In a city, people often talk about places, trips and procedures. The basic vocabulary is used to say where one is going, where one is located and what one is looking for. It is used to ask for directions, take a transport, run an errand or enter a useful everyday building. With Directions et Localisations, we also learn to locate a place precisely, which naturally complements city expressions. In the street, words like city centre, neighborhood, stop and station are heard very often, because they organize travel and points of reference.

A city is described with simple and very common words. A street is a passage lined with buildings, an avenue is often wider, and a square is an open space in the middle of buildings. The neighborhood designates a part of the city, often with its own atmosphere and shops. The city centre is the liveliest area, where there are many shops, services and transports. To talk about a route, these words easily combine with expressions from Directions et Localisations, for example in the neighborhood, on the square or in the city centre.

trottoirfaubourgavenuerond pointcarrefourrueplacequartiercentre villeboulevard

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Une avenue est une grande voie souvent large et animéeUne rue est une voie bordée de bâtiments où l’on marche ou circuleUn boulevard est une large avenue souvent bordée d arbresUne place est un espace ouvert au milieu des bâtimentsUn faubourg est un quartier situé près du centre ou à l extérieurUn carrefour est un endroit où plusieurs rues se rencontrentLe centre ville est la partie la plus centrale et la plus animée de la villeUn trottoir est la partie de la rue réservée aux piétonsUn quartier est une partie de la ville avec sa propre ambianceUn rond point est une intersection circulaire pour faire circuler les voitures

Urban places for orientation

Word	Definition
rue	A rue is a street lined with buildings where people walk or move around.
avenue	A avenue is a large road, often wide and busy.
place	A place is an open space in the middle of buildings.
quartier	A quartier is a part of the city with its own atmosphere.
centre ville	The centre ville is the most central and liveliest part of the city.
rond point	A rond point is a circular intersection to direct traffic.
trottoir	A trottoir is the part of the street reserved for pedestrians.
carrefour	A carrefour is a place where several streets meet.
boulevard	A boulevard is a wide avenue often lined with trees.
faubourg	A faubourg is a quarter located near the center or on the outskirts.

Scramble

Cities bring together practical places for errands and shopping. The town hall is the place where one handles certain administrative formalities. The post office is used to send mail and packages. The bank allows depositing money, making a withdrawal or requesting a financial service. The pharmacy sells medicines and gives basic health advice. The bakery is the shop where one buys bread and often pastries. In everyday life, we also use Travel and Transport for places related to travel, but these buildings remain essential reference points for shopping and handling day-to-day affairs.

cafébureau de tabacmairieboulangeriepharmaciepostebanquebibliothèquesupermarchéhôpital

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La pharmacie est le magasin où l on achète des médicamentsLa boulangerie est le commerce où l on achète du pain et des viennoiseriesLa banque est l endroit où l on garde et utilise son argentUn bureau de tabac est un commerce où l on achète certains produits du tabac et des jeuxLa poste est le lieu où l on envoie des lettres et des colisUn café est un endroit où l on boit quelque chose et se reposeL hôpital est le lieu où l on soigne les maladesLa bibliothèque est le lieu où l on lit et emprunte des livresLa mairie est le bâtiment où travaille l administration de la villeLe supermarché est un grand magasin pour faire les courses

Useful buildings for everyday life

Word	Definition
mairie	The mairie is the building where the city administration works.
poste	The poste is the place where letters and packages are sent.
banque	The banque is the place where you keep and use your money.
pharmacie	The pharmacie is the store where you buy medicines.
boulangerie	The boulangerie is the shop where you buy bread and pastries.
supermarché	The supermarché is a large store to do groceries.
bibliothèque	The bibliothèque is the place where you read and borrow books.
hôpital	The hôpital is the place where sick people are cared for.
café	A café is a place where you drink something and rest.
bureau de tabac	A bureau de tabac is a shop where you buy certain tobacco products and games.

Scramble

To get around without a car, we use public transportation. The bus runs on the road and stops at precise stops. The metro runs underground in big cities. The tram or tramway moves on rails in the streets. A station is an important stopping point, especially for the metro or tram. The ticket or the fare allows travel. We also use the word line to talk about a regular route, like a bus line or a metro line. These words also appear in Travel and Transport, where we learn to talk about broader trips and connections.

métrobusvaliderstationarrêtlignetramcorrespondanceticketpointe

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Une pointe est un moment de forte affluence dans les transportsUn ticket est une preuve d achat pour voyagerUne correspondance est le changement d un transport à un autreUne ligne est un trajet régulier suivi par un transport publicLe métro est un train urbain qui circule sous terre ou en hauteurUne station est un lieu où l on monte ou descend d un transportUn tram est un véhicule sur rails qui circule dans la villeUn arrêt est un endroit précis où le bus ou le tram s arrêteValider signifie faire enregistrer son titre de transportUn bus est un véhicule qui transporte plusieurs passagers en ville

Public transport vocabulary

Word	Definition
bus	A bus is a vehicle that carries several passengers in the city.
métro	The métro is an urban train that runs underground or elevated.
tram	A tram is a rail vehicle that runs in the city.
station	A station is a place where you board or alight from a vehicle.
arrêt	An arrêt is a specific place where the bus or tram stops.
ticket	A ticket is proof of purchase to travel.
ligne	A ligne is a regular route followed by a public transport.
correspondance	A correspondance is the transfer from one transport to another.
valider	Valider means to have your travel title validated/activated.
pointe	A pointe is a moment of peak crowding in transport.

Scramble

To talk about a journey, we use very concrete verbs. Go on foot means walking to reach a place. Take the bus, take the metro or take the tram indicates the chosen means. When the journey changes, we say change lines. We can also get off at a stop or get on a vehicle. In a simple conversation, the subject + verb + complement structure usually suffices, like I take the metro, we go on foot or they change lines. These forms easily combine with the landmarks learned in Directions et Localisations.

Ways of talking about urban travel

Usage	Explanation
Walking	We use aller à pied to say you move without a vehicle.
Public transport	We use prendre le bus to indicate you get on a public transport.
Change of transport	We use changer de ligne when you must switch to another line during the journey.
Direct trip	We use aller tout droit to say you continue in the same direction.
Boarding a vehicle	We use monter dans to talk about the moment when you get into a bus or tram.
Getting off the vehicle	We use descendre à to say the stop where you leave the vehicle.
Fast movement	We use se dépêcher when you must go faster because time is running out.
Practical route	We use passer par to indicate a step on the way.
Direction search	We use demander son chemin to obtain directions.
Choose the route	We use prendre le chemin le plus court to say you choose the quickest route.

To orient yourself, we use very useful verbs and expressions. Turn indicates a change of direction. Cross means to go to the other side of a street. At the corner of denotes a place at the corner of two streets. Near places something at a short distance from another place. You can also hear across from, next to or at the end of the street to give a clear position. These words work with a place name and a direction, like turn left, cross the street or the cafe is at the corner of the square. The landmarks described in Directions et Localisations serve here as a basis.

traverseren face dedevantprès dederrièreà droiteau coin deà gauchetournertout droit

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L expression en face de signifie de l autre côté par rapport à un lieuTourner signifie changer de directionL expression derrière signifie dans la partie située à l arrièreL expression près de signifie à courte distance deL expression au coin de indique l endroit où deux rues se rencontrentL expression à droite indique la direction du côté droitL expression devant signifie dans la partie située à l avantL expression tout droit signifie sans tournerTraverser signifie passer d un côté à l autreL expression à gauche indique la direction du côté gauche

Words to indicate direction

Word	Definition
tourner	Tourner means to change direction.
traverser	Traverser means to go from one side to the other.
au coin de	The expression au coin de indicates the place where two streets meet.
près de	The expression près de means at a short distance from.
en face de	The expression en face de means on the other side relative to a place.
tout droit	The expression tout droit means without turning.
à gauche	The expression à gauche indicates the direction of the left side.
à droite	The expression à droite indicates the direction of the right side.
derrière	The expression derrière means in the part located at the rear.
devant	The expression devant means in the part located at the front.

Scramble

The city is the setting for many ordinary actions. Doing the shopping means buying what is needed in the neighborhood stores. Dropping off a parcel is often done at the post office or at a collection point. Withdrawing money is done at the bank or at an ATM. We can also pay for a service, send a letter, buy bread at the bakery or wait for the bus at the stop. In everyday phrases, objects and places stay simple: a parcel, money, a card, a ticket. These usages are often found in Shopping, where we see vocabulary for daily purchases.

envoyer une lettredéposer un colispayer en espècesretirer de l argentfaire les coursesprendre rendez vousacheter du paindemander un renseignementfaire la queueattendre son tour

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Déposer un colis signifie laisser un paquet dans un lieu prévu pour l envoiRetirer de l argent veut dire prendre de l argent avec sa carteAttendre son tour veut dire patienter jusqu à être serviEnvoyer une lettre veut dire faire partir un courrier vers une autre personneFaire la queue signifie attendre en ligne avec d autres personnesDemander un renseignement signifie poser une question pour obtenir une information utileFaire les courses veut dire acheter les aliments et objets nécessairesAcheter du pain signifie se procurer du pain dans un commercePrendre rendez vous veut dire fixer une date avec quelqu unPayer en espèces signifie régler avec des pièces ou des billets

Common actions in the city

Word	Definition
faire les courses	Faire les courses means to buy the food and necessary items.
déposer un colis	Déposer un colis means to leave a package at a place for sending.
retirer de l argent	Retirer de l'argent means to take out money with your card.
acheter du pain	Acheter du pain means to procure bread at a shop.
attendre son tour	Attendre son tour means to wait until served.
demander un renseignement	Demander un renseignement means to ask a question to obtain useful information.
envoyer une lettre	Envoyer une lettre means to send mail to another person.
payer en espèces	Payer en espèces means to pay with coins or banknotes.
prendre rendez vous	Prendre rendez vous means to set a date with someone.
faire la queue	Faire la queue means to wait in line with other people.

Scramble

In a building, the words for urban housing come up all the time. A studio is a small dwelling with a single main room. A floor corresponds to a level of the building. The elevator allows getting upstairs without using the stairs. The balcony is an outdoor space adjacent to an apartment. We also talk about the building, the entrance and the stairwell to describe common areas. These words are used to describe one’s living place, but also to understand a listing or to ask where someone is in the building. The vocabulary of House and Furniture complements these reference points well by giving the words for housing and interior.

ascenseurimmeublestudiovoisingrenierbalconporte d entréepalierétagecave

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Un grenier est un espace sous le toit où l on range des chosesUn balcon est un petit espace ouvert à l extérieur d un logementUn voisin est une personne qui habite près de chez soiUn studio est un petit logement avec une seule pièce principaleUn palier est l espace devant les portes d un étageUn étage est un niveau dans un immeubleUn immeuble est un grand bâtiment avec plusieurs logements ou bureauxLa porte d entrée est la porte principale d un bâtiment ou d un logementUne cave est un espace en bas d un immeuble pour ranger des objetsUn ascenseur est une cabine qui monte et descend dans un immeuble

Vocabulary for urban housing

Word	Definition
studio	A studio is a small dwelling with one main room.
étage	An étage is a level in a building.
ascenseur	An ascenseur is a cabin that goes up and down in a building.
balcon	A balcon is a small outdoor space of a dwelling.
immeuble	An immeuble is a large building with multiple apartments or offices.
voisin	A voisin is a person who lives near you.
porte d entrée	The porte d'entrée is the main door of a building or dwelling.
cave	A cave is a space at the bottom of a building to store things.
grenier	A grenier is an upstairs space where you store things.
palier	A palier is the space in front of the doors on a floor.

Scramble

To describe the city, we use adjectives like lively, calm, large, noisy or modern. A lively city has a lot of movement, shops and pedestrians. A calm city has less traffic and noise. In several Francophone regions, certain words change according to usage. We often say bus in France and in many other places, but autobus also exists in a more formal register. Tram is very common, while tramway stresses more the name of the vehicle or network. The words stay close, but the form chosen depends on context, region and level of language.

tramwaybus postalarrêtmétroautobustramwaybuschartramautobus

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Le mot autobus est une forme plus soutenue ou traditionnelle pour dire busLe mot tram est très courant pour désigner le transport sur rails en villeLe mot arrêt est le point où le transport public prend ou dépose les passagersLe mot autobus est fréquent dans la langue de la ville au CanadaL expression bus postal est une ancienne façon de parler d un service de transport lié à la posteLe mot tramway est un terme courant pour le tram urbain en SuisseLe mot tramway peut être la forme complète et plus descriptive de tramLe mot char peut être un terme familier pour une voiture dans certains contextes locauxLe mot bus est le terme courant pour le transport urbain en FranceLe mot métro est le terme habituel pour le train urbain souterrain

Common variants of urban transport

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
France	bus	The word bus is the common term for urban transport in France.	Le bus passe devant la mairie.The bus goes past the town hall.
Belgique	autobus	The word autobus is a more formal or traditional way to say bus.	L autobus arrive à l arrêt.The autobus arrives at the stop.
Suisse	tramway	The word tramway is a common term for urban tram in Switzerland.	Le tramway file jusqu au centre.The tramway runs to the center.
Canada	autobus	The word autobus is common in the city’s language in Canada.	L autobus est plein de voyageurs.The autobus is full of travelers.
France	métro	The word métro is the usual term for the underground urban train.	Le métro est bondé ce matin.The métro is crowded this morning.
Belgique	tram	The word tram is very common for urban rail transport.	Le tram s arrête au feu rouge.The tram stops at the red light.
Suisse	bus postal	The expression bus postal is an old-fashioned way to talk about a postal transport service.	Le bus postal traverse le village.The bus postal goes through the village.
Canada	char	The word char can be a colloquial term for a car in some local contexts.	Mon char attend devant le café.My car waits in front of the cafe.
France	tramway	The word tramway can be the full and more descriptive form of tram.	Le tramway suit l avenue.The tramway follows the avenue.
Belgique	arrêt	The word arrêt is the point where public transport picks up or drops off passengers.	L arrêt est juste après la place.The stop is just after the square.

Scramble