To talk about a route, you use words of direction and words of location. They allow you to say where a place is, how to get there and how to understand someone’s directions in the street. This vocabulary is very useful with Places, Travel and Transport and Urban Life. You often hear phrases like the station is in the center or the museum is near the park. In a casual conversation, you also ask where is the bakery? and then respond with a direction or a specific landmark.

passage piétonquartiercarrefouravenuerond pointplan

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Un quartier est une partie d une ville avec sa propre ambianceUn plan est une carte simple qui aide à trouver un lieuUn passage piéton est l endroit où les personnes traversent la rueUne avenue est une grande rue souvent large et animéeUn carrefour est un endroit où plusieurs rues se rencontrentUn rond point est une place circulaire où la circulation tourne autour du centre

Vocabulary for getting around in the city

Word	Definition
carrefour	An carrefour is a place where several streets meet.
rond point	An rond point is a circular square where traffic goes around the center.
avenue	An avenue is a large street, often broad and lively.
quartier	A quartier is a part of a city with its own vibe.
passage piéton	A passage piéton is the place where people cross the street.
plan	A plan is a simple map that helps to find a place.

Scramble

The most common indications are left, right, straight ahead and turn around. They are used to guide someone street by street. Left indicates the side opposite to the right, and right indicates the right-hand side. Straight ahead asks to continue without turning. Turn around means to return in the opposite direction. In a simple trip, you might hear turn left, continue straight ahead or make a U-turn at the red light.

à gaucheen basà droitetout droiten hautdemi tour

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À gauche indique la direction du côté du coeurÀ droite indique la direction opposée à gaucheEn haut indique une direction vers une partie plus élevéeUn demi tour signifie faire un virage complet pour revenir en arrièreEn bas indique une direction vers une partie plus basseTout droit veut dire sans tourner

Basic directions to guide

Word	Definition
à gauche	À gauche indicates the direction on the left side of the heart.
à droite	À droite indicates the direction opposite to left.
tout droit	Tout droit means straight ahead.
demi tour	A demi tour means making a complete turn to go back.
en bas	En bas indicates a direction toward a lower part.
en haut	En haut indicates a direction toward a higher part.

Scramble

To give a route, French often uses simple action verbs. Aller marks the general movement. Tourner indicates a change of direction. Traverser is used when crossing from one side to the other of a street, a square or a park. Continuer is to continue the journey without change. You also say take the first street on the right or take the second exit in a road or transport context. The pattern is often verb + complement of place, as turn into the next street or cross the boulevard.

tournerallersuivrecontinuerprendretraverser

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Tourner veut dire changer de direction pendant un trajetAller sert à parler d un déplacement vers un lieuContinuer signifie avancer sans s arrêterSuivre un chemin signifie rester sur la même route ou le même trajetPrendre une rue veut dire entrer dans cette rue pour suivre le trajetTraverser signifie passer d un côté à l autre

Vocabulary for moving along a route

Word	Definition
aller	Aller is used to talk about a movement toward a place.
tourner	Tourner means changing direction during a trip.
traverser	Traverser means to go from one side to the other.
continuer	Continuer means to go forward without stopping.
prendre	Prendre a rue means to enter that street to follow the route.
suivre	Suivre a chemin means to stay on the same road or the same route.

Scramble

To locate a place relative to another, près de indicates a short distance. Loin de marks a long distance. À côté de places two places very close to each other. En face de designates what is on the opposite side of the street or space. You will say the pharmacy is near the town hall, the cafe is next to the bookstore or the cinema is opposite the train station. These landmarks are useful when you are looking for a service in Urban Life or a place of visit in Travel and Transport.

loin deautour deprès deà côté deen face denon loin de

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Près de indique qu un lieu est à courte distanceEn face de indique qu un lieu est de l autre côtéNon loin de signifie à une distance assez courteLoin de indique qu un lieu est à grande distanceAutour de indique une position qui entoure quelque choseÀ côté de veut dire juste à proximité immédiate

Proximity landmarks between two places

Word	Definition
près de	Near indicates that a location is at a short distance.
loin de	Far from indicates that a location is at a great distance.
à côté de	Next to means just immediate proximity.
en face de	Opposite indicates that a location is on the other side.
autour de	Around indicates a position that surrounds something.
non loin de	Not far from means at a fairly short distance.

Scramble

The words in front of, behind, above, below and between describe the position of an object or a place in space. In front of indicates the front part. Behind indicates the rear part. Above places something higher. Below places something lower. Between shows that an element is in the middle of two others. You can say the post office is in front of the market, the bridge is above the river or the fountain is between the two buildings. These forms help organize space precisely, especially in descriptions of Places.

derrièreau milieu deau dessus dedevanten dessous deentre

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Devant indique la position du côté avantAu dessus de indique une position plus hauteEntre indique une position au milieu de deux élémentsDerrière indique la position du côté arrièreAu milieu de indique la position centrale dans un espaceEn dessous de indique une position plus basse

Spatial positions to locate an object

Word	Definition
devant	In front of indicates the position on the front side.
derrière	Behind indicates the position on the rear side.
au dessus de	Above indicates a position higher.
en dessous de	Below indicates a position lower.
entre	Between indicates a position in the middle of two elements.
au milieu de	In the middle of indicates the central position within a space.

Scramble

When following a route, certain points serve as fixed landmarks. At the corner of designates the corner of two streets. At the end of indicates the end of a street, corridor or path. In the middle of indicates something at the center of a space. You say the bank is at the corner of the street or the park is at the end of the avenue. These expressions often appear when giving an address, when describing a walking route, or when looking for a precise point in an urban area.

au bout deau coin deau milieu deau passageà l entréesur le chemin

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À l entrée indique l endroit où l on entre dans un lieuSur le chemin indique un endroit rencontré pendant le trajetAu milieu de indique l endroit central dans un espaceAu passage sert à signaler un lieu rencontré en cheminAu coin de indique l angle où deux rues se rencontrentAu bout de indique la fin d une rue ou d un chemin

Expressions for a precise point along the journey

Word	Definition
au coin de	At the corner of indicates the angle where two streets meet.
au bout de	At the end of indicates the end of a street or path.
au milieu de	In the middle of indicates the central place in an area.
au passage	Along the way serves to indicate a place encountered on the way.
sur le chemin	On the way indicates a place met during the journey.
à l entrée	At the entrance indicates the place where one enters a location.

Scramble

Inside a place, different landmarks are used. At the entrance situates what is near the main door. At the back designates the farthest part from the entrance. On the ground floor is at street level. On the floor is above the ground floor. You hear the reception is at the entrance, the restrooms are at the end of the corridor or the offices are on the first floor. These expressions are common in a hotel, a building, a station or a museum.

à l étageprès de l ascenseurau fondà l entréeau rez de chausséedans le couloir

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Au fond indique la partie la plus éloignée à l intérieur d un lieuPrès de l ascenseur situe un lieu tout près de l appareil qui monte et descendDans le couloir situe quelque chose dans l espace qui relie les piècesÀ l entrée indique le premier endroit où l on arrive dans un bâtimentÀ l étage désigne un niveau au dessus du rez de chausséeAu rez de chaussée désigne le niveau de base d un bâtiment

Landmarks for moving around in a building

Word	Definition
à l entrée	At the entrance indicates the first place you arrive at in a building.
au fond	At the back indicates the part farthest inside a place.
au rez de chaussée	On the ground floor designates the base level of a building.
à l étage	On the upper floor designates a level above the ground floor.
dans le couloir	In the corridor places something in the space that links rooms.
près de l ascenseur	Near the elevator locates a place very close to the device that goes up and down.

Scramble

To ask for a route, polite and direct phrases are used, such as excuse me, where is the metro station? or could you show me the museum? After a response, you can ask for repetition with pardon? or clarify with is it to the left after the bridge? Simple formulas often follow the pattern where + be + location or how + to go + to + location. To guide someone, you answer with imperative verbs and clear landmarks, as in Travel and Transport and Urban Life: go straight ahead, turn right, the café is opposite the town hall.

Polite formulations for asking for directions

Usage	Explanation
Direct polite request	We use where is to ask for the location of a place in a simple and polite way.
Request for confirmation	We use is this the right way here to check that the route is correct.
Request for repetition	We use could you repeat when we have not understood the directions well.
Direction request	We use which direction to know which way to go.
Request for clarification	We use after or before to ask the order of steps on a route.
Final thanks	We use thank you very much to thank the person after the help received.