Question

What is the difference between "au", "en", and "à la"? When I write sentences or answer questions, I'm telling someone I'm going to or from somewhere, and I always get it wrong and get corrected lol.

Answer 1

Okay so “au” is at the, so like “at the mall” is “au centre commercial”. Secondly “en” is in, but not like inside, like “I am in Paris” which is French is “je suis en Paris”. And well lastly a la can mean at, for example “à la maison” which is “at home” but it can also mean like “je vais à la plage” which is “I go to the beach”. Hope this helped :)

Answer 2

“Au” and “à la” both mean “at the”, but the difference is gender. Au is masculine and à la is feminine. En means “in” as in, in a location, not physically inside something. An example of each term, “nous faisions du shopping AU centre commercial” (we are shopping at the mall) “je suis à la cinema” (i am at the movie theater) and finally “je suis en France” (i am in France). Hope this helps!