Les Directions
Directions & the City
Lost in Paris? Pas de panique! Learn how to ask for directions, give them, and find your way around the city in French.
🧭 Directions & the City
Flip each card — front = English, back = French. Tap 🔊 to hear it!
💡 Expressions
How to ask for and give directions in French. Click to expand.
📐 Grammar
Asking the way, giving orders politely, and placing things in space.
Direction Formula
Examples
Tournez à gauche → Turn left
Continuez tout droit → Go straight
C'est en face de la banque → It's across from the bank
Contractions
à + le = au (au coin)
à + les = aux
de + le = du (près du parc)
Three polite ways to ask the way / Três formas educadas de perguntar o caminho:
✅ Où est la gare? — Where is the station? / Onde fica a estação?
✅ Pour aller à la gare? — How do I get to the station? / Como chego à estação?
✅ Pardon, je cherche la gare. — Excuse me, I'm looking for the station. / Com licença, procuro a estação.
💡 Always start with "Pardon" (excuse me) — politeness is essential in French! / Sempre comece com "Pardon".
To give directions politely, use the vous imperative — just drop "vous" / Para dar direções, use o imperativo com "vous" (sem o "vous"):
✅ Tournez à droite. — Turn right. / Vire à direita.
✅ Continuez tout droit. — Continue straight. / Continue em frente.
✅ Allez jusqu'au feu. — Go up to the light. / Vá até o sinal.
✅ Traversez la rue. — Cross the street. / Atravesse a rua.
✅ Prenez la première rue à gauche. — Take the first street on the left. / Pegue a primeira rua à esquerda.
These prepositions tell you where something is / Estas preposições dizem onde algo está:
✅ en face de — across from / em frente a
✅ à côté de — next to / ao lado de
✅ près de — near / perto de
✅ loin de — far from / longe de
✅ au coin de — at the corner of / na esquina de
💡 With "le", these contract! à + le = au, de + le = du. So: "au coin du parc" (at the corner of the park), "en face du musée" (across from the museum). / Com "le", contraem: à+le=au, de+le=du.
🎭 Dialogue
🧭 Yara is lost and asks for the way to the station. Read aloud!
🐾 Yara
Pardon, Monsieur! Je suis perdue. Pour aller à la gare, s'il vous plaît?
Excuse me, Sir! I'm lost. How do I get to the station, please?
🧑🦱 Le passant
La gare? C'est facile. Continuez tout droit jusqu'au feu rouge.
The station? It's easy. Go straight ahead until the red light.
🐾 Yara
D'accord, tout droit jusqu'au feu. Et après?
Okay, straight ahead to the light. And then?
🧑🦱 Le passant
Au feu, tournez à droite. Puis prenez la première rue à gauche.
At the light, turn right. Then take the first street on the left.
🐾 Yara
Et la gare, elle est où exactement?
And the station, where is it exactly?
🧑🦱 Le passant
La gare est en face de la banque, à côté du café. C'est tout près!
The station is across from the bank, next to the café. It's very close!
🐾 Yara
Merci beaucoup, Monsieur! Vous êtes très gentil. Au revoir!
Thank you very much, Sir! You're very kind. Goodbye!
🎯 Practice Quiz
10 questions on directions, the imperative and prepositions!
+50 XP earned! Vous trouvez votre chemin — you can find your way!
🗣️ Speak
Read these directions aloud — imagine you're guiding someone!
📋 Homework
Leçon 10 — Les Directions
Word Order
Arrange the words to form correct direction sentences.
Match French / English
Match each direction word to its meaning.
✅ All pairs matched! Parfait!
Fill in the Blank
Write the correct direction word in French.
Free Writing ✍️
Write 4–6 sentences giving directions from your house to a place nearby (a shop, school, the station). Use tournez, continuez, en face de, à côté de.
Bravo! Homework complete!
+100 XP — Vous ne vous perdrez plus jamais!