Means of Transport Prepositions

Sometimes people have difficulty remembering if they should say "en voiture" or "à pied" or which preposition should preceed the means of transportation. Actually, if you understand the constructions, it becomes easier. Remember that "en" can mean "in", at least in an abstract to slightly abstract sense. Imagine you want to go somewhere by car. You will be in the car when you travel. Now, you do not want to say something like "Je vais dans la voiture" because it would not be clear what you meant. Do you mean you are already inside the car and are moving around? If so, where are you trying to get to inside the car? That would be a bit bizarre. Are you trying to say you are getting into the car? Also, you are not referring to a specific car. You are not trying to say "I am going by the car". You are referring to a car in a semi-abstract sense, as a means of transport. There is no indication in the sentence "I am going by car" which specific car you will be taking. Now that I have bored you to death with why it is correct to say "en" rather than "dans" in this situation, let us look at some examples with "en":

Examples

en voiture          by car
en bicyclette      by bicycle (I know you do not get into the bike but we use "en" anyway)
en avion             by plane
en train               by train
en bus                 by bus
en bâteau            by boat

Let us now turn our attention to the word "pied", which means foot. It would not make sense to say "en pied". How would you get into your own foot to go somewhere? You would instead go on foot. Do not try to say "Je vais sur mon pied". Are you trying to say you are going to walk on your on foot or stand on top of it? It does not make sense. We thus use à, which is sometimes used as a kind of abstract preposition when all other prepositions fail, that is when they do not fit. Here are some examples where we use à.

Examples

à pied                 on foot
à cheval              on horseback, by horse

Lastly, I want to talk about the use of "par" with means of transport. You might hear the phrase "par avion", which means "by plane". Why is it sometimes "par avion" and not "en avion"? The explanation is simple. If you want to send a parcel or letter by air mail, the plane becomes your instrument for delivering something. You yourself are not getting on the plane and are certain not being delivered. Hence "en" would be unsuitable. We therefore use "par".

Examples

par avion          by plane
par courrier      by courier
par train            by train
par bâteau         by boat