Lesson 23: Directions and Locations in French
Introduction
Navigating through directions and discussing locations are essential skills in any language. This lesson focuses on French phrases and vocabulary for finding your way around and describing where things are located, tailored for English speakers aiming to enhance their conversational abilities in French.
Key Vocabulary and Phrases
Directions
| French | English |
|---|---|
| à gauche | to the left |
| à droite | to the right |
| tout droit | straight ahead |
| en face de | opposite |
| à côté de | next to |
| derrière | behind |
| devant | in front of |
| près de | near |
| loin de | far from |
| entre | between |
Locations
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le parc | the park |
| la bibliothèque | the library |
| le supermarché | the supermarket |
| la gare | the train station |
| l’hôtel | the hotel |
| le restaurant | the restaurant |
| l’hôpital | the hospital |
| l’école | the school |
| la plage | the beach |
| le cinéma | the cinema |
Asking for and Giving Directions in french
- Où est… ? Where is… ?
- Comment aller à… ? How to get to… ?
- Pouvez-vous me dire où se trouve… ? Can you tell me where… is located?
- Prenez la première rue à gauche. Take the first street on the left.
- C’est tout droit. It’s straight ahead.
Model Phrases for Directions and Locations
French Phrase | English Translation
- Où est… ?
- Où est le musée ? Where is the museum?
- Où est la banque ? Where is the bank?
- Comment aller à… ?
- Comment aller à la gare routière ? How to get to the bus station?
- Comment aller à l’aéroport ? How to get to the airport?
- Pouvez-vous me dire où se trouve… ?
- Pouvez-vous me dire où se trouve la pharmacie ? Can you tell me where the pharmacy is located?
- Pouvez-vous me dire où se trouve la salle de sport ? Can you tell me where the gym is located?
- C’est à quelle distance de… ?
- C’est à quelle distance de la mer ? How far is it from the sea?
- C’est à quelle distance du centre commercial ? How far is it from the shopping mall?
- Tournez à gauche/droite.
- Tournez à droite après le pont. Turn right after the bridge.
- Tournez à gauche avant la station-service. Turn left before the gas station.
- Allez tout droit.
- Allez tout droit jusqu’au deuxième feu. Go straight ahead until the second traffic light.
- Allez tout droit pendant deux kilomètres. Go straight ahead for two kilometers.
- C’est à côté de…
- C’est à côté du cinéma. It’s next to the movie theater.
- C’est à côté de la boulangerie. (It’s next to the bakery.)
- C’est en face de…
- C’est en face du collège. It’s opposite the middle school.
- C’est en face du théâtre. It’s opposite the theater.
- C’est derrière…
- C’est derrière le gymnase. It’s behind the gymnasium.
- C’est derrière l’hôpital. It’s behind the hospital.
- C’est devant…
- C’est devant le restaurant. It’s in front of the restaurant.
- C’est devant la station de métro. It’s in front of the metro station.
- C’est près de…
- C’est près de l’université. It’s near the university.
- C’est près de la rivière. It’s near the river.
- C’est loin de…
- C’est loin du parc d’attractions. Is it far from the amusement park?
- C’est loin du centre sportif. Is it far from the sports center?
These model phrases and their translations are designed to equip you with a variety of expressions for discussing directions and locations in French. By familiarizing yourself with these phrases, you’ll improve your navigational communication and your overall conversational fluency in French.
Now, we are going to practice directions in French.
🍀 PRACTICE DIRECTIONS IN FRENCH 🍀
Exercise 1: Translate to French
Translate the following sentences into French.
- Where is the nearest pharmacy?
- The park is behind the supermarket.
- Take the second street on the right, then continue straight.
- How far is the hotel from the train station?
- The library is opposite the school.
Exercise 2: Fill in the Blank
Fill in the blanks with an appropriate direction or location.
- Le restaurant est ______ de la banque. (next to)
- Pour aller à la gare, tournez ______. (to the left)
- L’hôpital est ______ entre la bibliothèque et l’école. (located)
- Vous trouverez le cinéma ______ du parc. (near)
- La plage est ______ loin de l’hôtel. (not far from)
Exercise 3: Asking for Directions in French
Create dialogues asking for directions to two of the locations mentioned above, including both the question and the directions given as an answer. Extend this to create five unique dialogues.
Keywords
- Directions in French
- French location vocabulary
- Asking for directions French
- French travel phrases
- Learn French directions