près de
/pʁɛ də/
The English phrase "close to" is translated into French as près de. Wiktionary also lists proche de.
Meaning: near (prep)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| près de | /pʁɛ də/ |
| proche de |
When près de is used with numbers, it functions as "nearly" or "almost" to indicate an approximate amount.
Which one should you use?
While both mean 'close to', proche de is often used for more abstract or emotional closeness, whereas près de is more common for physical proximity.
How does it change in a sentence?
The preposition de in près de must contract with definite articles: de + le becomes du and de + les becomes des.
How do you pronounce it?
/pʁɛ də/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget the de and say proche ma maison instead of the correct proche de ma maison.
Did you know?
- The word près shares a root with the English word 'press'. Both come from the Latin 'premere', meaning to push or condense something into a small space.
- The French expression être près de can be used idiomatically to mean being on the verge of a breakdown or a crisis, such as being 'close to' tears.
- While près de describes physical distance, the word proche is the root of the French word for 'next', prochain.
Examples in context
- C'est près de ma maison.It's close to my house.This sentence is useful for describing the location of a house using près de.Tatoeba #5334428 by Aiji, translation #3823680 by CK
- Elle se tint près de lui.She stood close to him.This sentence is useful for describing someone's physical position relative to another person using près de.Tatoeba #1328847 by sacredceltic, translation #887412 by CK
- Il a près de soixante ans.He is close to sixty.This sentence is useful for showing how près de means "nearly" when used with numbers.Tatoeba #130645 by Julien_PDC, translation #288618 by CK
- Mon bureau est près de la gareMy office is close to the train station
- L'hôtel est à proximité de la plageThe hotel is close to the beach
- Le supermarché est à côté de l'écoleThe supermarket is close to the school
- La bibliothèque est tout près de chez moiThe library is very close to my house
- 65 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are meeting in the city center.
- ChloéOù es-tu, Hugo ?Where are you, Hugo?
- HugoJe suis près de la fontaine.I am near the fountain.
- ChloéD'accord, je cherche la fontaine.Okay, I am looking for the fountain.
- HugoJe te vois, Chloé !I see you, Chloé!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “close to” translations and entries près de, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, proche, près, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
