What are the main adverbs of place in French?

Ici, là, là-bas, partout, ailleurs, nulle part, quelque part, dedans, dehors, dessus, dessous, devant, derrière, loin, près, en haut, and en bas. They tell you where without naming the place.

What's the difference between dans and dedans?

Dans is a preposition and needs a noun after it: dans la voiture. Dedans is an adverb and stands alone: mes clés sont dedans. English uses in for both, which is why learners try to end a sentence with dans, something French never allows.

How do you say nowhere in French?

Nulle part, with ne in front of the verb: je ne le trouve nulle part. In compound tenses it goes after the past participle: je ne suis allé nulle part. It behaves like personne rather than like pas.

When do I use y instead of a place adverb?

When the place has already been named with a preposition. Tu vas à Paris ? — J'y vais lundi. Y is a pronoun and stands in front of the verb, whereas adverbs like là and partout come after it.

What's the difference between dessus and au-dessus?

Dessus means on it, in contact with the surface: le prix est écrit dessus. Au-dessus means above, higher up, and takes de before a noun: il habite au-dessus de nous. The same distinction separates dessous from au-dessous.

French grammar · Beginner

French Adverbs of Place: Partout, Ailleurs, Dehors, Dessus

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Adverbs of place answer the question où: ici, là, partout, ailleurs, dehors, dessus, loin. Many of them are the adverbial twin of a preposition — dans becomes dedans, sur becomes dessus — and the difference is whether a noun follows. A preposition needs one; an adverb stands alone.

Je l'ai cherché partout, mais il n'était nulle part.

I looked for it everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found.

What it is

An adverb of place tells you where an action happens without naming the place. That's the whole distinction French draws: sur la table names it and is a preposition, dessus doesn't and is an adverb. English blurs the two by reusing the same words, which is why French seems to have twice as many.

Le livre est sur la table. Le vase est dessus aussi. — The book is on the table. The vase is on it too.

How to spot it

Check whether a noun follows. If it does, you need a preposition. If the place is already understood, you need the adverb.

Reste dehors. — Stay outside. (no noun, adverb)
Il est parti ailleurs. — He's gone somewhere else.
Cherche dessous. — Look underneath.
On en trouve partout. — You find them everywhere.

Dedans, dessus, and dessous exist precisely because dans, sur, and sous cannot be left dangling at the end of a sentence.

Adverbs of Place Quick Reference

Adverbs of place and their prepositional twins

Adverb	Preposition	Example
dedans (inside)	dans (in)	dans la boîte / il est dedans
dessus (on top)	sur (on)	sur l'étagère / pose-le dessus
dessous (underneath)	sous (under)	sous le lit / regarde dessous
dehors (outside)	hors de (out of)	hors du bâtiment / attends dehors
devant (in front)	devant (in front of)	devant la porte / passe devant
derrière (behind)	derrière (behind)	derrière la maison / il est derrière
loin (far)	loin de (far from)	loin de Paris / c'est loin
près (near)	près de (near)	près de la gare / c'est tout près

Common Adverbs of Place Examples in French

Adverbs of place grouped by what they describe:

Everywhere and Nowhere

On trouve ces fleurs partout en France.: You find these flowers all over France.
Je ne le vois nulle part.: I can't see it anywhere.
Il doit être quelque part dans le salon.: It must be somewhere in the living room.
Allons ailleurs, c'est trop bruyant.: Let's go somewhere else, it's too noisy.

Nulle part is a negative and needs ne in front of the verb, exactly like jamais and rien.

Inside, Outside, Above, Below

Ne reste pas dehors, il pleut.: Don't stay outside, it's raining.
Ouvre la boîte, la clé est dedans.: Open the box, the key's inside.
Les serviettes sont là, le savon est dessous.: The towels are there, the soap's underneath.
Monte, la chambre est en haut.: Go up, the bedroom's upstairs.

En haut and en bas cover upstairs and downstairs, and là-haut means up there.

Near and Far

La boulangerie est tout près.: The bakery is very close.
C'est encore loin ?: Is it still far ?
Il habite juste à côté.: He lives right next door.
Regarde autour, il n'y a personne.: Look around, there's nobody there.

Tout près and juste à côté are the everyday ways to say very close, and both drop the de of the prepositional form.

Front and Back

Passe devant, je te suis.: Go in front, I'll follow you.
Les enfants sont assis derrière.: The children are sitting in the back.
Il est resté en arrière.: He stayed behind.
Fais un pas en avant.: Take a step forward.

Devant and derrière are the two words that serve as both preposition and adverb without changing form.

How Adverbs of Place Are Used

Their placement is regular, but the boundary with prepositions and pronouns is where the errors live.

No Noun Means an Adverb

Dans, sur, and sous must be followed by a noun. When the noun has already been mentioned and you want to leave it out, French switches to dedans, dessus, and dessous instead of stranding the preposition.

Voilà une chaise, mets ton manteau dessus.

There's a chair, put your coat on it.

Noun → preposition. No noun → adverb.

They Follow the Verb

In simple tenses the adverb comes after the verb: il attend dehors. In compound tenses it goes after the past participle rather than splitting the verb, because place adverbs are heavier than adverbs like déjà.

Nous avons cherché partout.

We looked everywhere.

avons cherché partout, not *avons partout cherché.

Nulle Part Is a Negative

It needs ne before the verb, and it sits after the past participle in compound tenses, unlike pas. Je ne suis allé nulle part is the pattern.

Il n'est allé nulle part cet été.

He didn't go anywhere this summer.

ne + verb + participle + nulle part.

Y Replaces a Named Place

If the place was introduced by à, dans, sur, or another preposition, the pronoun y replaces the whole phrase and goes in front of the verb. This is the main alternative to using a place adverb.

Tu vas à la piscine ? — J'y vais demain.

Are you going to the pool ? — I'm going tomorrow.

Prepositional phrase → y before the verb.

Dropping De Turns a Preposition into an Adverb

Près de, loin de, à côté de, and au-dessus de all lose their de when there's no noun left to attach. C'est près de la gare becomes c'est tout près.

La poste ? C'est juste à côté.

The post office ? It's right next door.

No noun → no de.

Common Mistakes with Adverbs of Place

Incorrect: Mets ton manteau sur. — Put your coat on it.

Correct: Mets ton manteau dessus. — Put your coat on it.

French prepositions cannot be left dangling. When the noun is dropped, sur has to become dessus, dans has to become dedans, and sous has to become dessous.

Incorrect: Je n'ai nulle part été. — I didn't go anywhere.

Correct: Je ne suis allé nulle part. — I didn't go anywhere.

Nulle part is one of the negative words that stays after the past participle rather than splitting the verb. It also needs ne in front of the auxiliary.

Incorrect: C'est près de. — It's very close.

Correct: C'est tout près. — It's very close.

Près de is a preposition and requires a noun. With nothing following, the de disappears and près stands alone as an adverb.

Incorrect: Tu vas au marché ? Oui, je vais là. — Are you going to the market ? Yes, I'm going there.

Correct: Tu vas au marché ? Oui, j'y vais. — Are you going to the market ? Yes, I'm going there.

A place already named by a prepositional phrase is replaced by the pronoun y, which goes in front of the verb. Là would suggest you're pointing at something.

The Adverbs Built from Prepositions

Dedans, dessus, and dessous are the ones learners avoid, usually by stranding a preposition the way English does.

Dedans, dessus, dessous

Use them when the noun has already been mentioned or is obvious from the situation.

J'ai ouvert le tiroir : il n'y avait rien dedans.: I opened the drawer: there was nothing inside.
Le prix est écrit dessus.: The price is written on it.
Soulève le tapis et regarde dessous.: Lift the rug and look underneath.

There is no French equivalent of on it at the end of a sentence: dessus is the whole phrase.

Au-dessus and au-dessous

Adding au- gives above and below rather than directly on and directly under, and both take de before a noun.

L'appartement au-dessus est vide.: The flat above is empty.
Il habite au-dessus de la boulangerie.: He lives above the bakery.
La température est au-dessous de zéro.: The temperature is below zero.

Au-dessus de and sur are not interchangeable: sur means in contact, au-dessus de means higher up.

Dehors and hors de

Dehors is the adverb; hors de and en dehors de are the prepositional forms used before a noun.

Il fait froid dehors.: It's cold outside.
C'est hors de question.: That's out of the question.
En dehors de lui, personne ne le sait.: Apart from him, nobody knows.

Mettre quelqu'un dehors means to throw someone out, and is one of the most common uses of the word.

Adverbs of Place FAQs

What are the main adverbs of place in French?: Ici, là, là-bas, partout, ailleurs, nulle part, quelque part, dedans, dehors, dessus, dessous, devant, derrière, loin, près, en haut, and en bas. They tell you where without naming the place.
What's the difference between dans and dedans?: Dans is a preposition and needs a noun after it: dans la voiture. Dedans is an adverb and stands alone: mes clés sont dedans. English uses in for both, which is why learners try to end a sentence with dans, something French never allows.
How do you say nowhere in French?: Nulle part, with ne in front of the verb: je ne le trouve nulle part. In compound tenses it goes after the past participle: je ne suis allé nulle part. It behaves like personne rather than like pas.
When do I use y instead of a place adverb?: When the place has already been named with a preposition. Tu vas à Paris ? — J'y vais lundi. Y is a pronoun and stands in front of the verb, whereas adverbs like là and partout come after it.
What's the difference between dessus and au-dessus?: Dessus means on it, in contact with the surface: le prix est écrit dessus. Au-dessus means above, higher up, and takes de before a noun: il habite au-dessus de nous. The same distinction separates dessous from au-dessous.