Understanding Spoken French Directions: Left, Right, and Straight Ahead
Learn to understand simple spoken French directions using à gauche, à droite, and tout droit, so you can follow commands like 'Tournez à droite à la banque.'
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
This lesson trains your ear to understand spoken French directions. You will learn the key words à gauche (left), à droite (right), and tout droit (straight ahead), plus the verb tourner (to turn) and the preposition à used with landmarks. The goal is comprehension: when someone tells you 'Tournez à droite à la banque,' you should know exactly where to go. You will hear the directions in short, natural sentences and practice recognizing them, not producing long replies.
By the end, you can…
- recognize the spoken French words for left, right, and straight ahead.
- understand a simple direction sentence with tourner and a landmark.
- follow a short sequence of two spoken directions in French.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
à gauche
to the left / on the left
ah gohsh
Use for any movement or position on the left. The final -e is silent.
à droite
to the right / on the right
ah drwaht
Use for any movement or position on the right. The -e is silent; the oi sounds like 'wah'.
tout droit
straight ahead
too drwah
Means continue without turning. The final t in tout is silent before droit.
Tournez à droite.
Turn right.
toor-nay ah drwaht
Polite vous form. Use with strangers, officials, or in public. The -ez ending sounds like 'ay'.
Tourne à gauche.
Turn left.
toorn ah gohsh
Familiar tu form. Use with friends, family, or children. The -e is silent.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is: (Tournez / Tourne) + à + direction + à + landmark. For example, 'Tournez à droite à la banque' means 'Turn right at the bank.' The first à introduces the direction (à droite), and the second à introduces the landmark (à la banque). The verb tourner means 'to turn.' In the vous form it becomes tournez (toor-nay); in the tu form it becomes tournes (toorn). You will also hear 'Allez tout droit' (go straight ahead) and 'Continuez tout droit' (continue straight ahead). The word tout droit never changes form.
When to use it
Use these phrases when you need to understand spoken instructions in real time. If someone says 'Tournez à gauche au feu' (turn left at the traffic light), you know to turn left when you reach the light. If they say 'Allez tout droit jusqu'à la banque' (go straight until the bank), you continue without turning until you see the bank. In France, 'à droite' and 'à gauche' are standard everywhere. In Quebec, you may also hear 'à droite' and 'à gauche' the same way, but the pronunciation of droite can sound like 'drwat' with a more open vowel. In Belgium and Switzerland, the same words are used. The main difference is speed and accent, not vocabulary.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Excusez-moi, pour aller à la banque ?
Excuse me, how do I get to the bank?eks-koo-zay mwah, poor ah-lay ah lah bahnkAllez tout droit, puis tournez à droite.
Go straight ahead, then turn right.ah-lay too drwah, pwee toor-nay ah drwahtTout droit, puis à droite. C'est loin ?
Straight ahead, then right. Is it far?too drwah, pwee ah drwaht. say lwanNon, c'est à deux minutes à pied.
No, it's a two-minute walk.nohn, say tah duh mee-noot ah pyayA little context goes a long way
In France, you will often hear directions in the vous form (Tournez, Allez) with strangers. In Quebec, people may use tu more quickly, but vous remains safe and polite. If you don't understand, say 'Pouvez-vous répéter ?' (Can you repeat?) rather than guessing. Hand gestures for left and right are common, but always confirm the spoken word.
One thing to watch for
Confusing 'à droite' (to the right) with 'tout droit' (straight ahead) because both contain 'droit'.
Try this instead: Listen for the vowel before droit. 'À droite' has a clear 'ah' before 'drwaht' and means right. 'Tout droit' has 'too' before 'drwah' and means straight. Example: 'Tournez à droite' = turn right; 'Allez tout droit' = go straight.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1What does 'Tournez à gauche' mean?
Show a sample answer
Turn left.
'Tournez' is the vous form of tourner (to turn), and 'à gauche' means left. This is a polite command.
2You hear 'Allez tout droit, puis tournez à droite.' What do you do first?
Show a sample answer
Go straight ahead first, then turn right.
'Puis' means 'then.' The first action is 'allez tout droit' (go straight), and the second is 'tournez à droite' (turn right).
3Which phrase means 'straight ahead': 'à droite' or 'tout droit'?
Show a sample answer
tout droit
'Tout droit' means straight ahead. 'À droite' means to the right. The word 'tout' signals no turning.
Focus on hearing the key direction words: à gauche, à droite, tout droit. When you catch them, you can follow simple French directions even if you miss other details.
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