You can name the places around town — now it's time to find them! In this lesson you'll learn how to ask for and give directions in French, using the key prepositions and direction words that Parisians use every day. Being able to say 'turn left', 'go straight ahead', and 'it's next to the bank' will make a huge difference when you're navigating a real French city. Let's get you oriented!
Learning tips
- Pair the directional words with a physical gesture as you practise: point right when you say 'à droite', point left for 'à gauche', and point forward for 'tout droit'. The muscle memory really helps.
- 'Près de' and 'loin de' both contract when followed by a masculine noun: 'près du parc', 'loin du marché'. You'll learn these contractions fully in lesson 4.4.
- The prepositions in this lesson (à côté de, en face de) are fixed phrases — learn them as chunks rather than word-by-word.
- When giving directions in French, it's very natural to use the imperative (command form): 'Continuez tout droit', 'Tournez à gauche'. Don't worry — you'll practise the imperative fully in lesson 4.6.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| la rue | the street |
| la boulangerie | the bakery |
| le parc | the park |
| la banque | the bank |
| la gare | the (train) station |
| le marché | the market |
| la place | the square |
| la pharmacie | the pharmacy |
| le magasin | the shop |
| l'école | the school |
Dialog
Camille is looking for the bakery in the neighbourhood. She asks Lucas for directions, but gets a little confused along the way. The dialogue practices asking for directions and using prepositions of place to describe where things are.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| à droite | /a dʁwat/ | to the right / on the right | Used both as a direction ('turn right') and a location ('it's on the right'). Always written as two words. |
| à gauche | /a ɡoʃ/ | to the left / on the left | The opposite of 'à droite'. Remember: gauche also means 'clumsy' in French — a fun memory hook. |
| tout droit | /tu dʁwa/ | straight ahead | A fixed phrase — 'tout' here doesn't mean 'all', it acts as an intensifier meaning 'directly/completely'. |
| près | /pʁɛ/ | near / close | Often followed by 'de': 'près de l'école' (near the school). Can be used on its own: 'C'est près ?' (Is it close?) |
| loin | /lwɛ̃/ | far | The opposite of 'près'. Also followed by 'de': 'loin du parc' (far from the park). |
| à côté de | /a ko.te də/ | next to / beside | A three-word preposition that never changes. The 'de' contracts with masculine/plural articles: 'à côté du marché', 'à côté des magasins'. |
| en face de | /ɑ̃ fas də/ | opposite / across from / facing | Literally 'in face of'. Used for places directly across a street or space: 'L'école est en face de la banque'. |
| tourner | /tuʁ.ne/ | to turn | Regular -er verb. In directions you'll often see the imperative: 'Tournez à gauche' (Turn left). |
| continuer | /kɔ̃.ti.ny.e/ | to continue / to carry on | Regular -er verb. Very common in directions: 'Continuez tout droit' (Carry on straight ahead). |
| chercher | /ʃɛʁ.ʃe/ | to look for / to search for | Regular -er verb. Note that unlike English, 'chercher' does not need a separate preposition: 'Je cherche la gare' (I'm looking for the station), not 'Je cherche pour la gare'. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le coin | /lə kwɛ̃/ | ||
| le carrefour | /lə kaʁ.fuʁ/ | ||
| la direction | /la di.ʁɛk.sjɔ̃/ | ||
| suivre | /sɥivʁ/ | ||
| traverser | /tʁa.vɛʁ.se/ | ||
| là | /la/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| c'est près d'ici | it's nearby / it's close by |
| c'est loin d'ici | it's far from here |
| en face de | opposite / across from |
Grammar: Prepositions of place
| Préposition | Exemple |
|---|---|
| à droite (de) | La banque est à droite de la poste. |
| à gauche (de) | Tournez à gauche de l'école. |
| tout droit | Continuez tout droit. |
| près (de) | Le parc est près de la gare. |
| loin (de) | Le magasin est loin de la place. |
| à côté de | La pharmacie est à côté de la boulangerie. |
| en face de | L'école est en face de la banque. |
French has a rich set of prepositions for describing where things are in relation to each other. Today's focus is on directional and locational prepositions. 'À droite (de)' means 'to/on the right (of)' and 'à gauche (de)' means 'to/on the left (of)'. 'Tout droit' means 'straight ahead' and is always used without 'de'. 'Près de' (near) and 'loin de' (far from) are followed by a place: 'Le parc est près de la gare'. 'À côté de' (next to, beside) describes immediate neighbours: 'La pharmacie est à côté de la boulangerie'. 'En face de' (opposite, across from) describes something directly facing: 'L'école est en face de la banque'. When 'de' is followed by 'le', it contracts to 'du': 'à côté du marché'. When followed by 'les', it contracts to 'des'. With 'la' and 'l'' there is no contraction: 'à côté de la banque', 'en face de l'école'. You'll learn these contractions in full in the next lesson.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct preposition or direction word.
- La boulangerie est la banque. (next to)(next to — a 3-word phrase)
- Le parc est d'ici. (far)(far — single word)
- Continuez et tournez à droite. (straight)(straight — 2-word phrase meaning directly forward)
- L'école est la pharmacie. (across from)(across from — 3-word phrase)
- Je la gare. (look for)(look for — conjugate for 'je')
Grammar Application
Choose the correct preposition from the options given to complete each sentence.
- La banque est la poste. (next to) → à côté de / en face de ?(which phrase means 'next to'?)
- Le magasin est d'ici. (near) → près / loin ?(which word means 'near'?)
- Tu à droite. (turn) → tournes / continues ?(which verb means 'you turn'?)
- La gare est le parc. (across from) → en face de / à côté de ?(which phrase means 'across from'?)
- Je tout droit. (continue) → continue / tourne ?(which verb means 'I continue'?)
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French using the prepositions and vocabulary from this lesson.
- The pharmacy is next to the bank.
- Turn left, then go straight ahead.
- The park is near the school.
- I'm looking for the market. Is it far?
- The shop is opposite the station.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write your own French sentence describing where something is located in your town or city.
Takeaway
With 'à droite', 'à gauche', 'tout droit', 'à côté de', and 'en face de', you have everything you need to both ask for and give directions in a French city.