Joined Preposition & Pronouns

01

Contractions with 'À' (To, At)

When à is followed by the masculine singular article le, they combine to form au. When followed by the plural article les, they combine to form aux.

• à + le → au
• à + les → aux

• Je vais au cinéma.

  I am going to the cinema.

• Il donne des bonbons aux enfants.

  He gives candy to the children.

• Nous sommes au bureau.

  We are at the office.

02

Contractions with 'De' (Of, From)

Similarly, when de is followed by the masculine singular article le, they become du. When followed by the plural article les, they become des.

• de + le → du
• de + les → des

• C'est le vélo du garçon.

  It is the boy's bike. (literally: of the boy)

• Je rentre des vacances.

  I am returning from vacation.

• Le prix du pain a augmenté.

  The price of bread has increased.

03

When NOT to Contract

Contractions only occur with masculine singular and plural articles. There is no contraction if the noun is feminine (la) or if the noun starts with a vowel or a silent 'h' (l'). In these cases, the preposition and the article remain separate words.

• à + la remains à la
• de + la remains de la
• à + l' remains à l'
• de + l' remains de l'

• Je vais à la plage.

  I am going to the beach.

• Elle parle à l'ami de Pierre.

  She is speaking to Pierre's friend.

• La porte de la maison est ouverte.

  The door of the house is open.

04

Exception: Object Pronouns

It is important to distinguish between le and les as articles (which introduce nouns) and as pronouns (which replace nouns).

If le or les are used as direct object pronouns appearing before a verb, they do not contract with the preposition. This is most common with the structure de + infinitive verb.

• J'ai décidé de le faire.

  I decided to do it. (No contraction because 'le' refers to 'it')

• Il est temps de les manger.

  It is time to eat them. (No contraction because 'les' refers to 'them')