
Have you ever been lost in a big capital city, without batteries in your phone or credit on your SIM card? And when was the last time you’ve bought one of these unfoldable paper maps? Luckily, there’s one thing you can always rely on when you’re completely lost in France: helpful locals!
But it comes at a price. Outside of Paris, it can be difficult to find English-speaking help and you’ll have to be ready to break the language barrier. Asking directions in French is easy. Understanding the answer is a different story (but “left” and “right” in French aren’t hard). Don’t worry, we’ll get you there. =)
First, you’ll need to know the basic vocabulary, such as right, left, North, or South in French. But you’ll also need to know the usual movement verbs and the most common structures. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to find your way around France, from the landmarks to the transportation, taxi phrases, and polite greetings. Time to hit the road!

Table of Contents
- On the Map: Compass Directions in French
- Simple Directions in French Using Landmarks
- On the Road: Driving Directions in French
- Must-Know Phrases: Asking for Directions
- Must-Know Phrases: Giving Directions in French
- The French vs. Directions
- How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More French
1. On the Map: Compass Directions in French

Whether you prefer the modern conveniences of a GPS or ever-reliable paper maps, and whenever you’re navigating through unknown regions or talking about the French territory with your local friends, you’ll need to know the basic cardinal directions and how to use them in sentences.
So, before we dive into anything more complex, let’s start with that!
Le nord “North” | Nous irons vers le nord. “We will head north.” |
Le sud “South” | Elle habite au sud de Paris. “She’s living south of Paris.” |
L’est “East” | Annecy est à deux heures à l’est de Lyon. “Annecy is two hours east of Lyon.” |
L’ouest “West” | L’europe de l’ouest “Western Europe” |
Le nord-est “Northeast” | Ils vivent au nord-est de la Russie. “They are living northeast of Russia.” |
Le nord-ouest “Northwest” | Le nord-ouest des Alpes est une belle région. “The northwest of the Alps is a beautiful region.” |
Le sud-est “Southeast” | Il fait toujours beau dans le sud-est. “It’s always sunny in the southeast.” |
Le sud-ouest “Southwest” | Je ne suis jamais descendu dans le sud-ouest. “I’ve never been down southwest.” |
Now that you know how to navigate map directions in French, here are a few more useful words to talk about the French territory:
Région “Region” | La région Hauts-de-France “The Hauts-de-France region” |
France is divided into thirteen regions whose names changed recently, in 2016. |
Département “Department” | Le Pas-de-Calais est un département Français. “Pas-de-Calais is a French department.” |
Each region is subdivided into smaller departments. There are currently 101 departments on the French territory, including overseas departments. |
La côte “The coast” | On va sur la côte pour l’été. “We’re heading to the coast for the summer.” |
La frontière “The border” | Elle habite près de la frontière Belge. “She’s living near the Belgium border.” |
- → Make sure to visit our vocabulary list about Direction Words, with audio recordings to practice your pronunciation. It’s freely available on FrenchPod101.

Une carte aux trésors (“A treasure map”)
2. Simple Directions in French Using Landmarks
Time to fold your map and get down to business! You’ve arrived at your destination, but there’s still a lot of unknown ground to cover. You’ll need some serious vocabulary to navigate through this new city and ask locals for directions.
In this chapter, we’ll cover all the essential city landmarks, from transport hubs to city buildings, streets, and key indoor locations.
1- Transports
Un aéroport “Airport” | Je voudrais aller à l’aéroport d’Orly. “I would like to go to the Orly airport.” |
Une gare “Train station” | Mon train part de la gare Montparnasse. “My train is leaving from the Montparnasse station.” |
Une gare routière Une gare de bus “Bus station” | Pouvez-vous m’indiquer la gare routière ? “Could you tell me where the bus station is?” |
Une station de métro “Metro station” | Je cherche la station de métro la plus proche. “I’m looking for the closest metro station.” |
Un parking “Parking” | J’ai laissé ma voiture au parking. “I left my car at the parking.” |
2- In the City
Un hotel “Hotel” | Une nuit d’hotel “A hotel night” |
Un parc “Park” | Je me promène au parc de Fontainebleau. “I’m strolling at the Fontainebleau park.” |
Une banque “Bank” | Je dois aller à la banque pour un retrait. “I need to go to the bank for a withdrawal.” |
Un magasin “Shop” | Un petit magasin d’antiquités “A small antique shop” |
Une poste “Post office” | Je vais déposer mon colis à la poste. “I will drop my parcel at the post office.” |
Un marché “Market” | Je fais mes courses au marché le samedi. “I shop at the market on Saturdays.” |

Un aéroport (“Airport”)
3- In the Street
Un rue “Street” | J’habite rue Saint Martin. “I live on the Saint Martin street.” |
Une avenue “Avenue” | L’avenue Baltique est près du rond-point Albert II. “The Baltique Avenue is near the Albert II roundabout.” |
Un croisement; une intersection “Intersection” | On te prendra à cette intersection. “We’ll pick you up at the intersection.” |
Un feu “Traffic light” | Je m’arrête au feu rouge et j’attends le feu vert. “I stop at the red light and wait for the green light.” |
The literal meaning of Un feu is “Fire,” but we don’t actually use boric acid to make green fire at our intersections! You should probably not do it at home either. |
Une station service “Gas station” | On va faire le plein à la prochaine station service. “We will refuel at the next gas station.” |
Un passage piéton “Crosswalk” | Il y a un passage piéton sur votre gauche. “There is a crosswalk on your left.” |
4- Key Indoor Locations
Les toilettes “Toilets” | Excusez-moi, je cherche les toilettes. “Excuse me, I’m looking for the toilets.” |
Un ascenseur “Elevator” | Prenez l’ascenseur si votre sac est lourd. “Take the elevator if your bag is heavy.” |
Un escalator “Escalator” | Prenez l’escalator jusqu’au troisième étage. “Take the elevator up to the third floor.” |
Des escaliers “Stairs” | Descendez les escaliers jusqu’au parking sous-terrain. “Take the stairs down to the underground parking.” |
L’entrée “Entrance” | L’entrée principale “The main entrance” |
La sortie “Exit” | La sortie de secours “The emergency exit” |
Les caisses “Cashier” | Où sont les caisses, s’il vous plait ? “Where is the cashier, please?” |
- → Learn more about city locations with our free vocabulary list on the most useful words to navigate Around Town.

La sortie de secours (“The emergency exit”)
3. On the Road: Driving Directions in French
When you’re asking for directions or explaining to somebody how to reach their destination, you’ll need to know how to say “left” and “right” in French, but that’s not it! There are many direction words you can use to precisely pinpoint a location or accurately describe a route.
Here are the most frequently used words for telling directions in French:
Devant “In front of” | On se retrouve devant la gare. “Let’s meet in front of the train station.” |
Derrière “Behind” | Mon taxi attend derrière la gare. “My cab is waiting behind the train station.” |
La gauche “Left” | La première à gauche “First on the left” |
La droite “Right” | La troisième à droite “Third on the right” |
Loin “Far” | Est-ce que c’est loin d’ici ? “Is it far from here?” |
Près “Near” | Je travaille près de la poste. “I work near the post office.” |
A côté de “Next to” | A côté de l’arrêt de bus “Next to the bus stop” |
De l’autre côté de “On the other side of” | De l’autre côté de la rue “On the other side of the street” |
En face de “In front of” | En face de la cathédrale “In front of the cathedral” |
A l’opposé de “Opposite” | A l’opposé de “Opposite” |

Un GPS de voiture (“Car GPS”)
4. Must-Know Phrases: Asking for Directions
Now that you’re equipped with a solid vocabulary on directions and many example phrases, let’s take a moment to address what I call the “social lubricant”: a bit of gentle grease to polish your interactions with locals and make them pleasantly smooth.
In other words, let’s make your mom proud and learn how to be polite in French!
1- Making First Contact
Here’s your bread-and-butter:
- Bonjour
“Hello” / “Good morning” / “Good day” - Bonsoir
“Good evening” - Excusez-moi
“Excuse me”
From these few words, you can make different combinations, the most polite (that I usually keep for an elderly audience) being:
- Bonjour monsieur, excusez-moi…
“Hello sir, excuse me…” - Bonjour madame, excusez-moi…
“Hello madam, excuse me…”
2- Ask for Help
Here are a few variations on “where is”:
- Est-ce que vous savez où est la Cathédrale Saint-Machin ?
“Do you know where the Saint-Machin Cathedral is?” - Je cherche la place Dauphine.
“I’m looking for the Place Dauphine.” - Pouvez-vous m’indiquer la rue Sainte-Bidule ?
“Can you tell me where the Saint-Bidule street is?”
And a couple questions on distances:
- Est-ce qu’on est loin de la gare Montparnasse ?
“Are we far from the Montparnasse station?” - Est-ce que vous pouvez m’indiquer le métro le plus proche ?
“Can you tell me where the closest metro station is?”
3- Wrap Things Up
- Merci.
“Thank you.” - Merci beaucoup !
“Thank you very much!” - Merci pour votre aide.
“Thank you for your help.”

Sometimes, it takes a wrong turn to get to the right place.
5. Must-Know Phrases: Giving Directions in French
There are a few situations where you’ll need to give directions:
- When explaining to friends where you live
- If you blend in so well that locals start asking you for directions (it will happen before you know it!)
- While in a taxi, navigating your driver toward your destination
Here’s one last list of useful words, as well as the most common phrases in everyday situations.
1- Horizontal Directions
Tout droit “Straight” | Marchez tout droit pendant 100 mètres. “Walk straight for 100 meters.” |
Faire demi-tour “To double back” | Roulez jusqu’au prochain rond-point et faites demi-tour. “Drive until the next roundabout and double back.” |
Tourner “To turn” | Après l’église, tournez à gauche. “After the church, turn left.” |
2- Vertical Directions
Un étage “Floor” | J’habite au 7ème étage, sans ascenseur. “I live on the seventh floor, without a lift.” |
Un sous-sol “Underground” | Un sous-sol “Underground” |
En haut “Up” | En haut “Up” |
En bas “Down”; “Downstairs” | Il y a une épicerie en bas de chez moi. “There is a grocery store downstairs from my place.” |
3- Taxi Directions in French
Continuer “To continue”; “To keep going” | Continuez un peu, jusqu’au bout de la rue. “Keep going a bit, until the end of the street.” |
Plus loin “Further” | Non, c’est plus loin sur cette avenue. “No, it is further on this avenue.” |
S’arrêter “To stop” | Vous pouvez vous arrêter ici. “You can stop here.” |
Ralentir “To slow down” | Vous pouvez ralentir un peu, s’il vous plaît ? “Could you please slow down a bit?” |
- → To learn more words and their pronunciation, check out our free vocabulary list on Position & Direction.

“Could you start going down? I live a few blocks from here!”
6. The French vs. Directions
Asking a random person for directions is like playing roulette. Sometimes, you’ll bump into another tourist who might very well know the surroundings. Or you’ll face a high-tech teenager, shocked at your inability to rely on a map app, or someone—like myself—who doesn’t know more than two or three street names in the city where they spent ten years.
1- The Lost Art of Knowing Street Names
Best case scenario? You’ll meet one of these old-timers who grew up without modern smartphones and don’t see the point in carrying a GPS outside of their car, if any. They’ve memorized the name of every single street, from center to suburb, and will be only too happy to share their nearly extinct knowledge with you.
Knowing the street names and the most optimized way to get from point A to point B without any GPS-driven help is definitely a matter of generation, and elderly French will be your best friends! Just don’t forget to address them respectfully, using your most humble Bonjour monsieur and Merci beaucoup.
2- I Don’t Know!

What do people do when asked for directions to a place they don’t know? In some countries, they would simply admit they don’t know, but if you’re in one of the South-East Asian countries where saving face matters more than telling the truth, it’s more complicated. I once found myself helplessly wandering through the streets, looking for an embassy because every single local would describe me all kinds of random directions, only not to admit they didn’t have a clue.
In France, when people don’t know what you’re looking for, or aren’t sure how to describe the directions, they’ll simply tell you Je ne sais pas (“I don’t know”) or Aucune idée ! (“No idea!”) and it’s a blessing.
3- French Perception of Distances
Although cars are popular and as overused as in any wealthy country, the French still have the culture of walking, and it shows in their appreciation of distances.
On a trip abroad, I once asked for the nearest bakery and was told “Oh no, it’s way too far to walk there, you should take a taxi!” Having nothing but time, I walked there anyway and found it after five minutes of my long stride. In my personal perception of distances, it was absolutely within walking reach, but locals would take their bikes for shorter errands.
Most French wouldn’t take their cars for less than a kilometer and when they give you walking directions, keep this walking culture in mind. They won’t blink if you tell them you want to walk from the Eiffel Tower to Montmartre. Sure, go ahead, it’s just a one-hour walk!

Typical French vacations. Better take your hiking poles!
7. How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More French
In this guide, you’ve learned everything about asking and giving directions in French, from the most common structures to situation-specific vocabulary, polite greetings, and map navigation. Did I forget any important word or phrase that you know? Do you feel ready to get lost in Paris and valiantly ask your way around the capital?
FrenchPod101 also has tons of vocabulary lists with audio recordings and free resources to boost your studies and keep your French learning fresh and entertaining!
Remember that you can also use our premium service, MyTeacher, to get personal one-on-one coaching and have your private teacher help you practice with directions and more. They’ll provide you with assignments and personalized exercises, and will record audio samples for you as well as review yours, to help improve your pronunciation.
Happy learning on FrenchPod101!
About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.

100 Must-Know French Nouns

Figuring out which are the feminine nouns in French is one of the trickiest aspects of the language, and so is the formation of plural nouns, but bear with me for a little while and you’ll learn a collection of useful tricks to help you wrap your head around it!
In this guide, you’ll find a list of the 100 most common and useful French nouns and how to use them. For each of these words, I’ve included the gender, plural form, translation, and example sentences. If you manage to memorize most of the items on this French nouns list, you’ll be pretty far along on your way to talking about a great many things!

- Gender and Plural
- About Time
- Places
- Technology & Internet
- Home, Sweet Home
- City & Transports
- Family & Friends
- Body Parts
- Food & Utensils
- Occupation
- Clothing Items
- Bonus: Communication
- How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More French
1. Gender and Plural

Le vocabulaire (“Vocabulary”)
1- How do you know if a French word is masculine or feminine?
French nouns are either masculine or feminine.For instance, le soleil (“the sun”) is masculine, while la lune (“the moon”) is feminine.
The question of why une araignée (“a spider”) is female and un cafard (“a cockroach”) is male doesn’t matter as much as: How do I know which gender it is?
Luckily, it’s generally quite straightforward, and based on the final letters of a word, you can guess its gender. The rule isn’t entirely accurate, but as you get used to these typical masculine and feminine endings, you’ll be able to make good guesses.
Usually feminine endings: Most words ending in -e or -ion
| Usually masculine endings: Words ending in -age, -ege, -é, -isme + Everything else.
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- It would be a tedious and super-boring process.
- This is not how native speakers learn the words’ genders.
If you’re wondering how to remember French nouns’ gender, I instead encourage you to ALWAYS learn new nouns with their article.
- Soleil Un soleil (“A sun”)
- Lune Une lune (“A moon”)
You can also memorize them with a definite article. It’s just a matter of preference.
- Le soleil (“The sun”)
- La lune (“The moon”)

The gender war is declared.
2- How to make French nouns plural
For most nouns, simply add an -s at the end of the word.- Un an -> des ans
- Un jour -> des jours
Nouns ending in -au become -aux.
- Un bateau -> des bateaux
Nouns ending in -ou usually become -ous, but some take a -oux.
- Un fou -> des fous
- Un bijou -> des bijoux
Nouns ending in -al become -aux.
- Un animal -> des animaux
Finally, nouns ending in -s, -x, or -z are invariable.
- Une souris -> des souris
- Un lynx -> des lynx
- Un nez -> des nez
Now that we’ve learned how to determine the gender of French nouns and how to make them plural, let’s move on to our 100 French nouns list!
2. About Time

Un an; des ans “Year” Une année; des années “Year” | Nous vivons ici depuis dix ans. “We have been living here for ten years.” Nous vivons ici depuis plusieurs années. “We have been living here for several years.” |
An is mainly used when there is a number involved:
|
Une semaine; des semaines “Week” | A la semaine prochaine ! “See you next week!” |
Un mois; des mois “Month” | Le mois de juillet est souvent ensoleillé. “The month of July is often sunny.” |
Un jour; des jours “Day” | Je viendrai dans trois jours. “I will come in three days.” |
Une heure; des heures “Hour” | Ce film dure trois heures. “This movie is three hours long.” |
Quick Tip: How to tell time? In France, you can use the twelve- or twenty-four-hour system.
|
Une minute; des minutes “Minute” | Laisse moi deux minutes et on y va ! “Give me two minutes and let’s go!” |
Un temps; des temps “Time” | Je n’ai pas le temps. “I don’t have the time.” |
- → Make sure to visit our full article about Time as well as our vocabulary list on Talking About Time, with audio recordings to practice your pronunciation. It’s freely available on FrenchPod101!

Une question de temps (“A matter of time”)
3. Places
Un monde; des mondes “World” | La plus belle plage du monde. “The most beautiful beach in the world.” |
Un pays; des pays “Country” | Tu as visité de nombreux pays. “You have visited many countries.” |
Un endroit; des endroits “Place” | J’adore cet endroit ! “I love this place!” |
In Quebec, where French is a bit different, a place is une place.
|
Une région; des régions “Region” | C’est le plat typique de ma région. “This is the typical dish of my region.” |
Une mer; des mers “Sea” | La mer du nord est un peu froide. “The northern sea is a bit cold.” |
Une forêt; des forêts “Forest” | Il s’est perdu dans la forêt. “He got lost in the forest.” |
Une montagne; des montagnes “Mountain” | Des vacances à la montagne “Mountain vacations” |
Un magasin; des magasins “Shop” | Tu peux en acheter dans ce magasin. “You can buy some in this shop.” |
Une banque; des banques “Bank” | J’ai besoin de retirer de l’argent à la banque. “I need to withdraw some cash at the bank.” |
Un parc; des parcs “Park” | On se retrouve dans le parc ? “Shall we meet in the park?” |
- → Learn more about how to navigate French cities with our free vocabulary list on places Around Town.
4. Technology & Internet

Un téléphone; des téléphones “Phone” | Je te donne mon numéro de téléphone. “I’ll give you my phone number.” |
Un portable; des portables “Mobile phone” | Tu me donnes ton numéro de portable ? “Can you give me your mobile phone number?” |
Portable VS. Mobile VS. Laptop A common source of confusion, even among natives, is the word portable meaning “mobile phone” and “laptop.” One way to avoid the confusion is to use un mobile or un smartphone instead of un portable when talking about mobile phones. Younger generations also tend to use laptop instead of portable. To be fair, it’s usually easy to guess from the context. |
Un ordinateur; des ordinateurs “Computer” | Mon ordinateur est un PC. “My computer is a PC.” |
Fun fact: PC is also the acronym for the French communist party: Parti Communiste. Is there any risk of ever confusing these two? I wouldn’t bet on it. |
Une tablette; des tablettes “Tablet” | Tu as installé l’app sur ta tablette ? “Did you install the app on your tablet?” |
Une télé; des télés “TV” | Il y a quoi à la télé, ce soir ? “What’s on TV tonight?” |
Télévision, Télé, or TV? While Télévision is the full word, it’s rarely used in conversations; Télé is far more popular. TV is mainly used in writing. |
Un chargeur,;des chargeurs “Charger” | Je peux emprunter ton chargeur ? “Can I borrow your charger?” |
Internet “Internet” | On n’a pas internet, dans ce petit village. “We don’t have internet in this small village.” |
Internet (with a capital “I”), internet, or l’internet? Short answer: Whatever you like! (But use “internet” if you wanna sound cool. L’internet is for your grandpa.) Long answer: According to the Académie Française (official patron of the French language), you can use both. However, there was an attempt in 2016 at the national assembly to officialize l’internet over “internet.” Thank goodness, the bill didn’t pass. |
Un site web; des sites web “A website” | On ira voir sur le site web de la mairie. “We’ll check on the city hall’s website.” |
Site or Site web? Whichever.
|
Un compte; des comptes “Account” | Tu as un compte Skype ? “Do you have a Skype account?” |
Un mot de passe; des mots de passe “Password” | Je dois réinitialiser mon mot de passe. “I need to reset my password.” |
How do you say “login?” We often say login, but you can equally say identifiant. |
Un fichier; des fichiers “File” | J’ai copié les fichiers sur ma clef USB. “I copied the files on my USB drive.” |
Un logiciel; des logiciels “Software” | Tu peux installer ce logiciel. “You can install this software.” |
- → Appliances and technology are a vast topic and I’m just scratching the surface here! Don’t miss any words with our free vocabulary lists on Home Appliances, Technology, and the Internet.

La technologie (“Technology”)
5. Home, Sweet Home
Une maison; des maisons “House”; “Home” | On rentre à la maison. “We’re going home.” |
Une porte; des portes “Door” | La première porte à gauche “The first door on the left” |
Une fenêtre; des fenêtres “Window” | Les cambrioleurs ont cassé une fenêtre. “Burglars have broken a window.” |
Un frigo; des frigos “A fridge” | Ne mettez jamais de vin rouge au frigo ! “Don’t ever put red wine in the fridge!” |
Ideally, before and after it has been opened, you should keep it out of light and at room temperature. |
Une armoire; des armoires “Closet” | On a besoin d’une nouvelle armoire. “We need a new closet.” |
Une pièce; des pièces “Room” | Ce serait bien d’avoir une pièce en plus. “It would be nice to have one more room.” |
Une cuisine; des cuisines “Kitchen” | N’oublie pas d’aérer la cuisine. “Don’t forget to ventilate the kitchen.” |
Cuisine also means…well, “Cuisine.” #CaptainObvious
|
Un salon; des salons “Living room” | On va prendre l’apéro dans le salon. “We’ll take the aperitif in the living room.” |
Une chambre; des chambres “Bedroom” | Ma chambre a un plafond intéressant. “My bedroom has an interesting ceiling.” |
Des toilettes (invariable) “Toilets” | Où sont les toilettes ? “Where are the toilets?” |
We also use WC, for “water closet.” |
Une salle de bain; des salles de bain “Bathroom” | Il y a une autre salle de bain à l’étage. “There is another bathroom upstairs.” |
- → Learn everything about rooms and furniture with our free vocabulary lists on Home Interior and Home Items.
6. City & Transports

Une voiture; des voitures “Car” | J’ai vendu ma voiture. “I’ve sold my car.” |
Un bus; des bus “Bus” | Je prends souvent le bus. “I often take the bus.” |
Un train; des trains “Train” | Je voyage parfois en train. “I sometimes travel by train.” |
Un avion; des avions “Plane” | J’évite surtout de prendre l’avion. “I especially avoid taking planes.” |
Un taxi; des taxis “Taxi”; “Cab” | Tu peux m’appeler un taxi ? “Can you call me a cab?” |
Un vélo; des vélos “Bicycle” | Un vélo de course. “A racing bicycle.” |
Vélo is short for vélocipède, a word so popular that I learned about it two minutes ago. |
Une ville; des villes “City”; “Town” | On se promène en ville. “We’re strolling in town.” |
Une rue; des rues “Street” | Une rue piétonne “A walking street” |
Une avenue; des avenues “Avenue” | L’avenue principale “The main avenue” |
Une route; des routes “Road” | Les routes de campagne sont tranquilles. “Countryside roads are quiet.” |

Les transports en commun (“Public transports”)
7. Family & Friends
Une mère; des mères “Mother” | Aujourd’hui, c’est la fête des mères. “Today is Mother’s Day.” |
Ma maman “My mom” |
Un père; des pères “Father” | Luke, je suis ton père. “Luke, I am your father.” |
Mon papa “My dad” |
Une femme; des femmes “Wife” (literally: “Woman”) | Ma femme a toujours raison. “My wife is always right.” |
You can also say Mon épouse (formal) or Ma conjointe (super-formal). |
Un mari; des maris “Husband” | Son mari est enseignant. “Her husband is a teacher.” |
You can also say Mon époux (formal) or Mon conjoint (super-formal). |
Un frère; des frères “Brother” | Il t’aime comme un frère. “He loves you like a brother.” |
Une soeur; des soeurs “Sister” | J’ai deux soeurs et un frère. “I have two sisters and one brother.” |
Une famille; des familles “Family” | Je passe Noël avec ma famille. “I spend Christmas with my family.” |
You can also use un parent/des parents, but don’t confuse mon parent (“my relative”) and mes parents (“my parents”). Un parent (“a relative”) or des parents (“relatives”) both refer to relatives of any kind, while mes parents (possessive plural) means: “my parents” (mom and dad).
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Une copine; des copines “Girlfriend” Un copain; des copains “Boyfriend” | Je vais au cinéma avec ma copine. “I’m going to the cinema with my girlfriend.” Laisse tomber, j’ai un copain. “Let it go, I have a boyfriend.” |
The word copain / copine also means “buddy.” It depends on the context, but it can be confusing even for locals. (Just like when American women talk about their “girlfriends.”) The general rule is:
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Un fils; des fils “Son” | Nous sommes les fils de la Terre. “We are the sons of the Earth.” |
Une fille; des filles “Daughter” (Literally: “Girl”) | Ma fille aînée. “My elder daughter.” |
Un ami; des amis “Friend” | Tu es mon meilleur ami. “You’re my best friend.” |
- → To read more about the rest of the family, check out our free vocabulary list on Family Members. And be sure not to miss our special article about The French Family to learn everything on this important topic, from the vocabulary to the cultural aspect of it!