The Preposition à (to / at)
In French, the preposition à is used to express going "to" a destination or being "at" a location. When you use à with a definite article (le, la, l', les), the two words sometimes blend together into a contraction.
No Contraction: à la & à l'
If the place is feminine (la) or starts with a vowel or silent h (l'), there is no contraction. You simply use à la or à l'.
| I am going to the university tomorrow. | Je vais à l'université demain. |
| I work at the library on weekends. | Je travaille à la bibliothèque le week-end. |
| Are you going to the pharmacy or to the hospital? | Tu vas à la pharmacie ou à l'hôpital ? |
The Masculine Contraction: au (à + le)
When a destination is masculine, you cannot say à le. Instead, à and le contract to form the word au.
| Are you going to the mall with them? | Tu vas au centre commercial avec eux ? |
| We are going to the theater tonight. | Nous allons au théâtre ce soir. |
The Plural Contraction: aux (à + les)
If the destination is plural, à and les contract to form aux. This is true for both masculine and feminine plural nouns.
Note that in French, the restroom is always expressed in the plural (les toilettes), so you will always use aux when talking about going there!
| The child is going to the restroom. | L'enfant va aux toilettes. |
| I often go to the concerts with my friend. | Je vais souvent aux concerts avec mon ami. |
Summary Table
Here is a quick reference for combining à with definite articles:
| Article | Preposition + Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la (feminine) | à la | à la pharmacie |
| l' (vowel / silent h) | à l' | à l'hôpital |
| le (masculine) | au | au théâtre |
| les (plural) | aux | aux magasins |
