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Articles with dans and en

HigherHigher tier onlyAQA

Learn Articles with dans and en for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Higher tier exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). An article is used after dans but omitted after en.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

This is a Higher tier only topic, so there's no Foundation paper — only the Higher worksheet and mark scheme below.

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

The prepositions dans and en both translate as in, but they behave completely differently with articles. This is a Higher-only topic.

Dans is followed by an article: dans la maison, dans le jardin, dans les rues. It usually refers to a specific, physical inside — actually within the walls of something.

En is followed by no article at all: en France, en voiture, en été, en français. It is used with feminine countries, methods of transport, seasons other than summer, languages and abstract states. The rule to hold onto is simple: dans takes an article, en does not. Writing en la France is a clear error.

Revision notes

Dans takes an article

Dans la maison, dans le jardin, dans les rues, dans une boîte.

It refers to a specific physical inside — actually within something. The article is always present and must match the noun's gender and number.

En takes no article

En France, en voiture, en été, en français, en retard.

Used with feminine countries, transport, seasons except summer, languages and states. No article ever follows en, which is the clearest distinction between the two.

Choosing between them

Ask whether you mean physically inside something specific — that is dans.

For a country, a means of transport, a season, a language or a state, use en with no article. En France means in France; dans la France would be wrong.

Key points

  • Dans is followed by an article.
  • Dans means physically inside something.
  • En is followed by no article.
  • En is used with feminine countries.
  • En is used with transport and seasons.
  • En la France is always wrong.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: in France. [2 marks]

Working

en Franceuse en with the country
No article follows en, so la is omittedexplain the omission

Example 2

Translate: in the garden. [2 marks]

Working

dans le jardinuse dans for a specific physical place
Dans is followed by the article leinclude the required article

Example 3

Explain the main difference between dans and en. [2 marks]

Working

Dans is always followed by an article, such as dans la maisonstate the dans rule
whereas en is never followed by an article, as in en Francestate the en rule

Common mistakes

  • Adding an article after en.

    En la France is wrong; it is en France.

  • Omitting the article after dans.

    Dans jardin is wrong; it is dans le jardin.

  • Using dans for countries.

    Feminine countries take en.

  • Using en for a specific physical inside.

    Dans is needed for actually within something.

Exam tips

  • Remember dans takes an article, en does not.
  • Use en for countries, transport and seasons.
  • Use dans for physical insides.
  • Remember this is a Higher-only topic.

Key terms

Dans
In, followed by an article.
En
In, followed by no article.
Preposition
A word showing position or relationship.
Feminine country
A country taking en, such as la France.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.