French Preposition sur: On, About, Out Of
Getting Started
sur’s first meaning is straightforward — on top of something, touching it. A book on the table, a picture on the wall.
But it has three other use cases that don’t follow naturally from English or common sense: topic (about what), proportion (how many out of how many), and direction (which way something faces). These three are the ones that show up on exams.
1. Physical Surface
| French | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sur | on a table or surface | Le livre est sur la table. |
| sur | on a wall | La photo est sur le mur. |
| sur | on paper | Écris ton nom sur la feuille. |
| sur | on a screen | Je l’ai vu sur internet. |
| sur | in a photo | Qui est sur la photo? |
Note: sur la photo looks backwards from English — English says “in the photo,” French says “on the photo,” because French treats it as the surface of the paper. dans la photo is wrong.
2. Topic — “About What”
When an entire book, article, talk or piece of research rests on one topic, use sur.
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| un livre sur | a book about | un livre sur l’histoire du Canada |
| un article sur | an article about | un article sur l’immigration |
| une question sur | a question about | J’ai une question sur le formulaire. |
| travailler sur | to work on | Je travaille sur un projet. |
| compter sur | to count on | Tu peux compter sur moi. |
| insister sur | to insist on | Il insiste sur ce point. |
Note: parler de and un livre sur are both “about,” but the weight is different. parler de is a light mention (on parle du projet), sur is the whole subject (un rapport sur le projet).
3. Proportion and Numbers
This use case comes up every day in both Canada and France.
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| dix-huit sur vingt | 18 out of 20 | J’ai eu dix-huit sur vingt. |
| une personne sur trois | one person in three | Une personne sur trois est bilingue. |
| un jour sur deux | every other day | Il travaille un jour sur deux. |
| neuf fois sur dix | nine times out of ten | Neuf fois sur dix, ça marche. |
Easy shortcut: wherever English says “out of”, French says sur. Eighteen out of twenty = dix-huit sur vingt.
The same structure is used for measurements too: une pièce de quatre mètres sur trois = a room four metres by three.
4. donner sur — Which Way Something Faces
This is a fixed expression, and it turns up in every rental listing.
- La fenêtre donne sur le jardin. — The window overlooks the garden.
- L’appartement donne sur la rue. — The flat faces the street.
- Le balcon donne sur le parc. — The balcony looks onto the park.
5. Other Fixed Expressions
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sur place | on the spot | On mange sur place. |
| sur le point de | about to | Il est sur le point de partir. |
| sur mesure | made to measure | un costume sur mesure |
| sur rendez-vous | by appointment | La clinique reçoit sur rendez-vous. |
| revenir sur | to go back over | Je reviens sur ma décision. |
| tomber sur | to run into | Je suis tombé sur un ancien collègue. |
6. Exceptions and Traps
Nearly every mistake with this preposition comes from the same place: translating English “on” directly.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| sur la rue | dans la rue | A street is an enclosed space, not a surface. |
| sur le bus | dans le bus | You sit inside a bus. |
| sur l’avion | dans l’avion | Inside the plane. |
| sur le journal | dans le journal | You read inside a newspaper. |
| dans la photo | sur la photo | A photo is a paper surface. |
| dans internet | sur internet | A screen is a surface. |
| Je travaille sur lundi. | Je travaille lundi. | No preposition is used with days. |
Note: Days are a special case. English says “on Monday,” French just says lundi. And le lundi changes the meaning — “every Monday.” Je travaille lundi = this Monday; Je travaille le lundi = every Monday.
Examples
- Ton passeport est sur la table, pas dans le tiroir. — Your passport is on the table, not in the drawer.
- J’ai lu un article sur l’immigration au Canada. — I read an article about immigration to Canada.
- Elle a eu seize sur vingt à son examen. — She got sixteen out of twenty on her exam.
- Notre chambre donne sur le parc. — Our room overlooks the park.
- Tu peux compter sur moi. — You can count on me.
What’s Next
- Its direct opposite: sous
- Its rival for place: dans
- Its rival for topic: de
- Practice: the prepositions game or spot the mistakes
FAQ
Why doesn't sur work for a street?
French treats a street as an enclosed space between buildings, not a surface, so dans la rue is correct. sur la rue is a direct translation of English "on the street" and counts as a mistake on an exam.
What does 18 sur 20 mean?
Eighteen out of twenty. Grades in French and Quebec schools are given this way, and the same structure is used for every proportion: une personne sur trois = one in three people.
For a topic — 'about' something — do I use sur or de?
Both exist, but they carry different weight. sur means the whole thing rests on that topic: un livre sur l'histoire (a book about history). parler de is lighter — the topic just comes up: on parle du projet.
What's the difference between sur and dessus?
sur is followed by a noun: Le livre est sur la table. dessus stands alone, used when the noun is already known: La table? Le livre est dessus.