'in' or 'to' + country/state/region/city
For country:- en + feminine countries.
- au + masculine countries.
- aux + plural countries.
For regions / states / counties:
en + feminine regions/states/counties
dans le (or dans l' in front of a vowel) + masculine regions/states/counties
au + Texas and Nouveau-Mexique
For city:
- à + city
- à la or au + city with an article
'dans' versus 'en'
Dans (+ article) is more precise (more physical/less general) than en.en classe = in class.
dans LA classe = in THE class.
habiter + dans la rue/l'avenue
habiter + la rue/l'avenue
habiter + rue/l'avenue
All three are acceptable.
être/vivre + dans la/le + rue/avenue/boulevard, etc
être/vivre + rue/avenue/boulevard, etc
"se promener + sur l'avenue" = sur is only acceptable with avenue and with se promener
Transport:
à + "individual" modes of transport (walking, bicycle, bike etc)en + "group" modes of transport (bus, coach, car, subway, etc)
These are acceptable:
par le + trains
par + planes
à vélo
en vélo
Compound nouns
à = what something is designed fore.g. un verre à vin = a wine glass.
de or en = what something is made of
e.g. un sac de cuir / un sac en cuir = a leather bag.
à la / à l’ / au / aux = what food is ‘made with’ or ‘flavoured with’
e.g. une glace à la vanille = vanilla ice cream.
