characteristic:
5) For a possession :
6) For a purpose or a use:
The preposition “à” and French verbs:
- First, “à” is often used after some verbs and expressions when they are followed by an infinitive. You will notice that in English, it has two translations possible: an infinitive (to help to do smth) or a gerund (to start dancing). There are many of them, but here are 10 of the most common ones:
1 – Apprendre à … > to learn (how) to …
2 – S’habituer à … > to get used to …
3 – Inviter (quelqu’un à) … > to invite (someone) to …
4 – Aider à … > to help to …
5 – Servir à … > to serve to … / to be used to …
6 – Arriver à … > to manage to … / to succeed in …-ing
7 – Se mettre à … > to start …-ing
8 – Passer son temps à … > to spend one’s time …-ing
9 – Commencer à … > to begin to …
10 – Continuer à > to continue to … / …-ing
- Besides, “à” is also used after many French verbs and expressions that need an indirect object.
1 – Croire à … > to believe in …
2 – Demander (quelque chose) à quelqu’un … > to ask someone (something)
3 – Donner (quelque chose) à quelqu’un … > to give someone (something)
4 – Envoyer (quelque chose) à (quelqu’un) … > to send (something) to (someone)
5 – Faire attention à … > to pay attention to… / to be careful with… / to watch out for…
6 – S’habituer à … > to get used to …
7 – Jouer à … > to play (a game, sport…)
8 – Parler à … > to talk to …
9 – Penser à … > to think of / about …
10 – Ressembler à … > to resemble / to look like
Additional notes:
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- “à” (and its object) can be replaced by the adverbial pronoun “y” when it’s followed by an inanimate noun (not a person):
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- “à” can usually be replaced by an indirect object pronoun (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur) when it’s followed by a person:
However, there are some verbs and expressions which require to keep the “à” after the verb and add a stress pronoun (when it’s a person):