Use of en

Question

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??

Cécile Janty-Davies · Accepted 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 Wirt · Answer

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).