French Grammar in Context

188 French Grammar in Context

d dansusually indicates a precise location e.g. dans un poème(line 38) = in a poem

dans l’un des hôtels(line 83) = in one of the hotels

e enIn some cases en = danse.g. en son musée(lines 63–4)

enis also used with regions of feminine gender, e.g. en Ligurie(line 25), but dansis used with

regions of masculine gender, e.g. dans le Périgord

Note that enmust not be used with a definite article.

4 PREPOSITIONS EXPRESSING DIRECTION

à, de... à e.g. qui mènent au cours Saleya(line 23) = which lead to...

des plages aux arènes(lines 56–7) = from the beaches to...

àand deare also used with towns: Je vais à Nice, je viens de Paris

5 PREPOSITIONS EXPRESSING TIME

a enis used to express a precise date, e.g. en 1860(line 30) = in 1860

b jusque, e.g. jusqu’en 1860(line 30) = until 1860

c de, e.g. une ville de toutes les époques(lines 20–1) = a city of all times

un poème des années 20(lines 38–9) = a poem from/written in the 1920s

d depuis, e.g. elle n’est française que depuis un peu plus d’un siècle(lines 34–6) = it has only been

French for a little over a century

Note that the sequence of tenses is different in French and in English. In French thepresent

tensemust be used withdepuisto express the English form ‘has been doing... for’ (see Chapter

1).

6 PREPOSITIONS EXPRESSING MANNER

a avec, e.g. avec un vrai charme(line 14) = with real charm. In this example the indefinite article

(un) is used with a noun accompanied by an adjective (vrai). In line 88, however, where the

noun is not qualified by an adjective, no article is required, e.g. elle demeure avec force(= she

remains strongly).

b sans, e.g. sans effort(line 11) = without effort

Note that no article is used before sans.

c en, e.g. en majuscules(line 41) = in capital letters

7 PREPOSITIONS EXPRESSING CAUSE

a par, e.g. attirés par le soleil(line 4) = attracted by the sun.

b de, e.g. embaumé de pins(lines 54–5) = fragrant with the scent of maritime pines.