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La boulangerie est près du coin de la place.

La boulangerie est près du coin de la place.
The bakery is near the corner of the square.
From Lesson 36:The preposition from/of (de, du, des)·French

Questions & Answers about La boulangerie est près du coin de la place.

Why is it du coin instead of de le coin?
In French, when the preposition de (of/from) is followed by the masculine word for "the" (le), they must combine into a single word: du. Since coin (corner) is masculine, de + le coin becomes du coin.
Why didn't de la place contract into a single word too?
The word place (square) is feminine, so it uses la for "the". Unlike de + le, the combination de + la never contracts. It always remains as two separate words.
Why is there a du after près? Does près always need it?
The French word for "near" or "close to" is actually a two-word phrase: près de. Because the following noun (coin) requires the masculine article le, the de from près de merges with le to form du. You will almost always see a form of de after près when saying you are near a specific thing.
Does the French word place mean the same thing as "place" in English?
Not quite! They are "false friends." In this sentence, place means a public square or plaza in a town. To say "a place" in the general English sense of a location, you would use a different word, such as un endroit.

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