# Cities and Countries

https://langs123.com/en/french/prepositions/villes-pays/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> A city takes **à**, a country takes **en**, **au** or **aux** by its gender, and origin is said with **de**, **du** or **des**. A city takes **à**, a feminine country **en**, a masculine country **au**: J’habite **à** Lyon. J’habite **en** France. J’habite **au** Canada.

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| City | **à** + city: where; **de** or **d’**: from where | J’habite **à** Rome. / Je viens **de** Paris. | I live in Rome. / I come from Paris. |
| Feminine country | **en** + feminine country: en France, en Italie | Elle va **en** Espagne. | She’s going to Spain. |
| Masculine country | **au** + masculine country: au Canada, au Japon | Nous allons **au** Japon. | We’re going to Japan. |
| Plural country | **aux** + plural country: aux États-Unis | Il habite **aux** États-Unis. | He lives in the United States. |
| From where? | **de** or **d’** (feminine country), **du** (masculine), **des** (plural) | Il vient **du** Maroc. | He comes from Morocco. |
| Continent | **en** + continent: en Europe, en Asie; **d’**: d’Europe | Ils voyagent **en** Asie. | They are travelling in Asia. |
| Québec | **au Québec** (the province), **à Québec** (the city) | Nous habitons **au** Québec. | We live in Québec province. |
| Trap | feminine country: **en**, not **à** | J’habite **en** France. | I live in France. |
| Trap | **de** with no article before a feminine country | Elle vient **de** France. | She comes from France. |

## Overview

- The kind of place sets the preposition: a city, a feminine country, a masculine country or a plural country. J’habite **à** Paris. / J’habite **en** Italie. / J’habite **au** Brésil. / J’habite **aux** Pays-Bas. (I live in Paris. / I live in Italy. / I live in Brazil. / I live in the Netherlands.)
- The same preposition follows **habiter**, **vivre**, **être**, **aller** and **voyager**. Je suis **en** Chine. / Je vais **en** Chine. (I’m in China. / I’m going to China.)
- To say where you come from, use **de** after **venir**, **être** and **partir**. Je viens **de** Lyon. / Elle est **de** Nice. / Il part **de** Paris. (I come from Lyon. / She’s from Nice. / He’s leaving from Paris.)
- **à** and **de** contract with **le** and **les**: **au**, **aux**, **du**, **des**. See Articles.
- For other places (**à la maison**, **chez**, **dans**), see Prepositions of Place.
- For the forms of **aller** and **venir**, see Present Tense: Irregular Verbs.

## Cities

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A city: **à** (where) and **de** (from where) | Nous habitons **à** Madrid. / Elle vient **de** Londres. | We live in Madrid. / She comes from London. |
| A city that starts with a vowel: **d’** | Il vient d’Alger. / Elle vient d’Amsterdam. | He comes from Algiers. / She comes from Amsterdam. |
| A city with an article: **au** and **du** | Nous allons **au** Caire. / Ils viennent **du** Havre. | We’re going to Cairo. / They come from Le Havre. |
| A city with **La**: **à** and **de** keep **La** | Elle habite **à** La Rochelle. / Je viens **de** La Rochelle. | She lives in La Rochelle. / I come from La Rochelle. |

## Countries and continents

| Type | Where? and from where? | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Feminine country: **la France** | **en** / **de** | Je suis **en** France. / Je viens **de** France. | I’m in France. / I come from France. |
| Feminine country with a vowel: **l’Italie** | **en** / **d’** | Elle habite **en** Italie. / Elle vient d’Italie. | She lives in Italy. / She comes from Italy. |
| Masculine country: **le Canada** | **au** / **du** | Il habite **au** Canada. / Il vient **du** Canada. | He lives in Canada. / He comes from Canada. |
| Plural country: **les États-Unis** | **aux** / **des** | Nous habitons **aux** États-Unis. / Nous venons **des** États-Unis. | We live in the United States. / We come from the United States. |
| Masculine country with a vowel: **l’Iran** | **en** / **d’** | Il habite **en** Iran. / Elle vient d’Israël. | He lives in Iran. / She comes from Israel. |
| Continent: **l’Europe** | **en** / **d’** | Ils habitent **en** Europe. / Elle vient d’Asie. | They live in Europe. / She comes from Asia. |

- A country whose name ends in **-e** is feminine: **la France**, **l’Espagne**, **la Chine**. Ma tante habite **en** Espagne. / Je voyage **en** Chine. (My aunt lives in Spain. / I’m travelling in China.)
- For the gender of nouns in general, see Noun Gender.
- Other countries are masculine: **le Canada**, **le Japon**, **le Brésil**. Mon frère travaille **au** Brésil. / Nous allons **au** Portugal. (My brother works in Brazil. / We’re going to Portugal.)
- A few countries in **-e** are masculine: **le Mexique** and **le Cambodge**. Il habite **au** Mexique. / Elle vient **du** Cambodge. (He lives in Mexico. / She comes from Cambodia.)
- US states follow the same pattern: **en Californie**, **en Floride**, **au Texas**. Mes cousins habitent **en** Floride. / Elle travaille **au** Texas. (My cousins live in Florida. / She works in Texas.)
- Islands mostly take **à** with no article: **à Cuba**, **à Malte**, **à Madagascar**; a few take **en**: **en Corse**. Ils passent leurs vacances **à** Malte. / Nous allons **en** Corse. (They spend their holidays in Malta. / We’re going to Corsica.)

## Canada and Québec

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **au Québec**: the province; **à Québec**: the city | Nous vivons **au** Québec. / Ils habitent **à** Québec. | We live in Québec (the province). / They live in Québec City. |
| **à Montréal**, **de Montréal**: a city | Léa travaille **à** Montréal. / Son mari vient **de** Montréal. | Léa works in Montreal. / Her husband comes from Montreal. |
| A province: **en** (feminine or vowel), **au** (masculine) | Ma cousine habite **en** Ontario. / Mon oncle vit **au** Manitoba. | My cousin lives in Ontario. / My uncle lives in Manitoba. |

## Where? and from where?

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Tu habites où ?** | Tu habites où ? — J’habite **à** Lyon. | Where do you live? — I live in Lyon. |
| **Tu vas où ?** | Tu vas où ? — Je vais **en** Espagne. | Where are you going? — I’m going to Spain. |
| **Tu viens d’où ?** | Tu viens d’où ? — Je viens **du** Maroc. | Where do you come from? — I come from Morocco. |
| **Tu es de quelle ville ?** | Tu es de quelle ville ? — Je suis **de** Nice. | Which city are you from? — I’m from Nice. |

- For other questions, see Questions.

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| J’habite à France. | J’habite **en** France. | a feminine country takes **en**, a city takes **à** |
| J’habite en Paris. | J’habite **à** Paris. | a city takes **à**, though English says “in Paris” |
| J’habite en États-Unis. | J’habite **aux** États-Unis. | a plural country takes **aux** |
| Il vient de le Canada. | Il vient **du** Canada. | **de** + **le** becomes **du** |
| Il habite au Iran. | Il habite **en** Iran. | a masculine country starting with a vowel takes **en**, not **au** |