The prepositions à and de
Key points
- The preposition à is commonly used for expressing where you are or where you're going, and for saying what time something happened or is happening.
- The preposition de is commonly used for expressing possession, and where you come from or are travelling from.
- Both à and de are often used to introduce an infinitive.
The prepositions à and de are the two most common prepositions in French. The preposition à can be used when expressing where you are or where you're going:
Je vais à l’école
I'm going to school
Mes cousins vivent au Canada
My cousins live in Canada
Nous voyageons à Paris
We're travelling to Paris
And for saying what time something happened or is happening, and in some other time expressions:
Je suis arrivé à 10 heures
I arrived at 10 o'clock
Nous y allons au printemps
We're going there in the spring
Common uses of the preposition de include expressing possession:
C'est le livre de Paul
It's Paul's book
And expressing where you come from or where you are travelling from:
Je viens de Manchester
I come from Manchester
Nous revenons de Paris le 7 avril
We're coming back from Paris on 7 April
Both à and de are often used to introduce an infinitive :
Il a commencé à pleuvoir
It started raining
Elle a promis de venir tout de suite
She promised to come straightaway