En vs Dans
French Prepositions
Lesson | Test
The prepositions en and dans both mean "in" in French, and can both express time and location. But they are not interchangeable; their usage depends on both meaning and grammar.
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. 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 or during a decade:
| Dans les années soixantes... | In the sixties... | |
| Dans les années quatre-vingts... | During the eighties... |
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 |
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