près de
/pʁɛ də/
The English phrase 'near' can be translated into French as près de.
près de is a preposition used to indicate being in close proximity to something.
Meaning: in close proximity to (prep)
Which one should you use?
While près de and proche de are often interchangeable, près de is more commonly used for physical distance. In contrast, proche de can imply a closer emotional or relational connection.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/pʁɛ də/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use près alone as a preposition, such as in 'près la mer'. However, it requires de to function as a preposition, as in près de la mer.
Did you know?
- The phrase près de can also be used to mean 'almost' when followed by a number, such as in près de dix minutes' for 'nearly ten minutes'.
- The word près shares its roots with the English word 'press', as both come from the idea of being 'pressed' closely together.
- The word près is the root of présager, which means 'to foreshadow'. This comes from the idea of something being 'near' in time.
Examples in context
- Bill vit près de la mer.Bill lives near the sea.This sentence is useful for describing where someone lives using près de.Tatoeba #13195 by Julien_PDC, translation #34521 by CN
- Il vit près de la plage.He lives near the beach.Tatoeba #3642554 by sacredceltic, translation #1564993 by marcelostockle
- Ne reste pas près de moi.Don't stand near me.This sentence is useful for telling someone not to stay near someone else using près de.Tatoeba #1059139 by sacredceltic, translation #410592 by CK
- Je suis près du parcI am near the park
- L'hôtel est à proximité du centre-villeThe hotel is near the city center
- La boulangerie n'est pas loin de chez moiThe bakery is not far from my place
- L'épicerie est tout près de l'écoleThe grocery store is right near the school
- Mon appartement est près de la gareMy apartment is near the train station
- Le restaurant est à proximité de la tour EiffelThe restaurant is near the Eiffel Tower
- La plage n'est pas loin de l'hôtelThe beach is not far from the hotel
- La pharmacie est tout près de chez moiThe pharmacy is right near my place
- 173 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “near” translations and entries près de, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, près, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
