When mapping out a French road trip or island getaway, the words for "in" or "to" change depending on the region's gender and the type of island.
Feminine regions and large islands: en
Most French regions and provinces end in -e and are feminine (like la Bretagne). To say you are going to or are in a feminine region, use en and drop the article la.
This also applies to large European islands, such as la Corse (Corsica) and la Sicile (Sicily).
| We are traveling in Brittany by camper van to see the picturesque landscapes. | Nous voyageons en Bretagne en camping-car pour voir les paysages pittoresques. |
| The camper van whose owner is nice is perfect for going to Corsica. | Le camping-car dont le propriétaire est sympa est parfait pour aller en Corse. |
| After having traveled in Sicily, we tasted the local specialty. | Après avoir voyagé en Sicile, nous avons goûté la spécialité locale. |
Masculine regions: dans le
Many masculine regions and historical provinces use dans le ("in the") instead of en. Common examples include le Périgord and le Languedoc.
| I am going to the Perigord in order to taste the local specialty. | Je vais dans le Périgord afin de goûter la spécialité locale. |
| We are going to travel in the Languedoc after having visited the Perigord. | Nous allons voyager dans le Languedoc après avoir visité le Périgord. |
Distant standalone islands: à
Unlike large European islands, many solitary islands—especially outside Europe—don't use an article (just Tahiti, not la Tahiti). For these standalone islands, use the preposition à.
| You are going to Tahiti in order to see this picturesque landscape. | Vous allez à Tahiti afin de voir ce paysage pittoresque. |
| He lived in Madagascar, and he remembers it very well. | Il a habité à Madagascar, et il s'en souvient très bien. |
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