Mission: find the tourist office
Places in town and directions. Name places, say where they are, and follow and give simple directions.
FrenchA1 · Everyday lifeAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Name common places in town
- Say where things are with à côté de, en face de, près de, loin de and entre
- Use du and des after de
- Follow and give directions with tournez, allez tout droit and prenez
Everyday life: lesson 5 of 5
- A1 · Numbers and prices
- Mission: understand a price and a phone number 5 min
- A1 · Everyday life
- Mission: read the opening hours and plan your swim 6 min
- Mission: find out about a new club member 4 min
- Mission: make weekend plans with your neighbour 6 min
- Mission: find the tourist office 5 min
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Level Level A1 (around the DELF A1 exam). Real French: asking the way in a French town.
What it is
Your mission: you have just arrived at the station in a French town and need the tourist office. Ask Madame Garnier, a local waiting for her bus, the way, and follow her directions.
Places in town: la gare (station), la poste (post office), la banque, la pharmacie, le supermarché, le marché, le musée, l'hôpital (m), l'office de tourisme (m), le parc, la mairie (town hall), l'église (f, church).
Asking: Où est la gare, s'il vous plaît ? Il y a une pharmacie près d'ici ? (Is there a chemist's near here?)
Saying where (most take de):
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| à côté de | next to |
| en face de | opposite |
| près de / loin de | near / far from |
| entre … et … | between … and … (no de) |
De joins with le and les, just as à does: de + le → du, de + les → des. De la and de l' stay.
- La banque est à côté du musée. (de + le musée)
- La poste est en face de la gare.
Directions (polite vous commands, which look like the present):
- Allez tout droit. Go straight on.
- Tournez à gauche / à droite. Turn left / right.
- Prenez la première / deuxième rue à droite. Take the first / second street on the right.
- Traversez la place. Cross the square.
- C'est au bout de la rue. It's at the end of the street.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« La banque est à côté … musée. »
- de + le always becomes du
- musée is masculine
Show answer
du. de + le → du.
Why it matters
Finding your way is what you need on your first day in a French-speaking town: you read a map, or you listen to someone telling you where to go.
Worked example
At the station, you ask Madame Garnier:
- Pardon, madame, où est l'office de tourisme, s'il vous plaît ?
- Alors, allez tout droit jusqu'à la place. Traversez la place, puis prenez la deuxième rue à gauche. L'office de tourisme est en face de l'église, à côté de la pharmacie.
- C'est loin ?
- Non, c'est à cinq minutes à pied.
Jusqu'à means "as far as"; à pied means "on foot".
Real French: in the street people often give directions with vous + present rather than a command: Vous allez tout droit, puis vous tournez à gauche. Both forms mean the same.
Common mistake
Writing à côté de le or près de les: wrong: à côté de le parc. De joins with le and les: du parc, des magasins.
Also, à droite (on the right) and tout droit (straight on) sound similar but mean different things: listen for tout.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
What does « allez tout droit » mean?
- That is tournez à droite
- That would be a different verb
Show answer
go straight on. tout droit = straight on.
Key terms
- à côté de
- next to
- en face de
- opposite
- près de / loin de
- near / far from
- du, des
- de + le, de + les
- tournez à gauche / à droite
- turn left / right
- allez tout droit
- go straight on
- prenez la première rue
- take the first street
- il y a
- there is, there are
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| à côté de | next to |
| en face de | opposite |
| près de / loin de | near / far from |
| du, des | de + le, de + les |
| tournez à gauche / à droite | turn left / right |
| allez tout droit | go straight on |
| prenez la première rue | take the first street |
| il y a | there is, there are |
Practice
Sort it
du, de la, de l' or des?
le parc
de + leShow answer
du. de + le
la poste
feminineShow answer
de la. feminine
l'hôpital
before a vowel soundShow answer
de l'. before a vowel sound
les magasins
de + lesShow answer
des. de + les
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
"The chemist's is opposite the station." Which is right?
- en face needs de
- gare is feminine: de la
Show answer
La pharmacie est en face de la gare.. en face de + la gare.
You hear « prenez la deuxième rue à gauche ». You…
- gauche is left
- prenez means take
Show answer
take the second street on the left. deuxième = second, à gauche = on the left.
Build the sentence
Build "Turn right, then go straight on."
Show answer
Tournez à droite, puis allez tout droit.. First instruction, puis (then), second instruction.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Madame Garnier, a friendly French local waiting for her bus, at level A1; I am a visitor looking for the tourist office. Speak slowly and clearly. Use only these words and patterns: pardon, où est, il y a, s'il vous plaît, la gare, la poste, la banque, la pharmacie, le supermarché, le marché, le musée, l'hôpital, l'office de tourisme, le parc, la mairie, l'église, la place, la rue, à côté de, en face de, près de, loin de, entre, du, des, allez tout droit, tournez à gauche, tournez à droite, prenez la première rue, prenez la deuxième rue, traversez, puis, c'est loin, à cinq minutes à pied, merci. I will ask you the way to 3 places; give short directions. Then ask me the way to 3 places and I will give directions. After each of my lines, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again. When I have asked the way to 3 places and given directions to 3 places, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. Explain corrections in English.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Places: la gare, la poste, la banque, la pharmacie, le musée, l'hôpital…
- Where: à côté de, en face de, près de, loin de, entre … et ….
- de + le = du; de + les = des.
- Directions: allez tout droit, tournez à gauche / à droite, prenez la première rue.
- tout droit (straight on) is not à droite (on the right).
Mastery check
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Check yourself
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How do you say "next to the park"?
Show answer
à côté du parc.
How do you ask where the post office is, politely?
Show answer
Où est la poste, s'il vous plaît ?
What does « traversez la place » mean?
Show answer
Cross the square.
Further reading
- RFI, Journal en français facile: listen for place words and for directions in reports about towns and travel.
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free A1 exercises on getting around town.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.