What is the difference between 'a' and 'à'?

French is a hard language. But here is a helpful way of learning the difference between à and a.'a' is a conjugated form of the verb 'avoir' e.g. il a un bateau (He has a boat)'à' is commonly used as a preposition. Its meaning varies depending on the sentence. It can mean at, in, or to. There is, however, a tricky rule. The preposition changes with the noun which follows it.if the noun that follows the preposition is feminine: ... à la ferme (to/in/at the farm) if the noun that follows the preposition is masculine: à + le = ... au bistrot (to/in/at the pub) if the noun that follows the preposition is plurial: à + les = ... aux jeux (to/in/at the games)When do I use à?1. Introducing a location e.g. Je vais à Londres (I am going to London) e.g. Nous sommes allés aux toilettes (We went to the toilet) - Side Note: toilettes is plural in French2. When talking about a point in time e.g. Elle arrive à sept heures (She comes at seven o'clcock)3. In terms of possession e.g. C'est à moi (It is mine) - Side Note: à nous = ours / à eux = theirs ...etcThere are slightly more complex rules but these are the most used examples in the common French language. Hope it helps.