Breakdown of La chaise est à côté de la table.
être
to be
la table
the table
la chaise
the chair
à côté de
next to
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Questions & Answers about La chaise est à côté de la table.
Why do we say à côté de the table instead of just à côté?
In French, à côté is incomplete on its own when you want to specify what something is next to. You always follow à côté with de (+ a noun), so à côté de literally means “next to” or “beside.” Without de, the phrase has no object.
Why is it de la table and not du table?
French contracts de + le into du, but la does not contract: de + la stays de la. Since table is feminine singular, you need de la table, not du table.
Can we use indefinite articles here, like une chaise and une table, instead of la?
Yes, if you’re introducing objects for the first time or speaking non-specifically, you could say Une chaise est à côté d’une table. But if you’re talking about a particular chair and a particular table both speaker and listener know, you use the definite articles la chaise and la table.
Why is the verb est used instead of something like se trouve?
Est is the third-person singular of être, meaning “is.” It’s perfectly fine and very common in simple location sentences. Se trouve (literally “finds itself”) is a bit more formal or descriptive: La chaise se trouve à côté de la table. Both express location, but est is shorter and more everyday.
Can we drop the article before table after à côté de?
No. Prepositions like de require you to keep the definite or indefinite article with the noun. If you drop the article, it becomes ungrammatical: à côté de table is incorrect. Always use de la table, du livre, de l’école, etc.
Is there any difference between à côté de and près de?
Yes. Both mean “near,” but à côté de implies immediate adjacency—right beside something. Près de is more general “close to,” which could be a few feet or meters away. For a chair touching the table or directly beside it, à côté de is more precise.
Why are both chaise and table feminine?
Nouns in French have grammatical gender which must be memorized. Chaise and table both end with the typical feminine ending -e, but endings aren’t foolproof indicators. Always learn the article (une/la vs. un/le) with a new noun.
Could we start the sentence with À côté de la table instead?
Yes. French allows you to front a location phrase for emphasis or style:
— À côté de la table, la chaise est bleue.
This means “Beside the table, the chair is blue,” putting initial focus on the location.