Avant-garde French: Perfecting Your Use of Avant and Devant

The French language, with its nuanced prepositions, can sometimes feel like an avant-garde art piece to learners. Two particularly tricky prepositions are "avant" and "devant". While they might seem similar at first glance, they serve distinct purposes in French grammar. Let's unravel their mysteries and perfect their usage.

Basic Definitions

Avant

"Avant" primarily relates to time and means "before".

Examples:

1. Je mange avant midi. (I eat before noon.)
2. Il est arrivé avant moi. (He arrived before me.)
3. Avant de partir, fermez les fenêtres. (Before leaving, close the windows.)
4. Elle étudie avant l'examen. (She studies before the exam.)
5. Nous nous sommes rencontrés avant le mariage. (We met before the wedding.)
6. Avant l'invention de l'électricité, on utilisait des bougies. (Before the invention of electricity, people used candles.)
7. Il faut réserver avant le spectacle. (You need to book before the show.)
8. Avant la pluie, le ciel était clair. (Before the rain, the sky was clear.)
9. Ils se sont embrassés avant de se dire au revoir. (They kissed before saying goodbye.)
10. Avant l'aube, tout était silencieux. (Before dawn, everything was silent.)

Devant

"Devant" relates to space and position, meaning "in front of".

Examples:

1. La voiture est garée devant la maison. (The car is parked in front of the house.)
2. Il y a un arbre devant l'école. (There's a tree in front of the school.)
3. Mets-toi devant moi dans la file. (Stand in front of me in the line.)
4. Le chat dort devant la cheminée. (The cat is sleeping in front of the fireplace.)
5. Nous nous sommes rencontrés devant la gare. (We met in front of the train station.)
6. Elle a chanté devant un public nombreux. (She sang in front of a large audience.)
7. La fontaine est juste devant la mairie. (The fountain is right in front of the town hall.)
8. Il y a une belle vue devant notre balcon. (There's a beautiful view in front of our balcony.)
9. Le chien attend devant la porte. (The dog is waiting in front of the door.)
10. Les enfants jouent devant la maison. (The children are playing in front of the house.)

Advanced Uses

Avant in Idiomatic Expressions

"Avant" is used in several idiomatic expressions:

1. Avant tout (Above all)
2. En avant! (Forward!)
3. Aller de l'avant (To move forward)
4. Mettre en avant (To highlight)
5. Prendre les devants (To take the initiative)

Devant in Figurative Sense

"Devant" can be used figuratively:

1. Devant la loi (In the eyes of the law)
2. Devant Dieu (Before God)
3. Devant témoins (In front of witnesses)
4. Se trouver devant un dilemme (To be faced with a dilemma)
5. Devant l'évidence (In light of the evidence)

Combining Avant and Devant

Sometimes, both "avant" and "devant" can be used in the same sentence:

1. Avant d'entrer, il s'est arrêté devant la porte. (Before entering, he stopped in front of the door.)
2. Elle a regardé devant elle avant de traverser la rue. (She looked in front of her before crossing the street.)

Common Mistakes

Confusion with English "Before"

English speakers often mistakenly use "avant" for spatial relationships. Remember, "before" in a spatial sense is typically translated as "devant" in French.

Incorrect: Il est avant moi dans la file. (He is before me in the line.) Correct: Il est devant moi dans la file.

Using "Devant" for Time

Using "devant" to express time is a common error.

Incorrect: Devant Noël, nous décorons la maison. (Before Christmas, we decorate the house.) Correct: Avant Noël, nous décorons la maison.

Practice Exercises

Try these exercises to test your understanding:

1. Complete the sentence: "______ de partir, n'oublie pas tes clés."
2. Translate: "The cat is sitting in front of the fireplace."
3. Choose the correct preposition: "Il est arrivé (avant/devant) moi à la fête."
4. Translate: "Before the storm, the sky was very dark."
5. Complete the idiom: "_______ tout, il faut rester calme."

Answers and Explanations

1. Avant - This refers to time, before leaving.
2. Le chat est assis devant la cheminée. - This describes position.
3. Avant - This refers to time of arrival.
4. Avant l'orage, le ciel était très sombre. - This describes a sequence of events in time.
5. Avant - The idiom "Avant tout" means "Above all" or "First and foremost".

By mastering the use of "avant" and "devant", you're adding crucial tools to your French language toolkit. Remember, "avant" is for time, "devant" is for space. With practice, using these prepositions will become second nature, elevating your French to new heights of precision and fluency.