From Paris to Provence: Master French Directions for Easy Travel
Ready to master directions in French? Today’s free audio lesson will give you the essential travel French you need to navigate your way around a French-speaking country.
I wish it were as simple as learning the word for where in French and a few French road signs, but there’s a little more to it than that! As you may have already guessed, asking for directions in French is relatively easy… but understanding the directions you are given may be a little more challenging.
But have no fear – just listen to the French pronunciation in the audio and practice saying the French words and phrases aloud, as you imagine yourself strolling around Paris or driving through Provence!
Resources for further reading:
How to ask for directions in French
Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
Rocket Record lets you perfect your French pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
Où est-ce que je peux trouver la gare, s'il vous plaît ?
Where can I find the train station, please?
Comment est-ce que je fais pour aller à la gare ?
How do I get to the train station?
Est-ce que vous savez comment aller à la gare ?
Do you know where the train station is? (formal)
Est-ce que tu sais comment aller à la gare ?
Do you know where the train station is?
Another more complete way of asking for directions is by saying…
Excusez-moi, est-ce que vous pouvez me dire où est la gare de train ? S'il vous plaît.
Excuse me please! Could you please tell me where the train station is? (formal)
Excuse-moi, est-ce que tu peux me dire où est la gare de train ? S'il te plaît.
Excuse me please! Could you please tell me where the train station is?
Here’s a list of some places you might like to go to and places you may pass on the way to getting there.
L'agence de voyage
The travel agency
La rue
The street
La rue commerciale
The shopping centre
Le centre historique
The historic centre
Le poste de police
The police station
L'hôpital
The hospital
Le parc
The park
La mairie
The town hall
Les toilettes publiques
The public restrooms
Le centre ville
The town centre
La banlieue
The suburb
Le monument
The monument
Le bar
The bar
Common directions in French
Here are some words and phrases you might hear when asking for directions…
Gauche
Left
Droite
Right
A gauche
To the left
A droite
To the right
Tout droit
Straight
Au bout de
At the end of
Au début de
At the beginning of
En direction Ouest
To the west
En direction Nord
To the north
En direction Sud
To the south
En direction Est
To the east
Au coin de la rue
Around the corner
La prochaine rue à gauche
The next street to the left.
La prochaine rue à droite
The next street to the right.
La rue suivante
The street after the next.
Le coin
The corner
Le pont
The bridge
En face de
In front of
A coté de
Next to
When someone gives you directions, they’ll tell you that you need to take such-and-such street; turn left, and then follow another street…
Prendre…
Take…
Traverser...
Cross...
Suivre…
Follow
Aller...
Go
You'll want to be able to recognize these French words...
La zone piétone
Pedestrian zone
Arrêtez !
Stop!
Par autobus
By bus
Par voiture
By car
Par train
By train
À pied
On foot
Garer la voiture
To park the car
Où peut-on se garer par ici ?
Where can I park around here?
ESPECIALLY this one...
Attention !
Warning!
And my favorite, which is seen in many French towns, always manages to confuse foreigners (even more)… is Toutes directions (All directions)
It really means “anywhere other than town”!
You might want to ask whether it is far or not…
Est-ce que c'est loin ?
Is it very far?
C'est loin.
It's far.
Ce n'est pas loin.
It's not far.
Est-ce que c'est près ?
Is it close by?
C'est près d'ici.
It's close by.
Ce n'est pas près d'ici.
It's not close by.
Well done, you have just finished today’s lesson. I hope you enjoyed it.
After you are done with learning directions try these French vocab lessons on going out in French and around the airport in French, both great lessons that complement this one!
À bientôt!
Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team
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