Day 16: Asking directions

Où est…? · à gauche / à droite · a first look at the imperative · 25 min

Asking is easy; understanding the answer is the hard part. So today spends more time on the ten things they will say back than on the three things you say.

1. What you say — three sentences is enough

★ That last one is your best real-world weapon. You don't need to understand the French if they point at the map.

⚠️ Je cherche takes no preposition. English says "looking for"; French does not — Je cherche pour l'hôtel is wrong. Same with écouter (listen to) and regarder (look at): the French verb swallows the preposition.

2. ★ What they say back — this is the part to train

⚠️ Mix up gauche and droite and you walk the wrong way.The memory hook is free for English speakers: droite is the same root as direct and right (both from Latin directus) → right.⚠️ And watch the one-letter gap: tout droit (straight on) vs à droite (to the right).They are pronounced differently too — DRWA has no t sound, DRWAT does.

3. The imperative — just the shape today

Every verb in the table above is a command aimed at vous. Building one is trivial.

★ Drop the vous from the vous form and you have the imperative. That is the whole rule for today — and it works the same way English drops "you" ("You go" → "Go").

4. Order and distance

⚠️ FAUX AMI: le coin is a corner, not a coin. A coin is une pièce.And le feu is literally "fire" — the traffic light is the feu (rouge).

5. Dialogue

You: Excusez-moi, madame. Je cherche la gare.ex-kew-zay MWA, ma-DAM. zhuh SHAIRSH la GAR.Passer-by: Alors… Allez tout droit, puis tournez à gauche au feu.a-LOR… a-lay too DRWA, pwee toor-NAY a GOHSH oh FUH. Go straight, then left at the lights.You: Pardon, plus lentement, s'il vous plaît ?par-DOHN, plew lahnt-MAHN, seel voo PLEH?Passer-by: Tout droit… et à gauche. C'est à cinq minutes à pied.too DRWA… ay a GOHSH. seh ta sank mee-NEWT a PYAY.You: D'accord. C'est en face du parc ?da-KOR. seh tahn fass dew PARK?Passer-by: Exactement ! eg-zak-tuh-MAHN! Exactly!You: Merci beaucoup, bonne journée !

★ Pardon ? (par-DOHN) = "Sorry?" — the shortest, most natural way to ask someone to repeat. Note it is not an apology here. ★ Alors… (a-LOR) = "So…, right then…" — the noise French people make while thinking. Using it yourself is one of the cheapest ways to sound less foreign.

6. Exercises

A. What does it mean?

1. Allez tout droit. 2. Tournez à droite. 3. C'est au coin de la rue. 4. Traversez la rue.

B. Say it in French.

1. Excuse me, where is the station? 2. Is it far from here? 3. I'm looking for the hotel.
2. Can you show me on the map?

C. Build these directions in French.

"Go straight on, then take the second street on the right. It's opposite the bank."

D. ⚠️ Fix the mistake.

1. Je cherche pour la gare. 2. Tournez à droit.

7. Today's 10 sentences

1. Excusez-moi, où est la gare ? — Where's the station? (ex-kew-zay MWA, oo eh la GAR)
2. Je cherche l'hôtel. — I'm looking for the hotel (zhuh SHAIRSH loh-TELL)
3. C'est loin d'ici ? — Is it far from here? (seh lwan dee-SEE)
4. Allez tout droit. — Go straight on (a-lay too DRWA)
5. Tournez à gauche. — Turn left (toor-NAY a GOHSH)
6. Tournez à droite. — Turn right (toor-NAY a DRWAT)
7. C'est à cinq minutes à pied. — Five minutes on foot (seh ta sank mee-NEWT a PYAY)
8. Pardon ? — Sorry? (par-DOHN)
9. Vous pouvez me montrer sur la carte ? — Can you show me on the map? (voo poo-vay muh mohn-TRAY sewr la KART)
10. Merci, bonne journée ! — Thanks, have a good day! (mair-SEE, bun zhoor-NAY)

8. 📲 Upload to LangNote

The ten phrases in section 2 are the point of today. The goal is to get them into your ear via dictation — in real life they go past fast, and recognising them on the page is not the same skill.

langNote is a paid subscription and this course recommends it. The 30 lessons are free and complete either way.