Directions in French

Do you want to learn how to ask for directions in French?

You may be planning a trip to France or you may already be there, eager to begin your adventure. You’re probably familiar enough with French to get to your hotel, ride the Metro, and eat your first authentic croissant.

However, you should not rule out the possibility of getting lost in a foreign city. You’ll have to ask a stranger (likely a French person) for directions and try to understand what they’re saying.

You may even be the one another lost person turn to for directions. To help you prepare for these situations, here are some key terms to know when discussing directions in French.

Directions in French

1. Asking for Directions in French

The first thing you should learn is how to ask a question that will give you information about a specific location or address.

If you learn a few basic phrases in French before visiting a French-speaking city, you’ll be less likely to become disoriented.

When asking for directions in French, these are the three most important phrases to remember:

Excusez-moi – Excuse me

It is customary in France to begin a conversation with someone by saying “Excusez-moi,” which is French for “Excuse me.” This is a way to get the other person’s attention, which is also similar to saying something like, “I’d like to start a conversation with you.”

Once you are able to get someone’s attention and made it obvious that you have something to say, then you may start asking for directions. 

Où est…? – Where is…?

This is the easiest way to ask directions in French. Here, you are asking where a certain establishment or destination is (located). For example:

• Où est l’ôtel Plaza Athénée? – Where is the Hôtel Plaza Athénée?
• Où sont les toilettes publiques? – Where are the public restrooms?

Comment peut-on aller à…? – How to get to…?

This is another way to ask for directions in French wherein you are asking how you can reach a certain destination. For example:

• Comment peut-on aller à l’ôtel Plaza Athénée? – How to get to the Hôtel Plaza Athénée?

2. Giving Directions in French

It’s not enough to know how to ask for directions in French; you must also be able to decipher the response you receive in the language. If you’re visiting a large city like Paris and want to learn about each arrondissement, it is helpful to learn these terms.

Even when driving or wandering around massive museums and palaces like the Louvre or Versailles, this vocabulary will come in handy.

Learn the essentials of French location and navigation by reading and understanding the key elements that are related to locations and directions in French.

First, remember to start your sentence with C’est … (neuter) or Il est / elle est (m/f)…, which are the French for “It is” then follow with any of these directional terms.

• le nord – north           
• au nord – to the north

• le sud – south 
• au sud – to the south

• l’est – east     
• à l’est – to the east

• l’ouest à – west
• l’ouest – to the west

• la droite – right         
• à droite – to/on the right
• la gauche – left          
• à gauche – to/on the left

• before – avant
• after – après
• tout droit – straight (ahead)
•  à côté de – next to
•  devant – in front of
•  derrière – in back of, behind
•  en bas – down
•  en haut – up
•  loin (de) – far (from)
•  près (de) – near (to)

• Au coin de – at the corner of)
• Au bout de – at the end of)
• La prochaine rue – next street

• entre A et B – between A and B
• au coin/à l’angle de la rue A et de la rue B – at the corner of A and B streets
• au bout de la rue – at the end of the street
• sur le boulevard A/l’avenue – A on A boulevard/avenue

3. Verbs for Directions in French

Here’s a list of specific verbs necessary for both describing and understanding directions. These verbs usually accompany the direction terms listed above to make them more precise.

These are often used to answer the question “Comment peut-on aller à…“, which specifically asks how to get to a certain establishment or location, step by step.

• aller (jusqu’a/au) – go (until the)     

• continue (jusqu’a/au) – continue (until the)

• passer devant le/la/les – go by the…

• tourner, prendre (à droite, à gauche) – turn right, left     Huh

• prendre la première, deuxième, troisième rue à droite, à gauche – take the first, second third street to the right, left

• traverser (la rue, le pont, la place) – cross (the steet, bridge, city square)

• revenir, retourner (en arrière) – go back     

• remonter la rue – go up the street     

• redescendre la rue – go down the street