The Use of Spacing in French

How do you use spacing in French?

Here is a very useful table summarizing the typographical rules for different punctuation marks. If you are wondering whether there should be a space before or after a colon, before quotation marks, or after parentheses, you will find the answers below.

Non-breaking space

A non-breaking space (l’espace insécable), used in word-processing software (a digital typographic character), is a space inserted between two elements that must not be separated at the end of a line.

Example:
Monsieur Vincent ne viendra pas
: il a été retenu à Londres.
incorrect. If you forget to use a non-breaking space, the colon may appear on the next line, which is a typographical error.
Monsieur Vincent ne viendra pas :Mr Vincent will not be coming: he has been kept in London.
il a été retenu à Londres.
correct. When a non-breaking space is used, the colon cannot be separated from the word that precedes it.

Summary table of spaces before and after punctuation marks

Before Punctuation mark After
no space

comma (,)

Example:
Je pense, donc je suis.I think, therefore I am. (Descartes)
 space
no space

full stop / period (.)

Example:
La nuit était tombée. Les explorateurs avaient froid.Night had fallen. The explorers were cold.
 space
non-breaking space
(quarter em space)

exclamation mark (!)

Example:
Monsieur ! Vous avez oublié votre veste.Sir! You forgot your jacket.
 space
non-breaking space
(quarter em space)

question mark (?)

Example:
Ah bon ? Tu es sûr ?Really? Are you sure?
 space
non-breaking space

colon (:)

Example:
Madame Durand est en retard : son réveil n’a pas sonné.Mrs Durand is late:her alarm clock didn’t go off.
 space
no space

apostrophe (’)

Example:
Expliquez-nous les règles de l’apostrophe.Explain the rules of the apostrophe to us.
 no space
space

opening parenthesis / bracket ( ( [ )

Example:
L’étrangère (belle, grande, portant des lunettes noires…The stranger (beautiful, tall, wearing black glasses…)
 no space
no space

closing parenthesis / bracket ( ) ] )

Example:
… et une robe de satin jaune) entra dans le petit salon avec assurance.… and a yellow satin dress) entered the small living room confidently.
 space
non-breaking space
(quarter em space)

semicolon (;)

Example:
Un instant il pensa à allumer du feu ; mais il essaya vainement de soulever le tablier rouillé de la cheminée.For a moment he thought about lighting a fire; but he tried in vain to lift the rusty fireplace flap. (Le grand Meaulnes, Alain-Fournier)
 space
no space

hyphen (-)

Example:
après-midiafternoon
 no space
space

opening dash (–)

Example:
Sandra – la copine…Sandra – the girlfriend…
 non-breaking space
non-breaking space

closing dash (–)

Example:
… de Paul – nous a fait un gâteau hier.… Paul’s (girlfriend) – baked us a cake yesterday.
 space
space

opening quotation mark («)

Example:
La marchande criait en direction des passants : « La barquette de fraises tout juste cueillies…The vendor shouted to the passers-by:“A basket of freshly picked strawberries…”
 non-breaking space
non-breaking space

closing quotation mark (»)

Example:
… pour 2 euros seulement ! »… for only 2 euros!”
 space