Reference · module 6
Around town
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Aller — to go
Say where you are going.
- Aller is irregular: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. It is one of the most used verbs in French, so it is worth learning by heart.
- To a place is à, and à merges with le: à + le = au. So je vais au cinéma, but je vais à la gare, à l'hôtel, and aux toilettes in the plural.
- Aller plus a verb talks about the near future: je vais manger — I am going to eat. It works exactly like the English going to.
The mistake you are about to make
Je vais à le cinéma.
Je vais au cinéma.
To the stays two words in English. In French à and le must fuse: au cinéma.
Asking the way
Ask for directions and understand the answer.
- Start with excusez-moi or pardon, then ask où est: Excusez-moi, où est la gare ? For something you are not sure exists: il y a une pharmacie près d'ici ?
- The answer uses a few words: à gauche — on the left, à droite — on the right, tout droit — straight ahead, puis — then, au coin — at the corner.
- Droite and droit are easy to mix up. À droite, with an e, is right; tout droit, without it, is straight on. Mixing them sends you the wrong way.
The mistake you are about to make
tout droite
tout droit
Right and straight look like one word in French. À droite is right; tout droit, no e, is straight ahead.
Places in town
Name places in town and say what is nearby.
- Places to know: la gare — station, l'hôtel, la pharmacie, la banque, le supermarché, le musée, la poste, le métro. Learn the article with each.
- Près de means near and loin de means far from: la banque est près de la gare. De merges with le just like à does: près du musée, loin du métro.
- To ask whether somewhere is far: c'est loin ? The answer is often in minutes: c'est à cinq minutes à pied — it is five minutes on foot.
The mistake you are about to make
près de le musée
près du musée
Near the museum keeps the in English. In French de + le fuses into du: près du musée.