French Improvers Course Lesson 2:
Welcome
Welcome back!
In Lesson 1, you learned about common places you’ll find in a French town, including the station, pharmacy, market, bakery, and town hall.
Now that you know where places are, it’s time to learn how to find them.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask for directions and understand simple instructions when travelling around France.
Whether you’re trying to find your hotel, the train station, or the local market, these phrases will help you navigate confidently.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
✓ Ask for directions
✓ Understand common directional language
✓ Follow simple instructions
✓ Give basic directions
✓ Feel more confident exploring French towns and cities
As usual, check out our great video below that will help you with this lesson
Key Vocabulary
À gauche
Left
Pronunciation:
Ah gosh
Example:
Tournez à gauche.
Turn left.
À droite
Right
Pronunciation:
Ah dwat
Example:
Tournez à droite.
Turn right.
Tout droit
Straight ahead
Pronunciation:
Too drwah
Example:
Continuez tout droit.
Go straight ahead.
Devant
In front of
Pronunciation:
Duh-von
Example:
Le café est devant la gare.
The café is in front of the station.
Derrière
Behind
Pronunciation:
Dair-ee-air
Example:
Le parc est derrière l’hôtel.
The park is behind the hotel.
Près de
Near
Pronunciation:
Pray duh
Example:
Le marché est près de la mairie.
The market is near the town hall.
Loin de
Far from
Pronunciation:
Lwan duh
Example:
La gare est loin d’ici.
The station is far from here.
Au coin de
On the corner of
Pronunciation:
Oh kwan duh
Example:
La pharmacie est au coin de la rue.
The pharmacy is on the corner of the street.
Useful Direction Phrases
Excusez-moi
Excuse me
Example:
Excusez-moi, où est la gare ?
Excuse me, where is the station?
Où est… ?
Where is…?
Example:
Où est l’hôtel ?
Where is the hotel?
Continuez tout droit
Continue straight ahead
Example:
Continuez tout droit pendant cinq minutes.
Continue straight ahead for five minutes.
Tournez à gauche
Turn left
Example:
Tournez à gauche après la banque.
Turn left after the bank.
Tournez à droite
Turn right
Example:
Tournez à droite au café.
Turn right at the café.
Reading Practice
Read aloud:
Tournez à gauche.
Tournez à droite.
Continuez tout droit.
La banque est près du marché.
Le restaurant est au coin de la rue.
La gare est loin d’ici.
Repeat slowly and clearly.
Dialogue 1 – Finding the Hotel
Touriste
Bonjour.
Excusez-moi.
Où est l’hôtel ?
Hello.
Excuse me.
Where is the hotel?
Habitant
Continuez tout droit.
Tournez à gauche après la pharmacie.
L’hôtel est à droite.
Go straight ahead.
Turn left after the pharmacy.
The hotel is on the right.
Touriste
Merci beaucoup.
Habitant
De rien.
Dialogue 2 – Finding the Market
Touriste
Bonjour.
Où est le marché ?
Hello.
Where is the market?
Habitant
Le marché est près de la mairie.
Continuez tout droit puis tournez à droite.
The market is near the town hall.
Go straight ahead then turn right.
Touriste
Merci.
Habitant
Bonne journée.
Have a nice day.
Dialogue 3 – Asking for the Station
Voyageur
Excusez-moi.
Où est la gare ?
Excuse me.
Where is the station?
Habitant
La gare est derrière le parc.
The station is behind the park.
Voyageur
C’est loin ?
Is it far?
Habitant
Non.
Cinq minutes à pied.
No.
Five minutes on foot.
Voyageur
Merci beaucoup.
Language Building
Puis
Then
Example:
Continuez tout droit puis tournez à gauche.
Go straight ahead then turn left.
Après
After
Example:
Tournez à droite après la boulangerie.
Turn right after the bakery.
En face de
Opposite
Example:
Le café est en face de la mairie.
The café is opposite the town hall.
Real-Life Scenario
Imagine you’re visiting a French town and want to find the market.
You ask:
Bonjour.
Excusez-moi.
Où est le marché ?
The local replies:
Continuez tout droit.
Tournez à gauche après l’église.
Le marché est devant la mairie.
You follow the directions and arrive successfully.
Excellent work!
Quick Practice
Translate these into English.
- À gauche
- À droite
- Tout droit
- Devant
- Derrière
Answers:
- Left
- Right
- Straight ahead
- In front of
- Behind
Quick Practice 2
Translate these into French.
- Turn left
- Turn right
- Go straight ahead
- Near the station
- Behind the hotel
Answers:
- Tournez à gauche
- Tournez à droite
- Continuez tout droit
- Près de la gare
- Derrière l’hôtel
Mini Challenge
Give directions from your house to a supermarket.
Example:
Continuez tout droit.
Tournez à droite.
Le supermarché est à gauche.
Try creating your own version in French.
Listening Practice
Read aloud:
Continuez tout droit.
Tournez à droite au café.
Passez devant la mairie.
Le marché est à gauche.
Try saying them without looking.
Cultural Tip
French people are usually very helpful when asked politely.
Always start with:
Bonjour
or
Excusez-moi
before asking for directions.
A polite greeting often makes all the difference.
Lesson Summary
Today you learned:
✓ How to ask for directions
✓ Common directional vocabulary
✓ How to follow instructions
✓ How to describe locations
✓ Useful travel French
✓ Real-life conversations
You can now ask for and understand simple directions in French.
As usual, here is your FREE PDF download of the lesson for you to keep and refer to.
In Lesson 3, we’ll learn how to order food and drinks confidently in cafés and restaurants.