The words “de” and “à” join together with some of the words for “the” in French. Let's learn about these contractions
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What is a contraction?

A contraction in languages is when two words are combined into one. This happens a lot in English:

I + am = I’m
will + not = won’t
do + not = don’t

These contractions in English are optional, but in French, contractions are compulsory, so you always have to do them. The two words that contract in French are “à” and “de”.

What do "à" and "de" mean?

The words “à” and “de” have various meanings, but the main meanings are:

à – to / at
de – of / from

je vais à Paris – I’m going to Paris
je suis à la plage – I am at the beach
il est à l’école – he is at the school
elle va à l’hôtel – she is going to the hotel

ceci est de Pierre – this is from Pierre
une bouteille de vin – a bottle of wine
Marie vient de France – Marie comes from France
le meilleur de tous – the best of all

de & d'

The first little contraction is when the word de shortens to d’ in front of a word that starts with a vowel or the letter H

une bouteille d’eau – a bottle of water
Marie vient d’Angleterre – Marie comes from England
un bol d’ananas – a bowl of pineapples
un masque d’Halloween – a Halloween mask

du & des

The next contractions are when you put the word “de” in front of the masculine and plural French words for “the”

de + le = du
de + les = des

Both “du” and “des” mean “of the” and “from the”

c’est du restaurant
it’s from the restaurant

il vient du Congo
he comes from the Congo

l’adresse du restaurant
the restaurant’s address (the address of the restaurant)

elle vient des Seychelles
she comes from the Seychelles

le chien des enfants
the children’s dog (the dog of the children)

As I said, the word “de” only contracts with the masculine and plural words for “the”; it doesn’t contract with the feminine word “la” or the contracted l’

de + la = de la
de + l’ = de l’

c’est de la plage
it’s from the beach

l’adresse de l’hôtel
the hotel’s address

au & aux

The next contractions are when you put the word “à” in front of the masculine and plural French words for “the”

à + le = au
à + les = aux

Both “au” and “aux” mean “to the” and “at the”

c’est au restaurant
it’s at the restaurant

il va au Congo
he’s going to the Congo

nous mangeons au restaurant
we’re eating at the restaurant

elle va aux Seychelles
she’s going to the Seychelles

nous sommes aux magasins
we’re at the shops

As I said, the word “à” only contracts with the masculine and plural words for “the”; it doesn’t contract with the feminine word “la” or the contracted l’

à + la = à la
à + l’ = à l’

Marie est à la plage
Marie is at the beach

nous mangeons à l’hôtel
we’re eating at the hotel

Let's practise

Have a go at saying these sentences in French. Any vocabulary you might need is on the "Vocabulary" tab below.
Sentences
Vocabulary
  1. I am at the shops
  2. It’s from the hotel
  3. The name of the hotel
  4. The name of the restaurant
  5. He comes from Japan
  6. He’s at the restaurant
  7. He’s going to the school
  8. I am at the hotel
  9. She’s going to the restaurant
  10. He is at the school
  11. He’s coming from the shops
  12. The name of the car
  13. He is going to Japan
  14. The name of the children
  15. She’s at the beach

do you like? – aimez-vous?
do you want? – voulez-vous?
he comes / he’s coming – il vient
he is – il est
he's going – il va
here – ici
I am – je suis
I like – j’aime
is – est
it's – c’est
Japan – le Japon
she is – elle est
she’s going – elle va
the beach – la plage
the car – la voiture
the child – l’enfant
the hotel – l’hôtel
the name – le nom
the restaurant – le restaurant
the school – l’école
the shop – le magasin

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