Use of en

Conor O.B1Kwiziq community member

Use of en

Is there away of knowing when to use en/ Dan's when refering to some of the above examples? Why would it not be right to say "Je crois dans la vie après la mort??

Asked 5 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Conor, 

Just to add to Chris’ excellent answer, the expression is -

‘croire en quelque chose’ = to believe in something

For instance -

Je crois en Dieu = I believe in God

Il croit en nous = He believes in us

Hope this helps!

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

En is a general "in", it can also be used figuratively. Dans is the more literal spatial preposition "in".

In the sentence "to believe in life after death", the preposition "in" is not a literal "inside" and therefore en is the appropriate preposition to use.

Here is another example which demonstrates the difference nicely:

Être en prison. -- to be imprisoned.
Être dans la prison. -- to be inside the prison building (not necessarily as an inmate).

Use of en

Is there away of knowing when to use en/ Dan's when refering to some of the above examples? Why would it not be right to say "Je crois dans la vie après la mort??

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