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How to use dans and en with locations in French
Dans (+ un/une, le/la/l'/les, des) and en are both used to mean in a location (town, class...).
Look at these contrasting examples:
Je suis en classe.I'm in class.
Je suis dans la classe.I'm in the classroom.
The nuance between dans la and en is as follows:
- dans + [article] + [noun] refers to the physical place or building - i.e. inside.
= in/inside/at + the/a/his + [place]
Il y a une boulangerie dans la ville.There is a bakery in the town.
Il y a eu une émeute dans la prison.There's been a riot in the prison.
Les leçons ont lieu dans son école d'ingénieur.Classes take place at her engineering school.
- en + [noun] refers to a place in general, or to the function represented by the place.
= in [place]
Je vais en ville.I'm going to town.
Le voleur est en prison pour deux ans.The thief is in jail for two years.
-> refers to the jail sentence.
Ma fille est en école d'ingénieur cette année.My daughter is in engineering school this year.
-> refers to studying there.
See also Differences between French and English usages - Using "dans" with streets and means of transportation (French Prepositions of Location)
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