Learning French can be exciting, especially when you know how to ask important questions. One of the most useful words in any language is “where.” It helps you find people, places, and things. Whether you’re visiting France or practicing French at school, knowing how to say “where” will make conversations easier.
In this article, you will learn how to say “where” in French, use it in questions like “Where is the toilet?” or “Where do you live?” You’ll also discover related expressions, responses, and fun exercises to help you practice. Let’s get started!
Ways to Say “Where” in French
In French, “where” is commonly translated as “où.” It helps you ask about locations, directions, and situations. Knowing different ways to use “où” will make your conversations smoother. Below are some useful expressions with meanings and examples.
1. Où
Pronunciation: oo
Meaning: Where
In a Sentence:
- Où est la bibliothèque? (Where is the library?)
- Où habites-tu? (Where do you live?)
2. Où est
Pronunciation: oo eh
Meaning: Where is
In a Sentence:
- Où est l’école? (Where is the school?)
- Où est mon sac? (Where is my bag?)
3. Où sont
Pronunciation: oo sohn
Meaning: Where are
In a Sentence:
- Où sont les enfants? (Where are the children?)
- Où sont mes clés? (Where are my keys?)
4. Où vis-tu
Pronunciation: oo vee tew
Meaning: Where do you live (informal)?
In a Sentence:
- Où vis-tu maintenant? (Where do you live now?)
- Où vis-tu aux États-Unis? (Where do you live in the US?)
5. Où habitez-vous
Pronunciation: oo ah-bee-tay voo
Meaning: Where do you live (formal)?
In a Sentence:
- Où habitez-vous, Madame? (Where do you live, Ma’am?)
- Où habitez-vous en France? (Where do you live in France?)
6. Où se trouve
Pronunciation: oo suh troov
Meaning: Where is (located)?
In a Sentence:
- Où se trouve la gare? (Where is the train station?)
- Où se trouve le musée? (Where is the museum?)
7. Où allez-vous
Pronunciation: oo ah-lay voo
Meaning: Where are you going (formal)?
In a Sentence:
- Où allez-vous ce soir? (Where are you going tonight?)
- Où allez-vous après l’école? (Where are you going after school?)
8. Où vas-tu
Pronunciation: oo vah tew
Meaning: Where are you going (informal)?
In a Sentence:
- Où vas-tu ce week-end? (Where are you going this weekend?)
- Où vas-tu après le dîner? (Where are you going after dinner?)
9. D’où
Pronunciation: doo
Meaning: From where
In a Sentence:
- D’où viens-tu? (Where are you from?)
- D’où part le bus? (Where does the bus leave from?)
10. Où es-tu
Pronunciation: oo eh tew
Meaning: Where are you (informal)?
In a Sentence:
- Où es-tu maintenant? (Where are you now?)
- Où es-tu caché? (Where are you hiding?)
11. Où êtes-vous
Pronunciation: oo eht voo
Meaning: Where are you (formal)?
In a Sentence:
- Où êtes-vous, Monsieur? (Where are you, sir?)
- Où êtes-vous ce matin? (Where are you this morning?)
12. Par où
Pronunciation: pahr oo
Meaning: Through where / Which way
In a Sentence:
- Par où devons-nous passer? (Which way should we go?)
- Par où commence le chemin? (Where does the path start?)
13. Jusqu’où
Pronunciation: zhew-sk oo
Meaning: How far / Up to where
In a Sentence:
- Jusqu’où peut-on marcher? (How far can we walk?)
- Jusqu’où allez-vous voyager? (How far will you travel?)
14. Vers où
Pronunciation: vehr oo
Meaning: Toward where
In a Sentence:
- Vers où allons-nous? (Where are we heading?)
- Vers où court-il? (Where is he running?)
15. De quel endroit
Pronunciation: duh kehl ahn-dwah
Meaning: From which place
In a Sentence:
- De quel endroit viens-tu? (From which place do you come?)
- De quel endroit est-elle partie? (From which place did she leave?)
16. Dans quel coin
Pronunciation: dahn kehl kwah
Meaning: In which area
In a Sentence:
- Dans quel coin habitez-vous? (In which area do you live?)
- Dans quel coin est le marché? (In which area is the market?)
17. À quel endroit
Pronunciation: ah kehl ahn-dwah
Meaning: At which place
In a Sentence:
- À quel endroit est la réunion? (At which place is the meeting?)
- À quel endroit devons-nous attendre? (At which place should we wait?)
18. Quel lieu
Pronunciation: kehl lyuh
Meaning: Which place
In a Sentence:
- Quel lieu préfères-tu visiter? (Which place do you prefer to visit?)
- Quel lieu est le plus proche? (Which place is the nearest?)
19. Où cela
Pronunciation: oo suh-lah
Meaning: Where is that?
In a Sentence:
- Où cela se trouve-t-il? (Where is that located?)
- Où cela commence-t-il? (Where does that begin?)
20. Où est-ce que
Pronunciation: oo es kuh
Meaning: Where is it that? (Common in questions)
In a Sentence:
- Où est-ce que tu vas? (Where are you going?)
- Où est-ce que c’est? (Where is it?)
21. Où donc
Pronunciation: oo dohnk
Meaning: Where then? (expressing curiosity or surprise)
In a Sentence:
- Où donc est-il allé? (Where did he go then?)
- Où donc as-tu mis le livre? (Where did you put the book then?)
22. Où précisément
Pronunciation: oo pray-see-zay-mahn
Meaning: Where exactly
In a Sentence:
- Où précisément habitez-vous? (Where exactly do you live?)
- Où précisément se trouve la boutique? (Where exactly is the shop?)
23. De quel côté
Pronunciation: duh kehl koh-tay
Meaning: Which side / Which way
In a Sentence:
- De quel côté est la plage? (Which side is the beach on?)
- De quel côté dois-je tourner? (Which way should I turn?)
24. Où cela se passe-t-il
Pronunciation: oo suh-lah suh pahs teel
Meaning: Where is that happening?
In a Sentence:
- Où cela se passe-t-il aujourd’hui? (Where is that happening today?)
- Où cela se passe-t-il chaque année? (Where does that happen every year?)
25. Où peut-on trouver
Pronunciation: oo puh-tohn troo-vay
Meaning: Where can one find
In a Sentence:
- Où peut-on trouver un bon restaurant? (Where can one find a good restaurant?)
- Où peut-on trouver des souvenirs? (Where can one find souvenirs?)
26. Où devrions-nous aller
Pronunciation: oo duh-vree-ohn noo ah-lay
Meaning: Where should we go
In a Sentence:
- Où devrions-nous aller pour déjeuner? (Where should we go for lunch?)
- Où devrions-nous aller ce week-end? (Where should we go this weekend?)
27. Où est-ce que tu te caches
Pronunciation: oo es kuh tew tuh kash
Meaning: Where are you hiding?
In a Sentence:
- Où est-ce que tu te caches, Marie? (Where are you hiding, Marie?)
- Où est-ce que tu te caches dans la maison? (Where are you hiding in the house?)
28. Où devrais-je chercher
Pronunciation: oo duh-vray zhuh sher-shay
Meaning: Where should I look?
In a Sentence:
- Où devrais-je chercher mes clés? (Where should I look for my keys?)
- Où devrais-je chercher pour trouver des informations? (Where should I look for information?)
29. Où te trouves-tu
Pronunciation: oo tuh troov tew
Meaning: Where are you located? (informal)
In a Sentence:
- Où te trouves-tu maintenant? (Where are you located now?)
- Où te trouves-tu cet après-midi? (Where are you this afternoon?)
30. Où souhaitez-vous aller
Pronunciation: oo sweh-tay voo ah-lay
Meaning: Where would you like to go? (formal)
In a Sentence:
- Où souhaitez-vous aller ce soir? (Where would you like to go tonight?)
- Où souhaitez-vous aller pour les vacances? (Where would you like to go for vacation?)
Other Ways to Say “Where” in French
Here’s a table of additional ways to say “where” in French, including pronunciations, meanings, and example sentences.
| Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
| À quel endroit | ah kehl ahn-dwah | At which place | À quel endroit se trouve la banque? (At which place is the bank?) |
| Dans quelle ville | dahn kehl veel | In which city | Dans quelle ville habitez-vous? (In which city do you live?) |
| De quel pays | duh kehl pah-ee | From which country | De quel pays viens-tu? (From which country are you from?) |
| Sur quel chemin | sewr kehl shuh-man | On which path | Sur quel chemin devons-nous marcher? (On which path should we walk?) |
| De quel côté | duh kehl koh-tay | Which side / way | De quel côté est la sortie? (Which side is the exit?) |
| Vers où | vehr oo | Toward where | Vers où va ce train? (Where is this train heading?) |
| Par où | pahr oo | Through where | Par où devons-nous entrer? (Through where should we enter?) |
| Jusqu’à quel endroit | zhew-sk ah kehl ahn-dwah | Up to which place | Jusqu’à quel endroit allez-vous voyager? (How far will you travel?) |
| Où exactement | oo eg-zakt-mahn | Where exactly | Où exactement habitez-vous? (Where exactly do you live?) |
| Quel lieu | kehl lyuh | Which place | Quel lieu souhaitez-vous visiter? (Which place would you like to visit?) |
Responses to “Where” in French
When someone asks “where” in French, you can respond with different phrases based on the context. Here are useful responses you can use in everyday conversations:
1. Ici
Pronunciation: ee-see
Meaning: Here
In a Sentence: C’est ici. (It’s here.)
2. Là-bas
Pronunciation: lah-bah
Meaning: Over there
In a Sentence: La maison est là-bas. (The house is over there.)
3. Juste là
Pronunciation: zhewst lah
Meaning: Right there
In a Sentence: Le magasin est juste là. (The store is right there.)
4. À droite
Pronunciation: ah drwaht
Meaning: To the right
In a Sentence: Tournez à droite. (Turn to the right.)
5. À gauche
Pronunciation: ah gohsh
Meaning: To the left
In a Sentence: La boulangerie est à gauche. (The bakery is to the left.)
6. En face
Pronunciation: ahn fahs
Meaning: Opposite / In front of
In a Sentence: L’école est en face de l’église. (The school is in front of the church.)
7. À côté
Pronunciation: ah koh-tay
Meaning: Next to / Beside
In a Sentence: Le parc est à côté du musée. (The park is next to the museum.)
8. Loin
Pronunciation: lwan
Meaning: Far
In a Sentence: La plage est loin d’ici. (The beach is far from here.)
9. Près d’ici
Pronunciation: preh dee-see
Meaning: Near here
In a Sentence: Le café est près d’ici. (The café is near here.)
10. Au bout de la rue
Pronunciation: oh boo duh lah rew
Meaning: At the end of the street
In a Sentence: La poste est au bout de la rue. (The post office is at the end of the street.)
11. À l’intérieur
Pronunciation: ah lan-tehr-yuhr
Meaning: Inside
In a Sentence: Le chat est à l’intérieur de la maison. (The cat is inside the house.)
12. À l’extérieur
Pronunciation: ah leks-tehr-yuhr
Meaning: Outside
In a Sentence: Les enfants jouent à l’extérieur. (The kids are playing outside.)
13. Au coin de la rue
Pronunciation: oh kwah duh lah rew
Meaning: At the corner of the street
In a Sentence: Le supermarché est au coin de la rue. (The supermarket is at the corner of the street.)
14. Au milieu
Pronunciation: oh mee-lyuh
Meaning: In the middle
In a Sentence: La fontaine est au milieu du parc. (The fountain is in the middle of the park.)
15. En haut
Pronunciation: ahn oh
Meaning: Up / Upstairs
In a Sentence: La chambre est en haut. (The bedroom is upstairs.)
16. En bas
Pronunciation: ahn bah
Meaning: Down / Downstairs
In a Sentence: La cuisine est en bas. (The kitchen is downstairs.)
17. Tout près
Pronunciation: too preh
Meaning: Very close
In a Sentence: Le cinéma est tout près d’ici. (The movie theater is very close to here.)
Exercise to Practice “Where” in French
Complete the sentences below using the correct phrase for “where” in French. Fill in the blanks with appropriate expressions from the list provided earlier.
Fill-in-the-Blanks (in French)
- ________ est l’école? (Where is the school?)
- ________ habites-tu? (Where do you live?)
- ________ sont mes clés? (Where are my keys?)
- ________ se trouve la bibliothèque? (Where is the library located?)
- ________ allez-vous ce soir? (Where are you going tonight?)
- ________ est la salle de bain? (Where is the bathroom?)
- ________ devrions-nous attendre? (Where should we wait?)
- ________ est votre maison? (Where is your house?)
- ________ est mon téléphone? (Where is my phone?)
- ________ sommes-nous maintenant? (Where are we now?)
- ________ commence la rue principale? (Where does the main street begin?)
- ________ est le supermarché le plus proche? (Where is the nearest supermarket?)
Answers
- Où est l’école? (Where is the school?)
- Où habites-tu? (Where do you live?)
- Où sont mes clés? (Where are my keys?)
- Où se trouve la bibliothèque? (Where is the library located?)
- Où allez-vous ce soir? (Where are you going tonight?)
- Où est la salle de bain? (Where is the bathroom?)
- Où devrions-nous attendre? (Where should we wait?)
- Où est votre maison? (Where is your house?)
- Où est mon téléphone? (Where is my phone?)
- Où sommes-nous maintenant? (Where are we now?)
- Où commence la rue principale? (Where does the main street begin?)
- Où est le supermarché le plus proche? (Where is the nearest supermarket?)
Conclusion
Learning how to say “where” in French is essential for asking questions and finding your way around. Whether you’re looking for a place, asking about someone’s location, or giving directions, knowing phrases like “Où est” or “Où habitez-vous” can be incredibly helpful.
By practicing these common expressions, responses, and exercises, you’ll feel more confident using French in real-life situations. Keep exploring more phrases and try them out in conversations. The more you practice, the easier it will be to ask and answer questions about locations in French! Bon courage!