The following prepositions are used to indicate relative physical positions of one thing to another :
| dans | in/inside |
| sur | on/on top of |
| devant | in front of |
| derrière | behind |
| entre | between |
| sous | underneath |
Now look at these examples:
La lampe est sur le bureau.
The lamp is on the desk.
La boulangerie est dans le centre commercial.
The bakery is in the shopping mall.
Il est devant la poste.
He is in front of the post office.
Je suis assis entre Léa et Tim.
I'm sitting between Léa and Tim.
ATTENTION:
You can't translate literally to/from English, but you will learn through experience!
Grammar Note:
Prepositions are words that are placed before a noun indicating the noun's relationship to another word in the sentence. (pre position = place before)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
A cartoon to demonstrate simple pronouns!
Et le vieux monsieur,
Descend vers le village,
And the old man,
Goes down towards the village,
dans = in/inside
La boulangerie est dans le centre commercial.
The bakery is in the shopping mall.
derrière = behind
Qui est derrière toi?
Who is behind you?
devant = in front of
Il est devant la poste.
He is in front of the post office.
entre = between
Je suis assis entre Léa et Tim.
I'm sitting between Léa and Tim.
sous = underneath
Ta chaussure est sous le lit.
Your shoe is under the bed.
sur = on/on top of
La lampe est sur le bureau.
The lamp is on the desk.
Q&A
Chris
Kwiziq community member
22/02/19
It's similar to English: en face de -- opposite of, facing, devant -- in front of
Murat
Kwiziq community member
18 February 2019
1 reply
asseoir in present continious
It's said "Je suis assis entre Léa et Tim" above.
Firstly; Is there a present continuous form in french?
And why do we use "être" in this sentence?
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
26/03/19
Hi Murat,
Je m'assois /Je m'assieds is the present continuous form or I am sitting in French.
Je suis assis ... is I am sat between Lea and Tim ( more the result of sitting down)
Hope this helps!
Chris
Kwiziq community member
2/05/18
Hi Ann,
it seems that both "dans le centre-ville" and "au centre-ville" are correct. I cannot find any difference in meaning between them, either.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
1/05/18
Bonjour Ann !
Nowadays, dessous is mostly used as an adverb, not as a preposition, meaning it's not followed with a location.
Its meaning is closer to underneath.
J'ai mis mon verre sous la table.
I put my glass under the table.
J'ai mis mon verre dessous.
I put my glass underneath.
-> Here it's understood that the location has been mentioned previously, so is not repeated.
I hope that helps!
Bonne journée !
CrystalMaiden
Kwiziq community member
1 April 2018
1 reply
Isn't en interchangeable with dans?
And yet it's a wrong answer.
Chris
Kwiziq community member
2/04/18
No, "en" is not interchangable with "dans". "En" is used in a more general sense to connote the meaning of within. "Dans" is usually quite literally in.
Je suis en classe. -- I am attending a lesson.
Je suis dans la classe. -- I am in the classroom.
Je viens en voiture. -- I come by car.
Je suis dans la voiture. -- I am in the car.
Je suis en prison. -- I am incarcerated.
Je suis dans la prison. -- I am in the prison building (because, maybe, I work there).
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Ron
Kwiziq community member
19/09/17
Donald
Kwiziq community member
20/09/17
Ron
Kwiziq community member
20/09/17
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
29/11/16
Ron
Kwiziq community member
19/06/17
Joanna
Kwiziq community member
22/08/17
Jay
Kwiziq community member
30/06/18
LA
Kwiziq community member
24/10/18
Lisa
Kwiziq community member
20 March 2019
5 replies
in the prepositional phrase, "devant lui", "devant" is the prepositon. What is the name of the part of speech, lui?
Thomas
Kwiziq community member
21 March 2019
21/03/19
'Lui' is an indirect object pronoun.
Lisa
Kwiziq community member
21 March 2019
21/03/19
So, just like the "lui" when used in the sense of "I gave the apple to him"?
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
21 March 2019
21/03/19
Hi Lisa,
'Lui' in this context is a stress/emphatic pronoun used after prepositions , like after 'chez'.
Take a look at the following Kwiziq lesson for more info:
https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/grammar/common-uses-of-moi-toi-lui-elle-nous-vous-eux-elles-disjunctivestress-pronouns
Hope this helps!
Lisa
Kwiziq community member
21 March 2019
21/03/19
Coucou Cecile!
Thank you so much! This is an enormous help.
Lisa
Thomas
Kwiziq community member
22 March 2019
22/03/19
How embarrassing, heh. Thanks for the correct answer. Guess I should review that topic too..