First of all, it is important to understand the meaning we are trying to convey. Au,à la, à l' and aux are all ways of saying 'to the' or 'at the'. For example, in order to say 'I work at the cinema' in French, we would say 'je travaille au cinéma'. We use the different variants au,à la, à l' and aux depending on the gender and number of the noun which follows. For instance, we said 'je travaille au cinéma' because cinéma is a masculine noun. For a feminine noun, like 'maison', we would use 'à la' : 'il est resté à la maison'. For a singular noun which begins with either a noun or 'h', we would use 'à l''. An example of this is the sentence 'je vais parler à l'ami de Pierre'. Finally, for plural nouns we use 'aux' : 'j'habite aux États-Unis.
FAQs
When should I use au, à la, à l' and aux? ›
Au, à la, à l' and aux are all ways of saying 'to the' or 'at the'. For example, in order to say 'I work at the cinema' in French, we would say 'je travaille au cinéma'. We use the different variants au, à la, à l' and aux depending on the gender and number of the noun which follows.
When should I use au, à la, à l, and aux? ›- To say 'to the' or 'at the' in French, use: à + the correct article le/la/l'/les.
- - Use au before a masculine word (eg le supermarché):
- je vais au supermarché - I'm going to the supermarket.
- - Use à la before a feminine word (eg la maison):
In summary:
The + masculine noun = le. The + feminine noun = la. The + any noun beginning with a vowel = l'
The preposition à can mean at, in, or to and the preposition de can mean from, of, or out of. À can show point of departure and destination, cause and consequence, means and outcome. De can also indicate origin, point of departure, consequence, and belonging, as well as separation.
What are the rules for prepositions in French? ›How do you use prepositions in French? French prepositions are used before a noun or pronoun, or after an adjective to link words into a sentence. Prepositions can have an object, but that isn't always the case. They are never used to end a sentence, and fortunately don't have genders, tenses, or plural forms!
How to use a la in a sentence? ›in the style of: She has her hair blonde and curly, à la Marilyn Monroe. What is the pronunciation of à la?
What is à la used for? ›Borrowed from French, à la means “according to” or “in the manner of,” e.g., everyday, observational humor à la Jerry Seinfeld (as Jerry Seinfeld would make jokes). In cooking, à la refers to a way of preparing a dish, e.g., chicken à la provençale (as traditionally cooked in Provence).
Is L masculine or feminine? ›Le: For masculine, singular nouns. La: For feminine, singular nouns. L': For masculine or feminine singular nouns, when the word starts with a vowel or a silent “h”. Les: For plural nouns.
What are the rules for articles in French? ›The French definite articles (articles définis) are le in the masculine singular, la in the feminine singular, l' for singular nouns that start with a vowel, and les in the plural (both genders). They correspond to the English article the. Example: Léna est la copine de François.
What is the difference between à la and à L? ›For a feminine noun, like 'maison', we would use 'à la' : 'il est resté à la maison'. For a singular noun which begins with either a noun or 'h', we would use 'à l''. An example of this is the sentence 'je vais parler à l'ami de Pierre'. Finally, for plural nouns we use 'aux' : 'j'habite aux États-Unis.
How to use en au aux in French? ›
- for cities/towns/villages, use à: J'habite à Londres. ...
- for feminine countries (countries ending with the letter -e), use en: J'étudie en France. ...
- for masculine countries (ie not ending with -e or -s), use au: ...
- for plural countries (ie ending with -s), use aux (the -x is silent):
à = is the same as 'to' when followed by a feminine noun. Note: Plage, beach, is feminine. au = is the same as 'to' when followed by a masculine noun.
What is the golden rule of prepositions? ›6. The golden preposition rule. A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is NEVER followed by a verb.
What are the best rules for preposition? ›- #1 – Each preposition must have an object.
- #2 – A preposition must be placed before a noun or a pronoun.
- #3 – The pronoun following the preposition should be in the object form.
- #4 – Remember two forms of prepositions: one-word and complex.
The first rule is that to make sentences clear, specific prepositions are needed. For example, the preposition in means one thing and the preposition on cannot substitute for it in all cases. Some prepositions are interchangeable but not always.
What are the rules for auxiliary verbs in French? ›Auxiliary verbs are used in the conjugations of certain tenses, namely the passé composé, plus-que-parfait, passé antérieur and futur antérieur, as well as certain tenses in the subjonctif and conditionnel. In these tenses, the auxiliary verb is combined with the participle to indicate a particular tense.