# French grammar questions....

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-questions/353977>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 24, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-questions/353977 "2006-04-24T13:19:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-questions/353977/41 "2006-04-29T10:34:20Z")

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Why “Je suis sur Paris” and not “Je suis à Paris”? Is this only used in certain contexts?

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-questions/353977/42 "2006-04-29T16:26:52Z")

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As I understand it “à Paris” is Paris “intra muros”, you live in one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris and have a 75 post code. The less precise “sur Paris” means the Paris region but avoids the use of the dreaded word, whisper it “banlieue”. I have heard it used with other cities too.

The “sur + place name” can also be used to indicate you are working in a different location as in “Je suis sur Lyon la semaine prochaine”.

**Gitfiddle** have you got no francophone friends willing to answer these questions face to face ? A lot of French speakers love being given the chance to explain the nuances.

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**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-questions/353977/43 "2006-04-30T17:43:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Gitfiddle have you got no francophone friends willing to answer these questions face to face ? A lot of French speakers love being given the chance to explain the nuances.

Though most of my friends here are foreigners like me, I do have French friends, and I do ask them questions on a regular basis. However, of these friends, only one of them speaks english (well, two, but the second lives in Taiwan right now). These questions, for the most part, have been questions about things we say in English that I don’t know how to translate into French.

Also, though, I mentioned that I’ve been working on discertations, so as I’m typing in my apartment and I think of something, I ask it on the SDMB. If I don’t, I’ll forget.

I do appreciate all of your answers. It has been a huge help.

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-grammar-questions/353977/44 "2006-04-30T19:47:40Z")

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> [@gitfiddle](#):
>
> Why “Je suis sur Paris” and not “Je suis à Paris”? Is this only used in certain contexts?

Your questions really aren’t easy. EIther I just know what is correct and what isn’t, but I’ve no clue why, either, like in this case, I’m not sure whether there’s actually a diffrence, and if there is, what it is exactly.

I thought about this particular question, wondering when I would personnally use “sur” or “à”, and I came to the conclusion that when I use “sur”, it’s more likely because it’s unexpected or because I’m just there for a short time : “Je suis sur Paris ces jours-ci, on pourrait peut-être se voir?”.

But it’s not a hard and fast rule, not even for me. \*\* Cat Jones \*\* explanations make as much sense.

In any case, I think that using “sur” isn’t proper french.

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