Expressing distance in French with "à ... de ..." = (at) ... km from ... (French Prepositions)

Take the fastest path to fluent French

In French, to say that a place or a person is (at) a certain distance  from somewhere, you use the expression:

 à [distance] de [lieu]

How to express distances with "à ... de ..." in French

Look at these examples:

Je suis à 5 minutes de Paris.I'm 5 minutes from Paris.

J'habite à 2 h de Montpellier.I live 2 hours from Montpellier.

Tu habites à 10 km de Lille.You live 10 km from Lille.

Le supermarché est à 500 m de la poste.The supermarket is 500 m from the post office.

Note that the distance can be expressed as a duration5 minutes from Paris - or as a physical distance - 5 km from Paris.

ATTENTION:

In French, you must always use à before the distance:

Je suis cinq minutes de Paris. -> Je suis à cinq minutes de Paris. 

Note also that when locations are introduced by the definite articles le and lesde contracts into du and des 

Je suis à 1 kilomètre du cinéma.I'm 1 kilometre from the cinema.

L'école est à 15 min des magasins.The school is 15 min from the shops.

 

 

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Le supermarché est à 500 m de la poste.The supermarket is 500 m from the post office.
Tu habites à 10 km de Lille.You live 10 km from Lille.
L'école est à 15 min des magasins.The school is 15 min from the shops.
Je suis à 5 minutes de Paris.I'm 5 minutes from Paris.
Je suis à 1 kilomètre du cinéma.I'm 1 kilometre from the cinema.
J'habite à 2 h de Montpellier.I live 2 hours from Montpellier.
Clever stuff happening!