En France, au Canada, aux États-Unis: one little -e decides everything
Why en France but au Canada and aux États-Unis? One little -e cracks the whole code — countries, cities, islands, plus the traps that catch everyone.
What you'll learn
Say “I’m going to France” and French immediately asks you a strange question: what gender is France? Mad, yes — but the system behind it is tiny. Four prepositions, one test, a couple of rebels. Ten minutes here and you’ll never hesitate at a departure board again.
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The quick version — the full lesson is below. More shorts →
The rule that runs everything
Look at the country’s name. Ends in -e? It’s feminine, and you say en: en France, en Italie, en Chine, en Espagne. No final -e? Masculine — and à + le fuses into au: au Canada, au Japon, au Portugal. Plural name? aux: aux États-Unis, aux Pays-Bas. That single -e test does about 90% of the work.
The rebels: le Mexique and le Cambodge end in -e yet are masculine, so it’s au Mexique and au Cambodge. Memorise those two now and the rule never betrays you.
Cities keep it simple: à
Cities take plain à, full stop: à Paris, à Lyon, à Tokyo, à New York. Size, fame, continent — none of it matters.
Now the trap that gives learners away instantly: Je vais à la France is wrong. Always. A country never sits behind à la — feminine names switch to en, masculine ones fuse into au. Catch yourself mid-sentence, breathe, and say en France.
Your reference list: 14 destinations
Two directions to own — going there, then coming back.
- la France → en France / de France
- l’Allemagne → en Allemagne / d’Allemagne
- l’Italie → en Italie / d’Italie
- l’Espagne → en Espagne / d’Espagne
- la Chine → en Chine / de Chine
- le Japon → au Japon / du Japon
- le Canada → au Canada / du Canada
- le Portugal → au Portugal / du Portugal
- le Maroc → au Maroc / du Maroc
- le Brésil → au Brésil / du Brésil
- le Mexique (exception) → au Mexique / du Mexique
- les États-Unis → aux États-Unis / des États-Unis
- les Pays-Bas → aux Pays-Bas / des Pays-Bas
- Paris (city) → à Paris / de Paris
Coming from: de, du, des
The return journey mirrors the outbound one, with one twist. Feminine countries take bare de — no article at all: je viens de France, elle arrive d’Italie. Masculine countries fuse: du Canada, du Maroc, du Japon. Plurals: des États-Unis, des Pays-Bas. Cities take de too, shortened before a vowel: de Paris, d’Athènes.
Islands do their own thing
Islands never got the memo, but there’s still a pattern. Most small islands take plain à: à Cuba, à Malte, à Madagascar. Bigger islands with a feminine name behave like countries and take en: en Corse, en Sicile, en Sardaigne. Island groups go plural: aux Antilles, aux Maldives. When in doubt, à is the safe bet — at worst you sound slightly touristy, never incomprehensible.
Ten sentences to make it automatic
Read these out loud until the prepositions choose themselves.
- Je vais en France cet été. — I’m going to France this summer.
- Elle travaille au Canada depuis deux ans. — She’s been working in Canada for two years.
- Nous partons aux États-Unis lundi. — We leave for the United States on Monday.
- Il habite à Paris, près du canal. — He lives in Paris, near the canal.
- On a très bien mangé en Italie. — We ate very well in Italy.
- Mon frère étudie au Japon. — My brother is studying in Japan.
- Ils ont déménagé aux Pays-Bas. — They’ve moved to the Netherlands.
- Je rentre du Maroc jeudi. — I get back from Morocco on Thursday.
- Elle revient des États-Unis demain. — She comes back from the US tomorrow.
- Il arrive de Paris à 18 heures. — He arrives from Paris at 6 p.m.
FAQ
Why is le Mexique masculine when it ends in -e?
Because French gender is a lottery with a few rigged tickets. Le Mexique, le Cambodge, le Mozambique and le Zimbabwe all end in -e yet stay masculine — so au Mexique, au Cambodge. It’s a shortlist, not a minefield: memorise it once and move on. For the wider gender game, see le or la: French noun gender.
Does the rule work for regions and American states?
Beautifully. Feminine names take en — en Normandie, en Californie — and masculine ones take au or dans le: au Texas, dans le Vermont. Master countries first and regions come almost free.
Is it always à with cities?
Yes — unless the article is baked into the name. Le Havre gives au Havre, La Rochelle gives à La Rochelle. For the rest of the where-words, have a look at French prepositions of place.
Quick practice
Play the Quiztap to start · quick practice from this material
