French language Q&A Forum

My understanding is that you use dans when referring to a specific place (which is preceded by an article) while en is used to refer to a more general, abstract or symbolic place (no article). 

Je suis dans la classe. vs Il est en classe.

I’m in the classroom. vs He is in class.

But then the following example is given that confuses me:

Je vais en ville - I’m going TO town. Why is it not written using “à?”

Thank you for any help!

Please can you explain the ending of the word "partir" for me in this instance? I put "is" and it was incorrect, 

many thanks, Marie

Can we use the expression "ça roule" as a casual equivalent to "ça va" while writing a letter to a friend?

In the test question with the magic beanstalks, the only accepted answer is Jack got off the magic bean stalk.

In three dictionaries that I have looked up (especially Le Robert & Collins), one of the meanings of decendre with etre is to 'climb down (a tree). Now the preposition 'from' is missing in those definitions but is that so significant a difference that the answer 'Jack climbed down the magic beanstalk" becomes incorrect.

What is the difference between 'du côté de' and 'au côté de' ?

Vingt-trois heures trente-cinq might be a clumsy way of expressing 'twenty five to midnight' but surely it is not incorrect?