In this grammar lesson you will learn the French prepositions for regions, states, and provinces.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- French prepositions for regions that are masculine
- French prepositions for regions that are feminine
- how French prepositions for regions are used in sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on French prepositions for regions, states, and provinces
- how to practice with flashcards on French prepositions for regions, states, and provinces
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about the French prepositions for regions, states, and provinces!
Table of Contents
Introduction
In the lesson on how to identify the gender of nouns, you learnt that countries and continents have gender.
You have also learnt that you have to use à , to say that you are going to or are in a city.
Furthermore, you have learnt that you will use en/au/aux, to say that you are going to or are in countries and continents.
Now let’s look at the rules for regions, states and provinces!
French Prepositions for Regions, States, and Provinces that are Masculine
If you want to say that you are going to, or are in a masculine region/state/province, then you will use dans le.
Tu es dans le Michigan ?
Are you in Michigan?
Je crois qu’ils habitent dans le Vermont
I think they live in Vermont.
Il vit dans le Nevada.
He lives in Nevada.
If however, a masculine region/state/province starts with a vowel, or a mute h, then you will use dans l’ or en.
You can also use en because this makes some places easier to pronounce.
Je vais dans l’État de New York.
I am going to the state of New York.
Ils sont dans l’Ohio.
They are in Ohio.
Aujourd’hui, vous allez en Illinois !
Today, you are going to Illinois!
Elle veut aller en Ontario.
She wants to go to Ontario.
The state of Texas and New-Mexico are masculine, but are an expection to the rule. These states have to use au.
Je vais au Texas cet après-midi.
I am going to Texas this afternoon.
Carol vit au Nouveau-Mexique.
Carol lives in New Mexico.
Quebec is also an exception. It is a province in Canada, but in French grammar it is seen as a country.
David vit au Québec.
David lives in Quebec.
French Prepositions for Regions, States, and Provinces are Feminine
If you want to say that you are going to, or are in a feminine region/state/province, then you will use en.
Ils vont en Alberta.
They are going to Alberta.
Mon mari va en Californie en décembre prochain.
My husband is going to California this december.
Pensez-vous qu’il y a des francophones qui vivent en Louisiane ?
Do you think that there are French speakers living in Louisiana?
Example Sentences on French Prepositions for Regions, States, and Provinces
The final section of this lesson on the French prepositions for regions, states, and provinces is about seeing the prepositions in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on the French prepositions for regions, states, and provinces through examples.
Je crois qu’ils habitent dans le Vermont
I think they live in Vermont.
Je vais dans l’État de New York.
I am going to the state of New York.
Je vais au Texas cet après-midi.
I am going to Texas this afternoon.
Tu es dans le Michigan ?
Are you in Michigan?
Il vit dans le Nevada.
He lives in Nevada.
Elle veut aller en Ontario.
She wants to go to Ontario.
Mon mari va en Californie en décembre prochain.
My husband goes to California this december.
Carol vit au Nouveau-Mexique.
Carol lives in New Mexico.
David vit au Québec.
David lives in Quebec.
Aujourd’hui, vous allez en Illinois !
Today, you are going to Illinois!
Ils vont en Alberta.
They are going to Alberta.
Ils sont dans l’Ohio.
They are in Ohio.
Pensez-vous qu’il y a des francophones qui vivent en Louisiane ?
Do you think that there are French speakers living in Louisiana?
Quiz Yourself on French Prepositions for Regions, States, and Provinces
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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