Countries II
When talking about going “in” or “to” a country in French, the preposition you use depends on the gender of the country’s name and its first letter. French countries are either masculine or feminine, and this gender affects the choice of preposition.
General rules
- Feminine countries: Use “en” for countries that are feminine.
- Example: Je vais en France. (I am going to France.)
- Masculine countries starting with a consonant: Use “au.”
- Example: Il est au Canada. (He is in Canada.)
- Masculine countries starting with a vowel: Use “en.”
- Example: Nous allons en Iran. (We are going to Iran.)
- Plural countries: Use “aux.”
- Example: Ils sont aux États-Unis. (They are in the United States.)
List of feminine countries
- l’Argentine
- l’Australie
- la Barbade
- la Belgique
- la Birmanie
- la Bulgarie
- la Colombie
- la Croatie
- la Dominique
- la France
- la Grèce
- la Hongrie
- l’Inde
- l’Italie
- la Jordanie
- la Lettonie
- la Lituanie
- la Micronésie
- la Norvège
- la Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée
- la Pologne
- la République centrafricaine
- la République tchèque
- la Roumanie
- la Russie
- la Suède
- la Suisse
- la Tunisie
- l’Ukraine
Masculine countries ending in a consonant
- le Brésil
- le Canada
- le Danemark
- le Japon
- le Luxembourg
- le Maroc
- le Mexique
- le Portugal
- le Qatar
- le Sénégal
- le Vietnam
Masculine countries ending in a silent “e”
Some masculine countries end in a silent “e,” even though this is typically a marker of femininity:
- le Belize
- le Cambodge
- le Mexique
- le Mozambique
- le Zaïre
- le Zimbabwe
Usage examples
Je suis allé au Cambodge. (I went to Cambodia.)
Feminine country:
Elle habite en Belgique. (She lives in Belgium.)
Masculine country starting with a consonant:
Il travaille au Japon. (He works in Japan.)
Masculine country starting with a vowel:
Nous voyageons en Afghanistan. (We are traveling to Afghanistan.)
Plural country:
Ils passent leurs vacances aux Philippines. (They are spending their holidays in the Philippines.)
Masculine country ending in silent “e”:
Il va au Cambodge (He is going to Cambodia)
