A1Unit 6 of the A1 course · « En ville »

Asking for directions in French

Lost in a French town? This page gives you the places, the directions people will give you, and the verb aller, which breaks the -er rule in every form you'll need.

By the end of this unit you can: ask for directions and use public transport.

Start the lessons free 27 words and phrases

What this unit covers

1Les lieux: Name the places you need in a town.
2Les directions: Ask the way and understand the answer.
3Les transports: Say how you travel and buy a ticket.
4Aller: Say where people are going.
5Perdu à Paris: Find your way to a museum with help from a stranger.

Grammar and usage, explained

Directions are commands

People giving directions use the vous form as an instruction: allez (go), tournez (turn), prenez (take), traversez (cross). Listen for these verbs first, then for gauche, droite or tout droit.

Prenez la deuxième rue à droite.Take the second street on the right.
La banque est en face de la gare.The bank is opposite the station.

Aller breaks the -er rule

Aller ends in -er but it's irregular, so it gets its own song: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont.

Je vais à Paris.I'm going to Paris.
Nous allons au cinéma.We're going to the cinema.

À + le = au

To a place is à. But à le always merges into au, and à les into aux. À la and à l' stay as they are.

Je vais au parc.I'm going to the park.
Je vais à la gare.I'm going to the station.
Je vais à l'hôpital.I'm going to the hospital.

Scene: lost in Paris

You're at Place de la Concorde and want to reach the Musée d'Orsay. A friendly passer-by stops to help.

Vocabulary: 27 words and phrases

Tap 🔊 to hear each one, recorded by a native-sounding French voice.

Les lieux

Listen	French	English
	gare(feminine)	train station
	banque(feminine)	bank
	pharmacie(feminine)	pharmacyLook for the green cross.
	boulangerie(feminine)	bakeryWhere you buy your baguette and croissants.
	musée(masculine)	museumEnds in -ée but it's masculine.
	hôpital(masculine)	hospital
	supermarché(masculine)	supermarket
	parc(masculine)	park

Les directions

Listen	French	English
	où est… ?Où est la gare, s'il vous plaît ? (Where is the station, please?)	where is…?
	tout droit	straight on
	à gauche	on the left / left
	à droite	on the right / rightDon't mix up droite (right) and tout droit (straight on).
	prenez la première rue	take the first streetDeuxième is second, troisième is third.
	près de	nearThe opposite is loin de (far from).
	en face de	opposite

Les transports

Listen	French	English
	métro(masculine)	underground / subway
	bus(masculine)	busThe s is pronounced: « buss ».
	train(masculine)	train
	à pied	on foot
	en voiture	by carEn for vehicles you sit inside: en bus, en train, en métro. But à vélo, à pied.
	billet(masculine)un billet aller-retour (a return ticket)	ticket

Aller

Listen	French	English
	je vais	I go / I'm going
	tu vas	you go (informal)
	il va / elle va	he goes / she goes
	nous allons	we go
	vous allez	you go (plural / formal)
	ils vont	they go

Example sentences

Il y a une boulangerie près de la gare.There's a bakery near the station.
Excusez-moi, où est la pharmacie, s'il vous plaît ?Excuse me, where is the pharmacy, please?
Je prends le bus tous les jours.I take the bus every day.
Ce soir, nous allons au restaurant.Tonight we're going to a restaurant.
Merci beaucoup, bonne journée !Thank you very much, have a nice day!

Practise it, don't just read it

This unit is part of French Ultimate's A1 course: 5 short lessons with an animated video each, speaking and listening practice, a reading and an end-of-unit test.

Start the lessons free