Prepositions of Place and Direction

Prepositions of Place and Direction

Prepositions à/en/au/aux for Countries, Cities, and Places

À — before cities and certain islands

• Je suis à Dubaï. — I am in Dubai.
• Il va à Paris. — He is going to Paris.
• Nous travaillons à Genève. — We work in Geneva.
• Elle vit à Londres. — She lives in London.

En — before most countries and regions

Rule: en is used before countries of feminine gender (the majority!) and masculine countries that begin with a vowel:

• I am in France / en France
• I am in Russia / en Russie
• I am in Germany / en Allemagne
• I am in Italy / en Italie
• I am in Spain / en Espagne
• I am in India / en Inde (fem.)
• I am in Iran / en Iran (masc., but begins with a vowel)

Also before means of transport:

• en voiture (by car), en avion (by plane), en train, en métro

Au — before masculine countries (beginning with a consonant)

• Je suis au Japon. — I am in Japan.
• Il travaille au Liban. — He works in Lebanon.
• Nous investissons au Maroc. — We invest in Morocco.
• Au Portugal. Au Canada. Au Brésil.

Aux — before plural countries

• The United Arab Emirates → aux Émirats
• The United States → aux États-Unis
• The Netherlands → aux Pays-Bas

Other Prepositions of Place

Chez — a special preposition

Chez is used to denote living or working at someone's place/at some company:

• Je travaille chez BNP Paribas. — I work at BNP Paribas.
• Il est chez le client. — He is at the client.
• Venez chez nous! — Come to us!
• Je travaille chez moi aujourd'hui. — I am working from home today (remote work).

Business Applications

Description of office/location:

• Our office is located downtown, near the marina.
• The meeting room is on the third floor.
• The toilets are opposite the elevator.

Explaining directions:

• To go to the reception, turn left.
• The parking is behind the building.

International context:

• We have offices in France, in the Emirates and in Singapore.
• Our headquarters is in Paris.
• The investors come from the United States and from the United Kingdom.