En vs Dans
French Prepositions
Lesson | Test
The prepositions en and dans can both be used to express time and location in French, but their uses are completely different.
En expresses the length of time an action takes. Note that this means the verb is usually in the present or past.
| Je peux faire le lit en 5 minutes. | I can make the bed in 5 minutes. |
| Il a lu le livre en une heure. | He read the book in an hour. |
| J'ai appris à danser en un an. | I learned how to dance in a year. |
En is used to express the month, season,* or year in which an action takes place (calendar vocabulary):
| Nous voyageons en avril. | We travel in April. |
| Il arrivera en hiver. | He will arrive in the winter. |
*Except au printemps
En can mean in or to when followed directly by a noun that doesn't need an article:
| Vous allez en prison ! | You're going to prison! |
| Il est en classe. | He's in school. |
En also means to or in with some states, provinces, and countries:
| J'habite en Californie | I live in California |
| Je vais en France | I'm going to France |
Dans indicates the amount of time
before which an action will occur in the future. Note that this means the
verb is usually in the present or future.
| Nous partons dans dix minutes. | We're leaving in 10 minutes. |
| Il reviendra dans une heure. | He'll be back in an hour. |
| Elle va commencer dans une semaine. | She's going to start in a week. |
Dans refers to something that occurs within a decade:
| Dans les années soixantes... | In the sixties... |
Dans means in a location when followed by an article plus noun:
| Il est dans la maison. | He's in the house. |
| Qu'est-ce qui est dans la boîte ? | What's in the box? |
Dans also means to or in with some states and provinces:
| J'habite dans le Maine | I live in Maine |
| Je vais dans l'Ontario | I'm going to Ontario |
The free, twice-weekly About French Language newsletter keeps you informed about changes to this site, including new lessons, articles, and forum discussions. Subscribe today!
|
