In French, the use of prepositions of location before a country, region, or city name follows specific rules that depend on the grammatical gender, number, and the specificity of the place in question.
General rule
The most commonly used prepositions are à, en, and au(x), depending on context:
- À is used in front of city names: à Paris, à New York (in Paris, in New York).
- En is used in front of feminine country names, continents, and regions: en France, en Bretagne, en Asie, en Afrique (in France, in Brittany, in Asia, in Africa).
- Au is used in front of masculine singular country names: au Canada, au Brésil (in Canada, in Brazil).
- Aux is used in front of plural country names: aux États-Unis, aux Pays-Bas (in the United States, in the Netherlands).
Examples
- Elle voyage en Italie. (She travels to Italy.)
- Il vit à Marseille. (He lives in Marseille.)
- Nous allons au Japon. (We are going to Japan.)
- Elles partent aux États-Unis. (They are leaving for the United States.)
- Je vais voyager en Amérique du sud. (I am going to travel to South America.)
Exceptions
- Countries that would normally be considered masculine: en Iran, en Afghanistan. (Countries that would normally be considered masculine: in Iran, in Afghanistan.)
- City-states and unique islands often use à: à Singapour, à Cuba, à Okinawa, à Hokkaido, à Madagascar, à Monaco, à Hong-Kong, à Taiwan. (City-states and unique islands often use à: in Singapore, in Cuba, in Okinawa, in Hokkaido, in Madagascar, in Monaco, in Hong Kong, in Taiwan.)
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