à
/a/
The English word 'at' can be translated into French as à or en.
Meaning: in or very near a particular place (prep)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| à | /a/ |
| en | /ɑ̃/ /ɑ̃.n‿/ (before vowel) |
In French, these prepositions are used to indicate being in or very near a particular place. For example, if you want to say you are 'at home' or 'at my place', you would use the expression chez moi.
How do you pronounce it?
/a/
Did you know?
- The preposition à is often used to describe the flavor of food, such as glace à la vanille for 'vanilla ice cream'.
- The modern French word à is a linguistic merge of two different Latin prepositions, ad and ab.
- In French, en is used to indicate being 'at' or 'in' a country that is feminine, such as en France or en Italie.
Examples in context
- Tu m'en veux ?You're mad at me?This sentence shows how en is used in the context of being mad at someone.Tatoeba #14033142 by Myrano_, translation #10684225 by quoctrong018
- Je vous en prie.Not at all.This sentence demonstrates a use of en.Tatoeba #477559 by sacredceltic, translation #66787 by sacredceltic
- Tu tombes à pic.You have come at an opportune time.This sentence illustrates the use of à in an idiomatic expression regarding timing.Tatoeba #2298706 by nimfeo, translation #69888 by CK
- Je vous retrouverai à la bibliothèque.I will meet you at the library.
- Le rendez-vous est fixé à 10 heures.The appointment is scheduled for 10 o'clock.
- Nous allons dîner chez Pierre.We are going to have dinner at Pierre's place.
- On se retrouve au café.Let's meet at the café.
- J'irai voir mes amis chez Sophie.I will go see my friends at Sophie's house.
- Marie habite à Paris.Marie lives in Paris.
- Je vous attends au restaurant.I'll be waiting for you at the restaurant.
- Le cours commence à 9 heures.The class starts at 9 o'clock.
- On se voit chez Martin demain.We'll see each other at Martin's place tomorrow.
- Mon frère travaille chez Renault.My brother works at Renault.
- 5989 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are talking about meeting up.
- LéaOn se retrouve à la gare ?Shall we meet at the station?
- HugoOui, c'est parfait pour moi.Yes, that's perfect for me.
- LéaJe suis déjà à l'entrée.I am already at the entrance.
- HugoD'accord, j'arrive tout de suite.Okay, I'm coming right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “at” translations and entries à, en, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
