en France, au Portugal, à Paris
CEFR B1 · part 2
edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
on, the French way to be impersonalUsing on where your language uses a passive, and building the être passive only when it…After a preposition, the infinitiveUsing en + present participle for simultaneity, and an infinitive after any preposition.After si, never the futureBuilding all three conditional types, and never putting a future or conditional after si.Spoken French and written FrenchRecognising what is normal in speech but not in writing, and switching register without…celui, celle, ceux, cellesReplacing the noun without repeating it, and always following the pronoun with de, qui…le mien, le tien, le sienAnswering «whose is it?» without repeating the noun, with the article in front and…The rule, in three lines
To go: en with feminine countries and those starting with a vowel; au with masculine ones; aux with plurals; and à with cities. To come from: de with feminines and cities, du with masculines, des with plurals.
The usual slip. Using à with countries: «à France». À is for cities only; countries take en, au or aux.
Why it catches you out. English uses to for everything —to France, to Portugal, to Paris— so French has four prepositions where you have one, and choosing by gender is entirely new.