I don't understand the explanation

Question

It says:

You use à when describing going to or being in a city.

And you use de to indicate being, coming or returning from a city.

So then how do you decide if you want to express being in a city since you use both de and à?

Accepted Answer

Hi Tibor, 
I can see why you would be confused. You would only use 'de' with the verb 'être' when you want to say where you were born really -

J'habite à Chartres mais je suis de Versailles = I live in Chartres but I come from Versailles 
Je suis à Londres = I am in London 
Je suis de Londres = I am from London

Prepositions are difficult as in French we often use different ones from the ones used in English.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Hi Tibor,"You use à when describing going to or being in a city."  In the case above à represents "to" or "at" "de to indicate being, coming or returning from a city."   In this case above "de" represents "from" or "of origin"It can be tricky I agree, but these two prepositions have multiple meanings depending upon the context, so I suggest that you study each in any quality dictionary.Hope this helpsBonne continuation.Jim

Answer

À is used to express being IN a city. De is used to express being FROM a city. In other words, two different states of BEING

Answer

À is used to express being IN a city. De is used to express being FROM a city. In other words, two different states of BEING