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Alex asks Sophie for directions to the train station, then checks the route with a bus driver.
The opposite of à droite is à gauche ("on the left"). Both are worth learning as a pair — you will hear them in every set of directions.
How do I read these pronunciations? See the pronunciation guide.
1. C'est — "it is"
C'est is the workhorse phrase for saying what something is or where it is. Use it with a place word (près, loin, à droite) or a distance. It is short for cela est, which nobody says.
2. À + le becomes au
À means "to" or "at." Before a feminine noun it stays as it is (à la gare), but à + le always squeezes together into au (au coin, au cinéma). You never write à le.
3. Pouvoir — je peux
Je peux means "I can" or "may I." Put a second verb straight after it, with no extra word in between, to ask permission.
4. Giving directions — va, montez
To tell someone to do something, drop the pronoun and keep the verb: Va tout droit ("go straight", to a friend) or Montez ("get on", polite/plural). Which one you pick follows the same tu / vous choice as everything else.
A. Fill in the Blank · Complétez
Fill in the blank with a word from this lesson's vocabulary.
- 1., comment aller à la gare ?excuse me
- 2.Va tout .straight ahead
- 3.C'est à dix minutes à .on foot
- 4.C'est à droite, la banque.after
B. Multiple Choice · Choix multiple
Choose the best answer.
- 1.How do you ask the way to the station?
- 2.Which sentence is correct?
- 3.How do you ask "Can I take the bus?"
- 4.Which phrase means "on the right"?
C. Rearrange the Sentence · Remettez dans l'ordre
Rearrange the words into a correct sentence, adding the punctuation shown in parentheses.
- 1.Tap tiles below…
- 2.Tap tiles below…
- 3.Tap tiles below…
- 4.Tap tiles below…
D. True or False · Vrai ou faux
Based on the dialogue, mark each sentence T (true) or F (false).
- 1.The station is far away.
- 2.The walk takes about ten minutes.
- 3.The bus stops at the corner.
- 4.The station is on the left, before the bank.
E. Matching · Associez
Match each question on the left with the best response on the right.
F. Translation · Traduction
Translate items 1–2 into French, and items 3–4 into English.
- 1.Excuse me, how do I get to the station?
- 2.It's on the right, after the bank.
- 3.C'est à dix minutes à pied.
- 4.Je peux prendre le bus aussi ?
Generate a brand-new dialog on any topic, using this lesson's 15 vocab words — plus any words you add below.
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Say bonjour before anything else
The most common mistake English speakers make in France is skipping the greeting. Walking up to someone and opening with a question, however polite, reads as abrupt — and the cool response it earns is often mistaken for rudeness. Bonjour comes first every time: entering a shop, approaching a stranger, boarding a bus. Excusez-moi then softens the interruption. The order in this lesson is the full form: greet, apologize for interrupting, then ask. Get the bonjour in and the same person who seemed unhelpful will usually walk you through the directions twice.