à: where and where to
à names the place where someone is and the goal of a movement: at, to, in. Before cities it is à, before countries usually en.
J’habite à Paris.
I live in Paris.
J’habite en Allemagne.
I live in Germany.
Elle est à la maison.
She is at home.
Je vais à la piscine.
I am going to the swimming pool.
de: where from
de names the place someone comes from: from, out of.
Je viens de Berlin.
I come from Berlin.
Il sort de la maison.
He is leaving the house.
Je reviens de la plage.
I am coming back from the beach.
dans, sur, sous: in, on, under
dans means in as in inside something. sur means on, sous means under. French à can also be English in or at, but it names the place as a whole (à l’école, à Paris), while dans means the inside (dans la boîte, dans ma chambre).
Le chat est dans la boîte.
The cat is in the box.
Je suis dans ma chambre.
I am in my room.
Le livre est sur la table.
The book is on the table.
Il y a un chat sur le toit.
There is a cat on the roof.
Le chien est sous la table.
The dog is under the table.
devant, derrière, entre: in front of, behind, between
devant means in front of, derrière means behind. entre means between and goes with et (and) before two reference points.
Il attend devant la porte.
He is waiting in front of the door.
Le jardin est derrière la maison.
The garden is behind the house.
La banque est entre la poste et le café.
The bank is between the post office and the café.
Several words: près de, loin de, à côté de, en face de
These phrases have several words and always end in de: près de (near), loin de (far from), à côté de (next to), en face de (across from).
J’habite près de la gare.
I live near the station.
J’habite loin de la ville.
I live far from the town.
La pharmacie est à côté de la banque.
The pharmacy is next to the bank.
L’hôtel est en face de l’église.
The hotel is across from the church.
