How to use 'en' in French

En is one of the most common prepositions used in French. It can be used to refer to a number of different things, most notably location, time or state, and usually translates into English as either ‘in’, ‘by’ or ‘to’.

Let's take a look at the different uses of en in French.

We use en when referring to feminine countries or regions (à is used for masculine countries or regions). The exception is when we're referring to the plural form of a country or region, in which case we use au.

Le mois prochain, je vais en Chine - Next month I'm going to China

Il y a nombreux lacs magnifiques en Nouvelle-Aquitaine - There are lots of beautiful lakes in Nouvelle-Aquitaine

We use en when referring a month, year or season (with the exception of printemps, 'spring', which is plural and is preceded instead by au), as in the following:

en deux mille vingt-six - in 2026

en été - in summer

Note that when referring to days of the week, we don’t use any preposition:

mardi - on Tuesday

When referring to a specific time within the day, we use à:

à 5 heures - at 5 o'clock

We also use en when referring to how long something will take:

Je peux faire mes devoirs en dix minutes - I can do my homework in ten minutes

Peut-on apprendre le français en un an ? - Can French be learnt in a year's time?

We use en when describing the type of vehicle you use to get somewhere (although this normally only applies to modes of transport in which the body isn't exposed, for examples le train. For le vélo (bike), la moto (motorcycle), etc., we use à):

Elle est arrivée en avion - She arrived by plane

Je suis allée chez le médecin en voiture - I went to the doctor's by car

En is used when referring to the act of speaking or writing a language:

Le professeur parle à ses élèves en français - The teacher speaks to his pupils in French

Les panneaux étaient écrits en hindi, en gujarati et en anglais - The signs were written in Hindi, Gujarati and English

On est obligé d'être en short par ce temps - One has to wear shorts in this weather

Elle sera en robe verte à la fête - She will wear a green dress to the party

Il disposa la marchandise en ligne - He laid out the wares in a line

Les bougies étaient disposées en cercle - The candles were arranged in a circle

Le magicien a transformé le lapin en chèvre - The magician turned the rabbit into a goat

Coupez le steak en petits morceaux - Chop the steak into small strips

En is also used to form the gerund in French

Il s'est cassé le bras en jouant au rugby - He broke his arm playing rugby

Elle a attrapé un rhume en travaillant - She caught a cold while working

In addition to the above, there are a number of expressions in French which use the preposition en:

Être en avance – To be early

Être en vacances – To be on vacation

Être en retard – To be late

Être en colère – To be angry

Être en danger — to be in danger

Être en vie – To be alive

Être en train de – To be in the process of (doing something)

Être en forme – To be in shape

Être en bonne santé – To be healthy

Être en panne – To be out of order

En même temps — at the same time

Être en sécurité — to be safe

Être en difficulté — to be in difficulty

Être en crise — to be in crisis

Être en deuil — to be mourning

Être en liberté — to be free