This is the lesson that ties Unit 4 together! You've learnt city places, prepositions, directions, contracted articles, and positional vocabulary. Now you'll use all of it in the most practical real-world scenario: asking for and giving directions to a stranger. The dialogue takes place near the Louvre, and you'll practise the formal imperative — the polite command form — which is exactly what Parisians use when directing visitors. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to both ask for directions confidently and give them clearly. Let's go!
Learning tips
- The vous-form imperative is simply the vous-form of the present tense, minus the 'vous'. So 'vous allez' → 'Allez !', 'vous tournez' → 'Tournez !'. This makes it very easy to form.
- When asking for directions, the polite formula is: 'Excusez-moi, pour aller à [place], s'il vous plaît ?' (Excuse me, how do I get to [place], please?). Memorise this whole phrase as a chunk.
- Walking distances in Paris are often given in minutes on foot: 'C'est à cinq minutes à pied' (It's five minutes on foot). This is more natural than giving distances in metres.
- If you don't understand someone's directions, it's perfectly fine to say: 'Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?' (Could you repeat that, please?) — a very useful phrase at A1 level.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| derrière | behind |
| devant | in front of |
| entre | between |
| dans | in / inside |
| sur | on / on top of |
| sous | under / beneath |
| le bâtiment | the building |
| l'immeuble | the apartment block |
| le pont | the bridge |
| la rivière | the river |
Dialog
Outside the Louvre, a tourist (Camille) stops Lucas to ask for directions to the Champs-Élysées. Lucas gives detailed directions using imperative commands. The second scene shows the tourist following the route and asking follow-up questions about how far it is.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| tournez | /tuʁ.ne/ | turn! (imperative vous-form of tourner) | The imperative form — used when giving instructions or directions politely. 'Tournez à gauche' (Turn left). |
| allez | /a.le/ | go! (imperative vous-form of aller) | Irregular imperative from 'aller'. 'Allez tout droit' (Go straight ahead). Note: the tu-form imperative of aller is 'va'. |
| prenez | /pʁə.ne/ | take! (imperative vous-form of prendre) | From the irregular verb 'prendre' (to take). 'Prenez la première rue' (Take the first street). |
| traversez | /tʁa.vɛʁ.se/ | cross! (imperative vous-form of traverser) | Regular -er verb in the imperative. 'Traversez le pont' (Cross the bridge). Also used: 'Traversez la rue' (Cross the road). |
| continuez | /kɔ̃.ti.ny.e/ | continue! / keep going! (imperative vous-form of continuer) | Regular -er verb. 'Continuez tout droit' (Keep going straight ahead). Often combined with 'jusqu'à' (as far as / until). |
| marcher | /maʁ.ʃe/ | to walk | Regular -er verb. 'Je marche' (I walk). To give the imperative: 'Marchez cinq minutes' (Walk for five minutes). |
| conduire | /kɔ̃.dɥiʁ/ | to drive | Irregular verb (like 'traduire'). At A1 you mainly need to recognise it. 'Je conduis' (I drive). |
| la carte | /la kaʁt/ | the map | Can mean a map (geographical), a card, or a menu depending on context. Here it means a street map. |
| le chemin | /lə ʃə.mɛ̃/ | the way / the path / the route | Used for a path or route on foot: 'suivez ce chemin' (follow this path). Different from 'la route' (road) or 'la direction' (direction). |
| loin de | /lwɛ̃ də/ | far from | 'Loin de' + noun: 'loin de la gare' (far from the station). The standalone 'loin' means 'far'; adding 'de' makes it a preposition of relation. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| suivez | /sɥi.ve/ | ||
| montez | /mɔ̃.te/ | ||
| descendez | /de.sɑ̃.de/ | ||
| le feu | /lə fø/ | ||
| le passage piéton | /lə pa.saʒ pje.tɔ̃/ | ||
| attention | /a.tɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| pour aller à... | how do I get to... / to get to... |
| allez tout droit | go straight ahead |
| tournez à gauche / à droite | turn left / turn right |
Grammar: Imperative forms for giving directions (vous-form)
| Infinitif | Impératif (vous) | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| aller | Allez ! | Allez tout droit. |
| tourner | Tournez ! | Tournez à gauche. |
| prendre | Prenez ! | Prenez la première rue. |
| traverser | Traversez ! | Traversez le pont. |
| continuer | Continuez ! | Continuez jusqu'à la place. |
| suivre | Suivez ! | Suivez ce chemin. |
| marcher | Marchez ! | Marchez cinq minutes. |
The imperative mood is used for giving commands, instructions, and directions. In formal or polite contexts — when speaking to strangers, older people, or in professional settings — French uses the vous-form of the imperative. The rule is simple: take the vous-form of the present tense and remove 'vous'. For regular -er verbs: vous tournez → Tournez ! (Turn!), vous continuez → Continuez ! (Continue!). For irregular verbs: vous allez → Allez ! (Go!), vous prenez → Prenez ! (Take!), vous traversez → Traversez ! (Cross!). Notice that for regular -er verbs, the vous imperative looks identical to the present tense vous-form — the only difference is that the subject pronoun 'vous' is dropped. This is because the imperative is an instruction, and the subject is understood. The vous-form imperative is the standard form for giving directions to strangers in France. If you were giving directions to a friend (someone you'd say 'tu' to), you'd use the tu-form imperative instead, but that's something to explore at A2.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each direction instruction with the correct vous-form imperative.
- à droite après le pont. (Turn)(imperative of tourner — turn to the right)
- tout droit jusqu'à la place. (Go)(imperative of aller — go straight ahead)
- la deuxième rue à gauche. (Take)(imperative of prendre — take the second street)
- le carrefour avec attention. (Cross)(imperative of traverser — cross the junction carefully)
- ce chemin jusqu'à la gare. (Follow)(imperative of suivre — follow this path)
Grammar Application
Convert each phrase from the vous + infinitive form into the vous-form imperative.
- Vous + aller tout droit → (imperative)(drop 'vous' from 'vous allez tout droit')
- Vous + tourner à gauche → (imperative)(drop 'vous' from 'vous tournez à gauche')
- Vous + prendre le bus → (imperative)(drop 'vous' from 'vous prenez le bus')
- Vous + traverser la rue → (imperative)(drop 'vous' from 'vous traversez la rue')
- Vous + continuer tout droit → (imperative)(drop 'vous' from 'vous continuez tout droit')
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French using imperative forms and direction vocabulary.
- Turn left and keep going straight.
- Take the map and follow this path.
- Cross the bridge and go right.
- Walk for five minutes as far as the square.
- The station is far from the bakery.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write your own set of directions in French, as if you were telling a stranger how to get somewhere from where you are now.
Takeaway
The vous-form imperative is your go-to tool for giving polite directions in French: drop 'vous' from the present tense, and you instantly have a clear, correct instruction.