You are viewing a free preview of this lesson.
Subscribe to unlock all 3 lessons in this course and every other course on LearningBro.
Describing where you live, the facilities in your town, and what your region is like is a core GCSE French topic tested across all four skills. You need a wide range of vocabulary for places in town, shops, directions and prepositions of place, and the ability to discuss advantages and disadvantages of where you live. You must also be able to compare your area now with how it used to be (using the imperfect tense), describe your region, and handle a directions role-play. This lesson covers all of these areas in comprehensive detail with vocabulary tables, grammar explanations, model sentences and exam tips.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| j'habite à… | I live in… (+ city) |
| j'habite dans une grande ville | I live in a big city |
| j'habite dans une petite ville | I live in a small town |
| j'habite dans un village | I live in a village |
| j'habite dans une ville de taille moyenne | I live in a medium-sized town |
| j'habite en banlieue | I live in the suburbs |
| j'habite à la campagne | I live in the countryside |
| j'habite au bord de la mer | I live by the sea |
| j'habite à la montagne | I live in the mountains |
| c'est situé dans le nord / le sud / l'est / l'ouest de l'Angleterre | it is situated in the north / south / east / west of England |
| c'est une ville industrielle / historique / touristique | it is an industrial / historic / tourist town |
| c'est une ville animée / vivante / calme / tranquille | it is a lively / vibrant / calm / quiet town |
| j'habite dans une région rurale / urbaine | I live in a rural / urban area |
| j'habite dans un quartier résidentiel | I live in a residential area |
| j'habite ici depuis dix ans | I have lived here for ten years |
| je suis né(e) ici | I was born here |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le centre-ville | the town centre |
| la mairie / l'hôtel de ville (m.) | the town hall |
| la gare (SNCF) | the train station |
| la gare routière | the bus station |
| l'arrêt de bus (m.) | the bus stop |
| la poste / le bureau de poste | the post office |
| le commissariat (de police) | the police station |
| la caserne de pompiers | the fire station |
| l'hôpital (m.) | the hospital |
| la bibliothèque | the library |
| le musée | the museum |
| le théâtre | the theatre |
| le cinéma | the cinema |
| le parc | the park |
| le jardin public | the public garden |
| la piscine (municipale) | the (public) swimming pool |
| le stade | the stadium |
| le centre sportif / le gymnase | the sports centre / gym |
| le parking | the car park |
| la station-service | the petrol station |
| l'office de tourisme (m.) | the tourist office |
| le marché | the market |
| le château | the castle |
| la cathédrale | the cathedral |
| l'église (f.) | the church |
| la mosquée | the mosque |
| la synagogue | the synagogue |
| le pont | the bridge |
| la place (du marché) | the (market) square |
| la fontaine | the fountain |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le supermarché | the supermarket |
| l'hypermarché (m.) | the hypermarket |
| le centre commercial | the shopping centre |
| la boulangerie | the bakery |
| la pâtisserie | the cake shop |
| la boucherie | the butcher's |
| la charcuterie | the delicatessen |
| la poissonnerie | the fishmonger's |
| l'épicerie (f.) | the grocer's |
| la pharmacie | the chemist's / pharmacy |
| le tabac / le bureau de tabac | the tobacconist / newsagent |
| la librairie | the bookshop |
| le magasin de vêtements | the clothes shop |
| le magasin de chaussures | the shoe shop |
| le magasin de jouets | the toy shop |
| la bijouterie | the jeweller's |
| le fleuriste | the florist |
| le salon de coiffure | the hairdresser's |
| le pressing / la teinturerie | the dry cleaner's |
| le marché aux puces | the flea market |
| le restaurant | the restaurant |
| le café | the café |
| le fast-food | the fast-food restaurant |
Exam tip: Be careful with false friends: la librairie means bookshop (NOT library — that is la bibliothèque). Also, le magasin means shop (NOT magazine — that is une revue or un magazine).
| French | English |
|---|---|
| acheter | to buy |
| vendre | to sell |
| payer | to pay |
| dépenser | to spend (money) |
| coûter | to cost |
| C'est combien ? / Ça coûte combien ? | How much is it? |
| les soldes (f.pl.) | the sales |
| une réduction / une promotion | a reduction / a special offer |
| un reçu | a receipt |
| la caisse | the till / checkout |
| une cabine d'essayage | a fitting room |
| la taille | the size (clothes) |
| la pointure | the size (shoes) |
| un sac (en plastique) | a (plastic) bag |
| faire les courses | to do the (food) shopping |
| faire du shopping / du lèche-vitrine | to go shopping / window shopping |
| un cadeau | a gift / present |
| emballer | to wrap |
| échanger / rembourser | to exchange / to refund |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| à côté de | next to |
| en face de | opposite |
| entre | between |
| devant | in front of |
| derrière | behind |
| près de | near |
| loin de | far from |
| au coin de | on the corner of |
| au bout de | at the end of |
| au milieu de | in the middle of |
| sur | on |
| sous | under |
| dans | in |
| à gauche (de) | on the left (of) |
| à droite (de) | on the right (of) |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Tournez à gauche. | Turn left. |
| Tournez à droite. | Turn right. |
| Allez tout droit. | Go straight on. |
| Continuez tout droit. | Continue straight on. |
| Prenez la première rue à gauche. | Take the first street on the left. |
| Prenez la deuxième rue à droite. | Take the second street on the right. |
| Traversez la place / le pont. | Cross the square / the bridge. |
| Passez devant l'église. | Go past the church. |
| Au rond-point, prenez la troisième sortie. | At the roundabout, take the third exit. |
| C'est à cinq minutes à pied. | It is five minutes on foot. |
| C'est à deux cents mètres d'ici. | It is two hundred metres from here. |
| Vous verrez le musée sur votre gauche. | You will see the museum on your left. |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Excusez-moi, où se trouve… ? | Excuse me, where is… ? |
| Pourriez-vous m'indiquer le chemin pour aller à… ? | Could you show me the way to… ? |
| Est-ce qu'il y a une pharmacie près d'ici ? | Is there a chemist near here? |
| C'est loin d'ici ? | Is it far from here? |
| Pour aller à la gare, s'il vous plaît ? | How do I get to the station, please? |
Exam tip: In role-play tasks about directions, always use vous (formal register). Practise both asking and giving directions. Remember to use the imperative (Tournez, Allez, Prenez) when telling someone where to go.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| il y a | there is / there are |
| il n'y a pas de | there isn't / there aren't any |
| il n'y a plus de | there is no longer any |
| il n'y a rien à faire | there is nothing to do |
| il y a beaucoup de choses à faire | there are lots of things to do |
| il manque (un cinéma) | (a cinema) is lacking / missing |
| on a besoin de | we need |
| on peut (+ infinitive) | you can / we can |
| on ne peut pas (+ infinitive) | you can't / we can't |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| il y a beaucoup de divertissements | there is lots of entertainment |
| les transports en commun sont pratiques | public transport is convenient |
| il y a un bon choix de magasins et de restaurants | there is a good choice of shops and restaurants |
| c'est animé et vivant | it is lively and vibrant |
| on n'est jamais loin des services (hôpitaux, écoles) | you are never far from services (hospitals, schools) |
| il y a trop de bruit et de pollution | there is too much noise and pollution |
| il y a beaucoup de circulation / d'embouteillages | there is a lot of traffic / traffic jams |
| le coût de la vie est élevé | the cost of living is high |
| il y a de la criminalité | there is crime |
| c'est stressant | it is stressful |
Subscribe to continue reading
Get full access to this lesson and all 3 lessons in this course.