Directions in French: find your way, order, ask for help

Directions in French come down to three phrases: à gauche (left), à droite (right) and tout droit (straight ahead). This page is a short travel phrasebook built around them: asking the way, getting around, the hotel, a café, and what to say in an emergency. For the greetings that open every exchange, see Hello in French, and for more everyday phrases, see Common French phrases. To read a menu, see Food in French.

What are the basic directions in French?

Start with left, right and straight ahead, then add near and far. The Académie française’s entry for main gives à main droite and à main gauche as the right-hand and left-hand side of the person speaking or spoken to, and its example is “Prenez à main droite au bout de la rue” [1].

Words you will hear in the answer are verbs such as tournez (turn), continuez (keep going), prenez (take) and traversez (cross). A typical reply is “Allez tout droit, puis tournez à gauche au feu.” Listen for the left, right and straight words first.

How do you ask for directions in French?

Open with a greeting, then ask. Say pardon or excusez-moi, then Où est… ? (Where is…?). The question word où is covered in French question words.

• Excusez-moi, où est la gare ? Excuse me, where is the station?
• Où se trouve la pharmacie ? Where is the pharmacy?
• C’est loin ? Is it far?
• C’est près d’ici ? Is it near here?
• Pour aller au musée, s’il vous plaît ? How do I get to the museum?
• Je suis perdu. I am lost (a woman says perdue). Hear perdu.
• Pouvez-vous répéter, plus lentement ? Can you repeat that, more slowly?
• Parlez-vous anglais ? Do you speak English?

What French phrases do tourists need most?

A few polite words do most of the work. Bonjour first, then your request, then merci. Add s’il vous plaît to every request. The phrases below are the ones travellers use daily.

What does travel mean in French?

The noun is le voyage (the trip) and the verb is voyager (to travel). Bon voyage wishes someone a good trip. The rest of this page covers the situations a trip actually brings: transport, the hotel, a table and trouble.

How do you say airport in French?

Airport is l’aéroport. Around it you will meet le vol (the flight), le bagage (the bag), le passeport and la sécurité (security). On the ground, ask for the way out with Où est la sortie ?

To buy a ticket, say “Un ticket, s’il vous plaît.” To get a taxi: “Je voudrais aller à l’hôtel, s’il vous plaît.”

How do you say hotel in French?

Hotel is l’hôtel, the room is la chambre and the key is la clé. At the desk, give your reservation and ask for what you need.

• J’ai une réservation. I have a reservation.
• Une chambre pour deux nuits, s’il vous plaît. A room for two nights, please.
• Où est la douche ? Where is the shower? Hear la douche.
• Où sont les toilettes ? Where are the toilets? Hear les toilettes.

How do you order at a café or restaurant in French?

Say Je voudrais… (I would like…) and name it. A short order is “Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît.” Ask for le menu, and for la table with “Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît.” Foods and drinks are in Food in French.

To pay, ask for the bill. The Académie française defines l’addition as the note showing the total to pay in a restaurant or a hotel, and gives the example “L’addition, s’il vous plaît !” [2]. The same word works for both places.

What do you say in an emergency in French?

Call out Au secours ! (Help!). The Académie française lists “Au secours ! Au feu ! Au voleur !” as cries that call for help [3]. Then say what you need: “J’ai besoin d’un médecin” (I need a doctor) or “Appelez la police !” (Call the police!). The words le médecin and la police are worth learning before you go.

For the phone, Service-Public, the French government’s information site, lists these numbers [4]:

The Government of Canada’s travel advice for France also tells travellers to dial 112 for emergency assistance and 17 for the police [5]. Service-Public notes that 112 works in all European Union countries [4].

Common mistakes

• Saying tout droite. Straight ahead is the fixed phrase tout droit. Right (the side) is à droite.
• Skipping the greeting. Start with bonjour or excusez-moi, then ask. A bare Où est la gare ? sounds abrupt.
• Forgetting that loin and près answer different questions. Loin means far, près means near. Ask both if you are unsure.
• Nodding at an answer you did not follow. Repeat it back or ask Pouvez-vous répéter ?
• Leaning on 911 abroad. In France the general number is 112, with 17, 15 and 18 for the police, medical service and firefighters [4].
• Trusting an old phrasebook, including this one. Emergency numbers and entries change. Check each official page’s date against ours.

See also: places in town in French.

Sources