📘 French Vocabulary List: 20 Useful Prepositions
Prepositions (les prépositions) are small but powerful words that show the relationship between words in a sentence (place, time, cause, purpose, etc.).
Here are 20 essential French prepositions every beginner should know, with translations and examples.
1. à → to, at, in
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Je vais à Paris. → I’m going to Paris.
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Il est à l’école. → He is at school.
2. de → of, from
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Le livre de Marie. → Marie’s book.
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Je viens de Londres. → I come from London.
3. dans → in, inside
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Il est dans la maison. → He is in the house.
4. en → in, to (used with feminine countries & months)
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J’habite en France. → I live in France.
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Nous partirons en août. → We’ll leave in August.
5. sur → on, upon
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Le livre est sur la table. → The book is on the table.
6. sous → under
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Le chat est sous la chaise. → The cat is under the chair.
7. chez → at the home/place of
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Je vais chez mon ami. → I’m going to my friend’s (house).
8. avec → with
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Je pars avec mes parents. → I’m leaving with my parents.
9. sans → without
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Il est parti sans son passeport. → He left without his passport.
10. pour → for, in order to
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Ce cadeau est pour toi. → This gift is for you.
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Je travaille pour réussir. → I work in order to succeed.
11. par → by, through
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Le livre est écrit par Victor Hugo. → The book is written by Victor Hugo.
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Regarder par la fenêtre. → Look through the window.
12. vers → towards, around (time)
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Il marche vers la gare. → He walks towards the station.
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Je viendrai vers 20h. → I’ll come around 8 p.m.
13. contre → against
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L’équipe joue contre ses rivaux. → The team is playing against its rivals.
14. après → after
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Je pars après le déjeuner. → I’m leaving after lunch.
15. avant → before
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Fais tes devoirs avant le dîner. → Do your homework before dinner.
16. pendant → during
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Il dort pendant la réunion. → He sleeps during the meeting.
17. depuis → since, for (duration)
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J’habite ici depuis 2010. → I’ve lived here since 2010.
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Elle attend depuis deux heures. → She’s been waiting for two hours.
18. jusqu’à → until, up to
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Je travaille jusqu’à 18h. → I work until 6 p.m.
19. entre → between
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La boulangerie est entre la banque et l’école. → The bakery is between the bank and the school.
20. près de → near, close to
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J’habite près de la gare. → I live near the station.
✅ Quick Recap
Most common French prepositions include:
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Place: à, dans, en, sur, sous, chez, près de
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Time: avant, après, pendant, depuis, jusqu’à, vers
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Cause/Goal: pour, sans, par, contre, avec
👉 Prepositions are always followed by a noun, pronoun, or infinitive.
🎯 Practice Exercise
Translate into French:
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I live in France.
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The cat is under the table.
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We are leaving after lunch.
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I’m going to my friend’s house.
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She has been waiting for two hours.
Answers:
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J’habite en France.
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Le chat est sous la table.
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Nous partons après le déjeuner.
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Je vais chez mon ami.
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Elle attend depuis deux heures.
Conclusion
Learning these 20 essential French prepositions will help you describe place, time, and relationships in everyday conversations. They are small words, but they carry a lot of meaning in French.
👉 Pro tip: Memorize prepositions together with example sentences — not just as isolated words — to use them naturally.
TAGS: French prepositions list, useful French prepositions, French grammar for beginners, common French words with examples, French basic vocabulary