Quick answer
What are the most important French prepositions to know for TCF/TEF Canada?
The prepositions that appear most often in TCF and TEF Canada writing tasks are à, de, en, dans, sur, pour, avec, sans, and par. For the writing sections, the ones that lose candidates the most marks are à/en/au with geographical names (cities vs. countries), and en/dans/depuis/pendant with time expressions. Both the TCF Canada and TEF Canada assess grammatical accuracy as a scored criterion, so preposition errors do count against your band score. Learning the rules for these eight to ten prepositions is sufficient for NCLC 7 (B2) writing performance.
Prepositions are short words that connect nouns, pronouns, and phrases to the rest of a sentence. In French they cause a disproportionate number of errors among English speakers, not because they are complicated in isolation, but because they do not map cleanly onto English equivalents. "I am in Paris" becomes "Je suis à Paris," not "Je suis en Paris" or "Je suis dans Paris." A single-word swap changes what is grammatically correct. For TCF and TEF Canada candidates working toward NCLC 7 or higher, getting these right in the expression écrite section is the difference between a B1 and a B2 score band.
Why prepositions cost you points on the exam
A preposition connects a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence, expressing a relationship of place, time, manner, or purpose. In French, prepositions also determine the form of the article that follows them: "de le" contracts to "du," and "à le" becomes "au." This means a wrong preposition choice can produce a grammatical cascade. On both the TCF Canada and TEF Canada writing sections, examiners score grammatical accuracy separately from vocabulary and organisation. A response full of accurate vocabulary but consistent preposition errors will plateau below B2.
According to France Education International, the TCF Canada expression écrite section requires candidates to produce three written tasks of increasing length and complexity, with grammatical accuracy assessed as a distinct scoring criterion at each level (France Education International, TCF Canada, france-education-international.fr).
The nine core French prepositions
Most preposition work on the exam comes down to nine words. The table below gives each one its primary meaning, a note on the pattern that governs it, and an example sentence drawn from immigration and daily life contexts that appear in TCF and TEF writing prompts.
| Préposition | Primary meaning(s) | Key rule | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| à | at, in, to | Used with cities; contracts with "le" → au, "les" → aux | Il est arrivé à Montréal en janvier. |
| de | of, from, about | Contracts with "le" → du, "les" → des; used with "venir de" for origin | Elle vient du Maroc et parle couramment le français. |
| en | in, to, by (mode of transport) | Feminine countries, months, seasons, years; no article after "en" | Nous partons en France en automne. |
| dans | in, inside | Enclosed physical spaces; future time ("in X minutes/days") | Les documents sont dans le dossier. Mon rendez-vous est dans trois jours. |
| sur | on, about | Physical surface contact; also abstract ("un article sur l'immigration") | J'ai lu un rapport sur les politiques d'immigration. |
| pour | for (purpose, destination) | Indicates purpose or intended recipient; not used for ongoing duration | Je prépare cet examen pour obtenir la résidence permanente. |
| avec | with | Accompaniment or manner; consistent across all genders and numbers | Elle prépare son dossier avec soin. |
| sans | without | No article in most cases ("sans argent," not "sans de l'argent") | Il a répondu sans hésitation. |
| par | by, through, per | Agent in passive voice; means of transmission; rate expressions | La demande doit être soumise par courrier électronique. |
Prepositions of place in French
Place prepositions describe where things are relative to each other. The simple ones (sur, sous, dans, devant, derrière, entre) work directly before a noun. The compound prepositions (à côté de, en face de, près de, loin de) are followed by "de," which then contracts with any masculine or plural noun that follows. In the TCF writing tasks, you will often describe a scene, a neighbourhood, or a situation, and using these accurately shows spatial awareness in formal French.
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sur | on | Les papiers sont sur le bureau. |
| sous | under | La valise est sous le lit. |
| devant | in front of | Il attend devant le bureau d'immigration. |
| derrière | behind | Le parking est derrière l'immeuble. |
| entre | between | Le centre-ville est entre la gare et le port. |
| à côté de | next to | L'école est à côté du parc. |
| en face de | opposite, facing | La bibliothèque est en face de la mairie. |
| près de | near | Nous habitons près du centre-ville. |
| loin de | far from | Ce quartier est loin du métro. |
| au milieu de | in the middle of | La fontaine est au milieu de la place. |
Prepositions with cities, countries, and regions
The geographical preposition rule is the one I spend the most time on with my students. It is fully predictable once you know the gender of the country, but English speakers find it strange at first because English makes no such distinction. Cities take "à." Feminine countries take "en." Masculine countries take "au." Plural country names take "aux."
Countries and regions ending in -e are feminine: France, Espagne, Tunisie, Belgique, Normandie. Countries beginning with a vowel also take "en" regardless of gender: en Iran, en Irak. Countries ending in a consonant or a non-e vowel are masculine: le Canada, le Japon, le Maroc, le Brésil. These take "au." The United States is plural: aux États-Unis.
- Je vis à Montréal. (city)
- Je vis au Canada. (masculine country)
- J'ai grandi en Algérie. (feminine country)
- Ils viennent des États-Unis. (plural country, "de + les" = "des")
- Il a étudié en Iran. (starts with vowel)
Where candidates lose marks on the writing section is writing "Je vis en Canada" or "Je suis à France." Both of these appear in exam scripts every day. They are not subtle errors; they are the kind that a B2 candidate is expected to have eliminated.
IRCC's language testing requirements for Express Entry specify that French proficiency must be demonstrated across four skills including writing, where grammar and syntax accuracy are evaluated by certified examiners for CLB equivalency scoring (IRCC, Language testing for Express Entry, canada.ca).
Prepositions of time: en, dans, depuis, pendant
This is where I see the most confusion, even among candidates who are otherwise quite strong. The problem is that English uses "for," "in," and "since" in overlapping ways that do not mirror French at all. There are four prepositions to separate cleanly.
En expresses how long a completed action takes: J'ai rédigé la lettre en vingt minutes. It also marks months, seasons, and years: en mars, en été, en 2026. The one exception is spring: "au printemps."
Dans points to a future moment measured from now: Je passerai l'examen dans deux semaines. English speakers make the mistake of saying "Je pars en cinq minutes" when the correct form is "Je pars dans cinq minutes." The action has not happened yet; it is coming up.
Depuis describes an action that started in the past and is still ongoing. It takes the present tense in French, not a past tense: J'étudie le français depuis trois ans (I have been studying French for three years, and I still am). Using "pendant" here, or switching to the passé composé, changes the meaning entirely.
Pendant marks a completed duration: J'ai habité à Lyon pendant cinq ans. The action is over. The contrast with "depuis" is the most common time-preposition error I correct.
French grammar resources identify "depuis vs. pendant" and "dans vs. en" as the two most frequently confused temporal preposition pairs among intermediate English-speaking learners of French, with "depuis" in particular requiring the present tense where English uses the present perfect (Kwiziq French, "Dans vs en," french.kwiziq.com).
How prepositions appear in TCF and TEF Canada writing tasks
The writing sections on both exams are more structured than many candidates expect. The TCF Canada expression écrite requires three tasks: a short message (60 to 120 words), a more formal piece such as an article or letter (120 to 150 words), and a comparative argument (120 to 180 words). The TEF Canada writing section has two tasks of similar register. Both exams are handwritten on paper, with no spellcheck.
Prepositions appear in the writing section in several predictable ways:
- Describing a location or situation: task prompts often involve your city, neighbourhood, or a public service. Getting "à / au / en" right with place names matters here.
- Linking clauses with purpose or cause: "pour + infinitive" for purpose (Je prépare ce dossier pour obtenir la résidence permanente), "par" for cause in formal writing (agir par nécessité).
- Writing about duration or deadlines: time prepositions are almost unavoidable in any prompt about immigration, work, or daily life.
- Formal passive constructions: TEF Task 2 and TCF Task 3 both reward formal register. Passive voice uses "par" (La décision a été prise par le comité), and getting this right is a B2 signal to the examiner.
Examiners scoring at B2 (NCLC 7) look for varied sentence structure and accurate use of connectors alongside prepositions. Linking expressions like en raison de (because of), à cause de (due to, often negative), grâce à (thanks to), and par conséquent (consequently) all involve prepositions and are worth practising as units.
Common preposition errors made by English speakers
After ten years of working with TCF and TEF candidates, the errors I see are not random. They cluster around specific prepositions. Here are the ones worth fixing before your exam.
The first is using "pour" for every sense of the English word "for." "Pour" is for purpose or recipient. "Pendant" is for a completed duration. "Depuis" is for an ongoing one. "En" is for the time a task takes. Writing "J'ai étudié pour trois ans" is the most common version of this error.
The second is writing "en Canada" instead of "au Canada." Canada is masculine ("le Canada"), so it takes "au." This appears in nearly every batch of practice scripts I review. It is a rule, not a style choice, and examiners note it.
The third is confusing "à" and "dans" for physical location. "Dans la rue" means inside the street as a contained space. "Il habite dans la rue Principale" is correct. But "à la gare" means at the station as a general location. The difference is whether you are inside the space or at a point.
The fourth is dropping "de" in compound prepositions. "À côté de," "en face de," "près de," and "loin de" all need the "de." Writing "à côté le parc" instead of "à côté du parc" is a straightforward error that puts you at B1 rather than B2.
The fifth is using the wrong preposition with transport. The rule is "en" for enclosed vehicles (en voiture, en avion, en train, en métro), but "à" for modes where you are exposed (à vélo, à pied, à moto). This is a small detail, but it appears in writing prompts about daily life and commuting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between "dans" and "en" in French?
"En" expresses how long something takes to be completed, for example J'ai fini l'exercice en dix minutes (I finished the exercise in ten minutes). "Dans" points to a future moment, for example Je partirai dans dix minutes (I will leave in ten minutes). Confusing the two is one of the most common preposition errors on the TEF Canada writing section, where candidates often write Je pars en 5 minutes when the correct form is Je pars dans 5 minutes.
When do I use "à", "en", or "au/aux" before a country name in French?
Cities take "à" (je suis à Paris, je vais à Toronto). Countries follow gender rules: feminine countries (most ending in -e) take "en" (en France, en Espagne). Masculine countries take "au" (au Canada, au Japon). Plural country names take "aux" (aux États-Unis). Countries beginning with a vowel also take "en" regardless of gender (en Iran, en Irak). This distinction comes up regularly in the TCF expression écrite when writing about immigration contexts.
What is the difference between "depuis", "pendant", and "pour" with time expressions?
"Depuis" describes an ongoing action that started in the past and is still continuing, and it takes the present tense in French: J'étudie le français depuis deux ans (I have been studying French for two years, and I still am). "Pendant" describes a completed duration: J'ai étudié pendant six mois avant l'examen. "Pour" is for intended future duration: Je pars pour trois semaines. English speakers often default to "pour" for all three meanings, which loses marks on the writing sections.
Do preposition errors affect TCF and TEF Canada writing scores?
Yes, directly. Both exams assess grammatical accuracy as a distinct criterion alongside vocabulary range and text organisation. Repeated preposition errors, particularly with "à/en/dans" for location and time, pull your score below B2 (NCLC 7). Prepositions follow learnable rules, not arbitrary lists. Once you apply the gender-of-country rule and the duration-vs-elapsed-time distinction for time prepositions, most frequent errors stop appearing in your writing.
