French Preposition Chart (de vs à) — Editable Excel Reference Worksheet

A one-page decision chart that replaces guesswork on de and à with a clear, top-down rule hierarchy - so learners (and teachers marking their work) know exactly why one applies and not the other.

Part of a wider French grammar reference collection, available separately.

Why this exists
De and à aren’t random - they’re governed by a set of rules that override each other in a fixed order. Most resources list uses of each preposition separately, which hides the fact that some rules always beat others. This chart makes that hierarchy visible.

What it is
A structural reference chart, provided as a print-ready PDF and as an editable Excel worksheet, so you can adapt wording, colours, or layout for your own classroom or printing setup.

What it does well
Replaces memorisation with a top-down decision system - start at Level 1, stop as soon as a rule applies
Shows clearly that some uses override others (article-replacement beats quantity, which beats meaning, which beats verb rules)
Separates article-replacement, quantity, meaning-based, and verb-governed uses
Makes visible why a learner is wrong, not just that they are
Handles de / à consistently across negation, quantities, fixed expressions, and verb constructions

How to use it
Start at Level 1 - is de replacing le / la / un / du / des / au (negation, quantity, number)?
If not, check Level 2 - quantity/partitive uses
If not, check Level 3 - fixed meaning-based uses (origin, destination, time, manner)
If not, check Level 4 - does the verb fix the preposition?
Only if nothing above applies, check Level 5 - verbs that take both, with different meanings

What’s included
1-page PDF (colour)
1-page PDF (black and white)
A3 poster PDF
High-resolution PNG
Editable Excel worksheet (colour) - adapt wording, formatting, and layout for your own printing
Teacher instructions and guidance document (PDF)
Read-me file (PDF)
Licensing and editing notes (PDF)

Who this is for
KS4 French teachers (Years 10-11, GCSE)
Sixth-form and post-16 French programmes
Independent language teachers and tutors
Language centres and private providers

What this chart doesn’t try to do
This isn’t a full preposition list or a substitute for graded teaching and practice. It covers de vs à specifically, using the highest-frequency rules and override points, not every possible preposition or stylistic exception.

Licence
Single-teacher licence, lifetime.
Classroom use permitted for one teacher
Printing and projection allowed for that teacher’s own classes
Not for redistribution, sharing, or resale
Institutional or multi-teacher use is not included - contact support@swiftfrench.com for those enquiries

Part of the SwiftFrench rule-driven grammar reference series.