Learn when to use avant and devant in French
It's easy to confuse avant and devant because they both mean 'before' but it's simply a question of time or space:
| time: |
avant (before) |
après (after) |
| space |
devant (in front of) |
derrière (behind) |
NB: A queue or line has both a sense of space and time so you can use both expressions (this is true in English too: "I'm in front of you / after you")
NB: Sometimes in English you can use both 'before' and 'in front of' in a sense of space. In these cases in French, you can only use devant as it is the space-related preposition.
Compare this with the lesson Dans/sur/sous/devant/derrière/entre = in/on top of/under/in front of/behind/between (French Prepositions of Location)
See also À + [heure] = At + [time] in French
and En vs Dans with time (French Prepositions of Time)
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
I stand in front of him.
My brother is sitting in the row in front of me.
Tu es avant moi dans la queue.You are in front of me in the queue.
You are before me in the queue.
