Prepositions

French Lesson 4 (Prepositions and Directions)

Duration: 30 mins

Lessons French Lessons
Linguistic French Vocabulary
Culture French Phrases
Structure French Grammar

This first lesson teaches many important aspect of French like prepositions, vocabulary list about directions and finally common phrases about how to introduce yourself. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at French Classes.

Prepositions

Prepositions are used in almost every sentence. They can be a great tool to link words with each other. For example by simply knowing how to use "to", "with", "from", "after" you can expand your conversation scope. In short, a preposition describes a relationship between words in a sentence, for example: I agree with you.

Below is a list of 27 prepositions that you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, French, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Prepositions List in French

Prepositions French Audio
In front ofen face de
Behindderrière
Beforeavant
Afteraprès
Insideà l'intérieur
Withavec
Withoutsans
Outsideà l'extérieur
On top ofsur
Undersous
About (in regards to)sur
Againstcontre
Andet
As (similar to)comme
Betweenentre
Butmais
Forpour
Fromà partir de
Indans
Instead ofau lieu de
Nearprès de
Ofde
OrOu
Sincedepuis
SoDonc
Toà
Untiljusqu'à ce que

Now we will try to implement some of the prepositions above into full French sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.

French Prepositions in a Sentence

English French Audio
Can I practice Italian with you?Puis-je pratiquer l'italien avec vous?
I speak French but with an accentJe parle français mais avec accent
I was born in MiamiJe suis né(e) à Miami
I'm from JapanJe suis du Japon
The letter is inside the bookLa carte est dans le livre
The pen is under the deskLe stylo est sous le bureau
Directions
Can I help you?Puis-je vous aider?

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please French contact form on the header above.

Vocabulary List about Directions

Below is a list of 28 words and sentences related to directions that you might need when lost or asking for help. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to travel from point A to point B by following directions.

Giving Directions in French

Directions French Audio
Can you help me?Pouvez-vous m'aider?
Can you show me?Pouvez-vous m'indiquer?
Come with me!Venez avec moi!
Downtown (city center)Le centre-ville
Excuse me! (to ask someone)Excusez-moi!
Go straightAllez tout droit
How can I get to the museum? Pour aller au musée?
How long does it take to get there?Ça prend combien de temps pour y aller?
I'm lostJe suis perdu(e)
I'm not from hereJe ne suis pas d'ici
It's far from hereIl est loin d'ici
It's near hereIl est près d'ici
One moment please!Un moment, s'il vous plaît!
Turn leftTournez à gauche
Turn rightTournez à droite
FarLoin
Hereici
Leftà gauche
Rightà droite
NearPrès
StraightTout droit
There
To driveconduire / aller en voiture
To turnTourner
To walkmarcher
Traffic lightLes feux
TransportationLe transport

Daily Conversation in French

Finally, a couple sentences to help you know how to introduce yourself in French. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our French Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in French

English French Audio
Do you speak English?Parlez-vous anglais?
Just a littleOui, un peu
What's your name?Vous vous appelez comment?
My name is (John Doe)Je m'appelle (Jacques Bonhomme)
Mr... / Mrs. ... / Miss...Monsieur... / Madame... / Mademoiselle...
Nice to meet you!Enchanté(e)!
You're very kind!Vous êtes très gentil!

Fun Facts

Language Quote: The language of a society changes slowly but steadily with the result that an educated person will not be able to read or understand words in his language written 500 years ago. Do you feel like you can't talk to your parents? Maybe it's because you belong to the Niger-Congo family. More than 1,400 languages are spoken by different members of this family from Africa..

Congratulations! You finished your 4th lesson in French about prepositions, and directions. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend French Lesson 5. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn French homepage.

Lessons French Lessons
Linguistic French Vocabulary
Culture French Phrases
Structure French Grammar