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How to Say ‘Over long distances’ in French

Sur de longues distances

sur duh LOHNG dees-TAHNSS

[sur duh LOHNG dees-TAHNSS]

💬 Usage Tip: Normally it's des distances, but when a describing word like longues comes before the noun, des becomes de. The same goes for de grandes villes "big cities".

Phrase Breakdown

Sur de longues

sur duh LOHNG

Over long

'Des' becomes 'de' before a plural adjective placed before the noun. In 'longues', the 'g' is hard and the final '-es' is silent: 'long'.

Example

Il marche sur de longues routes.

He walks along long roads.

Words in this phrase

Sur

[sur]

Indicates position in relation to a surface.

Example

Nous avançons sur ce chemin en ton absence.

We proceed on this path in your absence.

[duh]

(replaces 'des' before an adjective)

Before a plural adjective + noun, 'des' becomes 'de'.

Example

de grandes maisons

big houses

longues

[LOHNG]

long

Feminine plural form of 'long'.

Example

de longues journées

long days

distances

[dees-TAHNSS]

distances

Plural of 'distance', the space between two places.

Example

Il court de grandes distances.

He runs great distances.

Guides for French learners

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