J'habite à Toronto dans Canada.

Question

Is dans correct and does it matter if city or country goes first?

Accepted Answer

J'habite à Toronto au Canada.

Answer

This is a really sticky one. Part of the problem is learning the gender of all the world's countries. But there are some tricks.

With some exceptions (le Belize, le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique, le Zaïre, le Zimbabwe) all countries that end in "e" are feminine. The rest are masculine.

If a country is masculine and starts with a consonant, use:
     au (to or in)      du (from

If a country is masculine and starts with a vowel, use:
     en (to or in)     d' (from)

If a country is feminine, use:
     en (to or in)     de / d' (from)

If a country is plural, use:
     aux (to or in)     des (from)

You can forget "dans" with a country. And the city and country can come in either order, as long as the prepositions are correct. Good luck!

Answer

So the correct form would be J'habite à Toronto au Canada? And J'habite au  Canada à Toronto would also be correct?

Answer

Superb! Merci David et Michelle!

Answer

Yes. But with a city like Toronto or New York (where I live) there's really no need to say the country. So you're off the hook!

Bonus tip: if you're a native of a city or country, you can use the adjective form of that country or city plus "de souche."

"Je suis New Yorkais de souche."

"Je suis français de souche."