Travel & Directions

Why this matters

You've landed in Paris. You need the metro station, the nearest bakery, or your hotel. Understanding and giving directions is one of the most immediately practical skills in any language — and in France, asking politely goes a very long way.

🦝 Remy says: "I once got lost in a city park and had to ask three different pigeons for directions. None of them helped. Ask a human instead — and now you'll know exactly how to do it in French!"

Core Lesson: Directions & Travel Vocabulary

Key travel places

| French | Pronunciation | English | |

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| | la gare | [la gar] | train station | | l'aéroport | [lay-ro-por] | airport | | l'hôtel | [loh-tel] | hotel | | la gare routière | [gar roo-tyair] | bus station | | le métro | [luh may-troh] | subway/metro | | le centre-ville | [son-truh veel] | city center | | la pharmacie | [far-ma-see] | pharmacy | | la boulangerie | [boo-lon-zhree] | bakery | | le musée | [mew-zay] | museum | | l'office de tourisme | [oh-fees duh too-reezm] | tourist office |

Direction words

| French | Pronunciation | English | |

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| | à gauche | [a gohsh] | to the left | | à droite | [a drwat] | to the right | | tout droit | [too drwa] | straight ahead | | près d'ici | [preh dee-see] | near here | | loin d'ici | [lwan dee-see] | far from here | | au bout de la rue | [oh boo duh la rew] | at the end of the street | | en face de | [on fas duh] | across from | | à côté de | [a ko-tay duh] | next to | | devant | [duh-von] | in front of | | derrière | [deh-ryair] | behind |

Asking and answering

| Question | Response | |

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-| | Excusez-moi, où est la gare ? | C'est à gauche, tout droit. | | C'est loin d'ici ? | Non, c'est près — cinq minutes à pied. | | Comment est-ce qu'on va au musée ? | Vous allez tout droit, puis à droite. | | Il y a une pharmacie près d'ici ? | Oui, elle est en face du café. |

🦝 Remy's memory trick: "Gauche sounds like the English word 'gosh' — imagine saying 'Gosh, I turned LEFT and got lost!' For droite (right), think of a straight, upright, correct path — right is right! Tout droit (straight ahead) even sounds like 'too direct.'"

Travel vocabulary

| French | Pronunciation | English | |

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| | un voyage | [vwa-yazh] | a trip | | des vacances | [vah-kons] | vacation | | un passeport | [pas-por] | passport | | une valise | [va-leez] | suitcase | | un billet | [bee-yay] | ticket | | réserver | [ray-zair-vay] | to book/reserve |

📝 Exercise 1 — Fill in the Blank

1. Excusez-moi, _______ est la gare, s'il vous plaît ? (where)
2. C'est _______ droite, puis tout droit. (to the)
3. La pharmacie est _______ du café. (across from)
4. C'est _______ ? — Non, c'est à deux minutes. (far)
5. Pour aller à l'hôtel, allez tout _______ . (straight)

✅ Answers:

1. où
2. à
3. en face
4. loin
5. droit

📝 Exercise 2 — Make a Sentence

1. Excuse me, is the museum near here?
2. The train station is to the left, at the end of the street.
3. Go straight ahead, then turn right.

✅ Model answers:

1. Excusez-moi, le musée est près d'ici ?
2. La gare est à gauche, au bout de la rue.
3. Allez tout droit, puis tournez à droite.

📝 Exercise 3 — Match the French to the English

| French | English | |

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| | 1. tout droit | a. next to | | 2. à côté de | b. far from here | | 3. loin d'ici | c. straight ahead | | 4. en face de | d. behind | | 5. derrière | e. across from |

✅ Answers: 1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-e, 5-d

🎯 Today's Challenge

Open Google Maps and find a French city (Paris, Lyon, Marseille). Pick a starting point and a destination. Write the directions in French using at least 3 direction phrases. Say them aloud as if you're speaking to a tourist.

⭐ Key Takeaways

• Always open direction requests with Excusez-moi — politeness is non-negotiable in French culture.
• The four most important direction words are: à gauche, à droite, tout droit, près d'ici — learn these first.
• Prepositions like en face de, à côté de, derrière let you pin down locations precisely.