en use with masculine countries

Question

Hi,

The lesson says "[f]or pronunciation reasons, you will use en with masculine countries starting with a vowel". I was wondering if it is also written out in this way or if it is only pronounced this way and the au preposition is maintained for singular masculine countries in writing.

Also, does this rule apply to countries with aux as their preposition? For example, would the aux of États-Unis become en?

Thanks!

Accepted Answer

Bonjour Jay,

en + masculine countries (singular) starting with a vowel:
en Iran [pronounced: enIran]= in Iran
en Équateur [pronounce: enÉquataur] = in Ecuador

au + masculine countries (singular):
au Vénézuéla = in Venezuela

aux + masculine countries (plural):
Les Pays-Bas = the Netherlands -> aux Pays-Bas = in the Netherlands
Les Etats-Unis = the USA -> aux Etats-Unis = in the USA

I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !