Directions and Advice

The four basic cardinal directions are:

  to the North  
  au nord  
to the West   to the East
à l’ouest   à l’est
  to the South  
  au sud  

Other commonly used directions:

À gauche Tout droit À droite
to the Left Straight to the Right

Direction Questions

There are many times that you may need to ask for directions. Some phrases that you
should know:

  • Excusez-moi

    Excuse Me

  • s’il vous plaît

    Please

  • Où est ____ ? or Où se trouve ______ ?

    Where is ____ ?

  • Où puis-je trouver ______ ?

    Where can I find ______ ?

There are many places that you could be looking for, and it is always a good idea to know what they are called beforehand. Here is a brief list of places, or things, you might be looking for.

  • l’aéroport - The airport
  • le métro - The metro, and underground train
  • l’hôtel - The hotel
  • restaurant - Restaurant
  • la banque - a bank
  • le musée - a museum
  • le cinéma - a movie theater
  • le théâtre - a theater
  • L’hôpital - the hospital
  • le commissariat - a police station
  • le W.C. - the bathroom
  • rue - Street
  • la carte - The map
  • un taxi - A taxi
  • la boîte de nuit - the dance club
  • le-centre ville - downtown
  • la bibliothèque - the library
  • la pharmacie - the pharmacy
  • le centre commercial - the mall (shopping center)

You’ll want to be able to recognize these words on any signs you may come across:

  • Arrêtez Stop!
  • Attention Warning!