How to Ask Where the Swimming Pool Is in French
Learn to ask where the public swimming pool is in French, understand opening hours, and handle a simple exchange at the front desk.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn to ask where the public swimming pool is in French and to understand the hours it is open. French pools are usually called une piscine, and most towns run a public one, often une piscine municipale. You will practise a polite question with the phrase Où est..., learn the days and times staff will say back to you, and see how a short conversation at the entrance actually goes.
By the end, you can…
- ask where the public swimming pool is in French
- understand simple opening hours and days when they are said or shown
- ask a follow-up question about today's hours or entry
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Où est la piscine, s'il vous plaît ?
Where is the swimming pool, please?
oo eh lah pee-SEEN, seel voo PLAY
The standard polite question. Use it with a stranger, a shopkeeper or at a tourist office. In speech, Où est often blends to sound like 'oo eh'.
La piscine municipale, c'est par où ?
Which way is the municipal swimming pool?
lah pee-SEEN mew-nee-see-PAL, say par OO
Municipale means run by the town council. This phrasing is common when you already know the pool exists and want directions.
Elle ouvre à quelle heure ?
What time does it open?
el OOV-ruh ah kel URR
Elle refers to la piscine, which is feminine. Use this to ask about opening time; for closing time say Elle ferme à quelle heure ?
C'est ouvert le lundi ?
Is it open on Mondays?
say too-VAIR luh lun-DEE
French pools often close one weekday for cleaning. Note the le before the day when talking about a regular weekly opening.
Je voudrais un ticket, s'il vous plaît.
I would like a ticket, please.
zhuh voo-DREH un tee-KEH, seel voo PLAY
Je voudrais is the polite way to ask for something. At a pool you may also hear un ticket piscine or un ticket d'entrée.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is Où est + place ? For a feminine noun such as la piscine, you say Où est la piscine ? For a masculine noun such as le stade (the stadium), you say Où est le stade ? To ask about opening hours, use the verb ouvrir: La piscine ouvre à dix heures (The pool opens at ten). To ask a question, put à quelle heure at the end: Elle ouvre à quelle heure ? Days use le: le lundi, le mardi, le samedi.
When to use it
Use Où est la piscine ? when you need the location and have no map. Use La piscine, c'est par où ? when you are already nearby and want a direction. If you are at the entrance and want to check today's schedule, ask C'est ouvert aujourd'hui ? (Is it open today?). Staff may answer with times such as de dix heures à dix-neuf heures (from ten to seven). Listen for the day names and the word fermé (closed).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Bonjour, excusez-moi. Où est la piscine municipale, s'il vous plaît ?
Hello, excuse me. Where is the municipal swimming pool, please?bon-ZHOOR, ex-kew-ZAY mwah. oo eh lah pee-SEEN mew-nee-see-PAL, seel voo PLAYC'est tout droit, à deux cents mètres. Elle est à côté du parc.
It's straight ahead, two hundred metres away. It's next to the park.say too DRWAH, ah duh san MET-ruh. el eh tah ko-TAY dew PARKMerci. Elle ouvre à quelle heure aujourd'hui ?
Thank you. What time does it open today?mer-SEE. el OOV-ruh ah kel URR oh-zhoor-DWEEAujourd'hui, c'est ouvert de dix heures à dix-neuf heures. Le lundi, c'est fermé.
Today it's open from ten to seven. On Mondays it's closed.oh-zhoor-DWEE, say too-VAIR duh dee-ZURR ah dee-nurf URR. luh lun-DEE, say fair-MAYA little context goes a long way
In France, public pools are usually run by the local council and are called une piscine municipale. Many close one weekday, often Monday, for maintenance, and hours can change during school holidays. Signs often use the 24-hour clock, so dix-neuf heures means 7 p.m. In Belgium and Switzerland you may also see piscine communale; the word piscine is understood everywhere.
One thing to watch for
Saying Où est le piscine ? with the masculine article le.
Try this instead: Piscine is feminine, so use la: Où est la piscine ? The same applies to Elle ouvre à quelle heure ?, not Il ouvre, because the pronoun must agree with la piscine.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask a passer-by where the swimming pool is, politely?
Show a sample answer
Où est la piscine, s'il vous plaît ?
This uses Où est with the feminine article la and adds s'il vous plaît for politeness. La piscine, c'est par où ? is also correct if you want a direction rather than a location.
2A staff member says: C'est ouvert de dix heures à dix-neuf heures. What time does it close?
Show a sample answer
It closes at 19:00, that is 7 p.m.
French often uses the 24-hour clock. Dix-neuf heures is 19:00. In everyday speech some people say sept heures du soir instead.
3How do you ask whether the pool is open on Mondays?
Show a sample answer
C'est ouvert le lundi ?
The pattern C'est ouvert + le + day asks about a regular weekly opening. You could also ask La piscine est ouverte le lundi ? with the same meaning.
Memorise Où est la piscine ? for the location and Elle ouvre à quelle heure ? for the hours, and remember that piscine is feminine, so use la and elle.
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