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.

A bridge from Punjabi and Hindi: Punjabi ਮੇਜ਼ ’ਤੇ and Hindi मेज़ पर are exactly sur la table, and ਸਕਰੀਨ ’ਤੇ / स्क्रीन पर is sur internet. Punjabi ਵੀਹ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਅਠਾਰਾਂ / बीस में से अठारह (“18 out of 20”) is dix-huit sur vingt. The limit: Punjabi ਸੜਕ ’ਤੇ / सड़क पर and ਗਲੀ ’ਤੇ / गली में use the same “on” you use for a table, but French says dans la rue, and for a bus or plane dans le bus, dans l’avion.

1 Physical Surface

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.

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.

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

6 Exceptions and Traps

Nearly every mistake with this preposition comes from the same place: translating English “on” directly.

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.

7 Where the Simple Rules Break

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.

Practice

A. Sur or dans? Write the missing word

B. Sur in proportions, topics and fixed phrases. Write the missing word

Your Turn: My Room

Task (TEF/TCF Expression Orale, Section A): describe your room to a friend on a video call. Say what is on the table, what the window overlooks, who is in a photo, a test score with sur, a statistic with une personne sur …, and someone you count on. Speak for 50–70 words.

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