French Prepositions: Forms and Usage

165 Pages·010.959 MB·English

by  Trudie Maria Booth

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FRENCH PREPOSITIONS
Forms and Usage
Trudie Maria Booth
University Press of America,® Ine.
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Copyright @ 2003 by
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Preface vii
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Chapter 1: The forms of French prepositions 1
OX2 9RU, UK
Simple prepositions 1
Ali rights reserved
Compound prepositions 4
Printed in the United States of America
British Library Cataloging in Publication Information Available
Chapter 2: Prepositions and other word categories Il
ISBN 0-7618-2611-4 (paperback : alk. ppr.)
ISBN: 978-0-7618-2611-8 Chapter 3: The place and obJects of prepositions 15
Chapter 4: Prepositions and verbs 17
Chapter 5: The use of certain prepositions 19
à 19
de 49
en 85
par 103
pour 111
dans 120
chez 132
sur 136
eN
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum sous 145
requirements of American National Standard for Information
avec 147
Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
sans 151
ANSI Z39.48-1984
avant 153
après 154
jusque 156
contre 159 Chapter 10: The use of prepositions with geographical names 281
dès 161
Cities 282
1.1
à partir de 162 1 Continents 283
i
depuis 163 1 Countries 283
1
pendant 165 1
Islands 291
à cause de 165 1
1 Regions 294
au bout de 166
French provinces and regions 295
entre 167
French departments 297
parmi 169
American states 300
vers 169
Canadian provinces and territories 302
envers 170
Chapter 6: Prepositions in verb + DOUD constructions 173 Index 305
l 1
Verbs followed directly by a complement in
French but not in English 173
Verbs requiring a preposition before a
complement in French but not in English 178
, 1
Verbs followed by different prepositions in
French and English 184
Chapter 7: Prepositions in verb + verb constructions 203
Verbs followed directly by the infinitive 204
Verbs followed by à + infinitive 212
Verbs followed by de + infinitive 223
Verbs followed by pour + infinitive 243
Chapter 8: Prepositions in noun + verb constructions 255
Nouns followed by de + infinitive 255
Nouns followed by à + infinitive 262
Chapter 9: Prepositions in adjective + verb constructions 267
Adjectives followed by de + infinitive 267
Adjectives followed by à + infinitive 275
iv v
Preface
French Prepositions is an in-depth study of the forms and usage of
simple and compound prepositions in the French language of today.
Its goal is to he as comprehensive as possible in the coverage of these
small, yet ever so important words, and to provide a reliable source of
information about an aspect of French grammar that is often
neglected. While it can be used as a manu al in intermediate and
advanced French courses, the book is primarily intended to serve as a
reference tool for both teachers and students of French. Since the use
of French prepositions is compared with the use of prepositions in
English throughout the text, it also offers valuable information about
the English language to French natives.
The book is divided into ten chapters. After presenting an inventory
of the French prepositions and indicating their presence in a wide
variety of contexts, the manual proceeds to an analysis of the use of
these words between verbs and their noun complements, between
conjugated verbs and infinitives, and between nouns as weil as
adjectives and verb objects, always emphasizing the difference
between English and French. Verbs and expressions that can he used
with different prepositions hefore a following noun or infinitive and
may change their meaning depending on which preposition (if any)
follows them, are described at the end of chapters six and seven (e.g.
servir qnlqch, servir à qch, servir de qnlqch; venir + infinitive, venir de
+ infinitive, venir à + infinitive). The last chapter is devoted to geo
graphical names (cities, continents, countries, islands, regions, French
regions, provinces and departments, American states and Canadian
provinces), and shows how to use en, au, aux, dans le, dans la, dans
les, de, du and des correctly to indicate location, destination and
origine
Throughout the book, sections entitled 'Mistakes to avoid' point
out frequent errors made by anglophone speakers and show how to
correct them (e.g. Incorrect: Je cherche P&1tfo mon chien. Correct: Je
cherche mon chien.).
The material treated under the headings 'Translation Difficulties'
calls the attention of the reader to those prepositions that cannot be
translated literally into French and points out idiomatic usage (e.g. in
= =
the picture sur la photo; on Sunday dimanche; 1 have waited lor
three hours. = J'attends depuis trois heures.). It also includes a
detailed description of the numerous French equivalents of the
English word 'about'.
vii
viii French Prepositions
Many sections end with a list of proverbs, sayings and idiomatic
expressions containing the prepositions covered in them. Most
examples are alphabetized to enable the user to find the answer to a
question as quickly as possible, and ail ex amples (which include
useful modem vocabulary and, whenever possible, cultural infor
mation about France) are translated into English for comparison
purposes. Chapter 1 .
Inspired by my students and the result of many years of research
and teaching experience, French Prepositions was written with the
intention of giving a clear and thorough description of an aspect of
The Forms of French Prepositions
the French language which is treated only superficially in most
grammar books. When leaming a foreign language, the mastery of
prepositions is one of the most difficult tasks. If the present book Prepositions establish a relationship between two words. They are in
facilitates this task, leads to a better understanding of the French variable. There are simple prepositions (consisting of one word only),
language, and contributes to the reader' s ability to express himself and compound prepositions (consisting of two or more words).
with native accuracy, its goal will have been achieved.
A. Simple prepositions
AbbreviatioDS used in tbis book are
à to, at, in
adj. adjective
après after
e.g. for example avant before
avec with
fam. familiar, informai language chez at/to the house of, in the work of
concernant conceming, regarding, relating to
f feminine
contre against
m masculine
dans in
fig. figuratively de from, of
depuis since [+ time point], for [+ time period],
i.e. id est (= that is)
from [+ place] on
inf. infinitive derrière behind
dès from ... on, as early as, starting
lit. literally (indicating the literai translation of a French devant in front of
expression or sentence) durant du ring
en in
qn quelqu'un (= somebody)
entre between .
qch quelque chose (= something)
envers towards [+ person]
sb somebody excepté (= saut) except, apart from
sth something hormis exceptfor
hors out of, outside
vs versus jusque until
malgr~ in spite of
Symbols used are moyennant for, with
outre besides, in addition to
par by, through, per
a slash 1 (to indicate an alternative)
parmi among
round brackets () (to indicate an option al addition)
2 French Prepositions The Forms of French Prepositions 3
passé past Bonjour l tous et l toutes. Hello everybody.
pendant du ring, for [+ time period] J'irai l Paris et l Rome. 1 will go to Paris and Rome. 1
pour for, in order to Bonne Année et bonne santé à Happy New Year and good health 10
sans without toi et à toute ta famille. you and yourentire family.
sauf (= excepté) except, apart !rom Il est fier de sa maison et de son He is proud of his house and garden.
selon (= suivant) according to jardin.
sous under
Nous allons en France et en Italie. We go to Fronce and Italy.
suivant according to
On peut y aller en train ou en avion. One con go there by train or plane.
sur on
vers toward Elle a traduit le passage en anglais She translated the passage into
vu due to, given et en espagnol. English and Spanish.
Exceptwhen
Rien en ce monde n'est certain, Nothing in this world is certain,
excepté la mort et les impôts. except for death and taxes. (Franklin) • the words making up the complements are part of a fixed expression,
designate the same person, or form a unit
Le distributeur est hors service. The vending machine is out ofo rder.
l'Ecole des Arts et Métiers the School of Arts and Crafts
Beaucoup d'enfants naissent hors Many children are bom out of
mariage. wedlock. ·Je parle l mon ami et collègue 1 speak to my friend and collegue
David. David.
Outre le français, il parle trois Besides French, he speaks three
C'est le fils de Monsieur et He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
langues. languages. Madame Dubois. Dubois.
Passé dix heures, il ne faut pas After ten o'dock, one must not l vos risques et périls at your own risk
faire de bruit. make any noise. à court et moyen terme in the short and medium term
Selon (= d'après) la météo, il va According to the weather lorecast, it
• the complements are numerals combined by 'ou'
neiger. is going to snow.
une lettre de deux ou trois pages a IWo or three page letter
Agissez suivant mes conseils. Act according to my advice.
La Tour Eiffel s'élève à 300 ou The Eiffel Tower rises to 300 or 310
310 mètres. meters.
Je peux faire ça en cinq ou six 1 con do that wilhin five or six
Sayings and expressions
minutes. minutes.
balayer devant sa porte to put one's house in order
The other simple prepositions do not have to he repeated hefore each
belore criticizing other people
complement.
Le pire est derrière nous. The worst is over (= behind us).
Il est venu avec son père et sa mère. He came with his father and mother.
selon toute probabilité in ail like lihood Elle vil chez sa tante et son oncle. She lives with her aunt and uncle.
Nous sommes partis malgr~ la neige We left in spite of the snow and ice.
et le verglas.
Note:
By repeating one of these prepositions, each element of the complement
1. Sorne expressions contain a combination of two simple prepositions.
is emphasized, as is the case in the following fixed expressions.
Il a divorcé d'avec sa femme. He divorced his wife.
pour une raison ou pour une autre for one reason or another
Cette bague vient de chez vous. This ring comes from your store.
C'est pour aujourd'hui ou pour Come on, we haven't got ail day!
deux d'entre eux IWo of them
demain?
2. When several complements are present, the prepositions à, de and en
must he repeated before each word they govem. 1 . Note that BngJish does not repeat prepositions.
4 French Prepositions The Forms of French Prepositions 5
B. Compound prepositions1 au-dell de beyond
· au-dessous de below, undemeath
' au-dessus de above, over
l cause de2 (= en raison de) because of, due to
au fond de at the bottom of, at the end of, in the
l condition de on the condition that
rear of
l cat~ de next to, beside
au Heu de instead of
l droite de on/to the right of
au long de throughout
l gauche de on/ to the left of
au miUeu de in the middle of
afin de so that, in order to
au moyen de by means of
l force de by dint of, through, by (means of)
au nom de in the name of, on behalf of
ll'aide de with the help of
au pied de at the foot of
ll'arrière de in the back of
au prix de at the price of
· à la place de instead of
au risque de at the risk of
. à la suite de following, as a result of
au sommet de at the top of
ll'avantde in the front of
auprès de next to, close to, with, to, near
ll'&art de awayfrom
· à l'~gard de with regard to, regarding au sujet de (= à propos de) about, concerning
autour de around
à l'exception de with the exception of
aux de around, (at) approximately
ll'extérieur de outside ~entours
à l'extr~mité de at the far end of (= aux environs de)
li' instar de following the example of, like aux d~pens de at the expense of
à l'insu de unknown to, without the knowledge of avant de before
li' intention de (intended) for comparé l compared to
à l'intérieur de inside d'après (= selon, suivant) according to, (to be named) after
à l'inverse de contrary to de crainte de (= de peur de) forfearof
à l'oppos~ de in contrast to de façon à so as to, so that
l moins de unless de la part de on behalf of, from (a person)
à part aside from, apart from, except for de manière à so as to, so that
à partir de from ... onwards, starting de peur de (= de crainte de) forfearof
du caté de in the vicinity of, in the direction of,
à propos de (= au sujet de) about, regarding, on the subject of
toward
à proximité de near, close to, in the vicinity of
du haut de (down) from
à raison de at the rate of
en amont de upstream from
à titre de in the capacity of, by virtue of, as
en attendant de while waiting for, until
à travers across, through
en aval de downstream from
au bord de by, alongside
,en bas de at the bottom of
au bout de after, at the bottom of, at the end of
en comparaison de compared to, by comparison with
au centre de in the center of
· en dehors de outside, apart from
au coin de at the corner of
au cours de in the course of, du ring en d~pit de (= malgré) in spite of
· en dessous de below
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
en ~change de in exchange for
1. Most compound prepositions end in à or de. Note that the end prepositions à or en face de opposite, across from
de of these compound prepositions contract with the definite articles le and les: en fonction de according to, depending on
à+le=au à+ les = aux de+le=du de + les = des -en haut de on the top of
grâce aux professeurs thanks to the teachers en plus de besides
à côté du tableau next 10 lhe blaclcboard en pr&ence de in the presence of
2. Do not confuse the preposition à cause de (because 01) with the conjunction en raison de (= à cause de) because of, on account of
parce que (because) [See p. 165-166].
6 French Prepositions The Forms of French Prepositions 7
en tant que as, in the capacity of A part Yves, personne n'est venu. Except for Yves, nobody came.
face à faced with, given, opposite, facing
faute de for lack of n vend les bananes à raison de He sells the bananas at the rate of
grice à thanks to deux euros le kilo. two euros per kilogram.
bors de out of, outside of
n a été gracié en raison de son âge. He was pardoned because ofh is age.
jusqu'à until, as far as
loin de farfrom Le magasin est fermé pour cause de The store is closed on account ofa
le long de along décès. death.
lors de at the time of
par-dessous under Ils ont marché à traven le champ. They walked across the field.
par-dessus over
au-delà de la mer beyond the ocean
par manque de for lack of
par rapport à in relation to, in comparison with Les enfants au-dessous de sept ans Children below the age of seven
par suite de as a consequence of paient demi-tarif. pay half-price.
pour caUse de because of, on account of
vivre au-dessous 1e n dessous du to live below the poverty line
près de close to, near
seuil de pauvreté
quant à as for
--\" suite à following, with reference to L'avion vole au-dessus des nuages. The plane flies above the clouds.
vis-à-vis de opposite, next to, towards, compared to
vivre au-dessus de ses moyens to live above one' s means
• y compris including
à l'étage au-dessus on the floor above
A force de bavarder, on n'a pas vu By dint of chatting, time passed J'ai trouvé les clés au fond de 1f ound the keys at the bottom of
le temps passer. quickly. mon sac. my bag.
A foree de réflexion, il a trouvé la He found the solution through Les toilettes sont au fond du couloir The restrooms are at the end of the
solution. thinking. à droite. hallway on the right.
au fond de la salle in the back of the room
Je voudrais un café à la plaee d'un 1 would like coffee instead of tea.
thé. tout au long de la journée throughout the entire day
, A la suite de cet accident, on lui a Following this accident, they took Il s'est évadé au moyen d'une corde. He escaped by means ofa rope.
retiré le permis. his licence away.
Ils sont partis au milieu de la nuit. They left in the middle of the night.
· à l'arrière de l'avion in the back of the plane
Excusez-vous auprès du professeur. Apologize to the teacher.
à l'avant de la voiture in the front of the car Pour en savoir plus, renseignez-vous For further information, inquire
auprès de votre agence de voyages. with your travel agency.
Il est parti à l'insu de son fils. He left without his son knowing it.
n a bonne réputation auprès de ses He has a good reputation with his
à l'instar de son copain following the example of his friend
chefs. bosses.
La quête fut organisée à l'intention The collection was organized for the Je me suis plaint auprès d'elle. 1 complained to her.
des enfants martyrs. abused children.
Nous nous sommes disputés We quarrelled about hisl her sister.
Vous trouverez le mode d'emploi fou will find the instructions for au sujet de sa soeur.
• à l'intérieur ·de la boite. use inside the box.
La terre tourne autour du soleil. The earth tums around the sun.
. A part ça, pas grand-chose de Besides that nothing much is new .
aux alentours de trois heures around three 0'c lock
nouveau.