Using Prepositions

Prepositions are used to relate elements in a sentence: noun to noun, verb to verb, or verb to noun/pronoun. Prepositions may contract with articles.

Prepositions may be used as modifiers and may be used before and after nouns and verbs. Certain verbs are always followed by a preposition. In addition, prepositions are used before the names of geographical locations to refer to travel and location.

Prepositions are used to relate two elements of a sentence:

• Noun to noun: Il est le fils de M. Legrand. (He's Mr. Legrand's son.)

• Verb to verb: Il commence à pleuvoir. (It's beginning to rain.)

• Verb to noun: Elle travaille avec son ami. (She works with her friend.)

• Verb to pronoun: Elles habitent près de moi. (They live near me.)

Some prepositions consist of only one word, as follows:

• à (to)

• après (after)

• avant (before)

• avec (with)

• chez (at the house of)

• contre (against)

• dans, en (in)

• de (about, from, of)

• depuis (since)

• derrière (behind)

• devant (in front of)

• entre (between)

• malgré (despite)

• par (by, through)

• parmi (among)

• pendant (during)

• pour (for)

• sans (without)

• sauf (except)

• selon (according to)

• sous (under)

• sur (on)

• vers (toward)

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