Welcome to Unit 4! You've already mastered home life and daily routines — now it's time to step outside and explore Paris. In this lesson you'll learn the essential places found in every French city, from the bakery to the train station. Getting around confidently starts with knowing where things are, and by the end of this lesson you'll be able to name the key landmarks of any neighbourhood. Let's hit the streets!
Learning tips
- Many French place names are recognisable from English — pharmacie, banque, musée. Use those similarities as memory hooks.
- Notice that most place nouns are feminine (la rue, la gare, la banque) but some are masculine (le parc, le marché). Pay attention to the article from the start — it's easier to learn 'le marché' as a chunk than to bolt on the gender later.
- The phrase 'il y a' (there is / there are) is your best friend for describing cities. You'll use it constantly — start memorising it now.
- When you hear a new place name in real life, try to picture Camille and Lucas walking past it in Paris. Visualising scenes helps vocabulary stick.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| se reposer | to rest |
| dormir | to sleep |
| se coucher | to go to bed |
| cuisiner | to cook |
| éteindre | to turn off |
| lire | to read |
| la télévision | the television |
| le livre | the book |
| avant | before |
| après | after |
Dialog
Camille and Lucas are taking a walk around their Parisian neighbourhood. They spot familiar places on the street and consult a city map together, using 'aller' to talk about their plans for the day.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| la rue | /la ʁy/ | the street | Used with 'dans la rue' (in the street) and 'sur la rue' (on the street). |
| la boulangerie | /la bu.lɑ̃ʒ.ʁi/ | the bakery | The heart of French daily life — most neighbourhoods have at least one. The person who works there is 'le boulanger / la boulangère'. |
| le parc | /lə paʁk/ | the park | Masculine noun. Parisian parks (jardins publics) are social gathering spots. |
| la banque | /la bɑ̃k/ | the bank | Sounds similar to English 'bank'. Remember: la banque (feminine). |
| la gare | /la ɡaʁ/ | the (train) station | Always feminine. 'La gare' refers specifically to a train station; a metro station is 'la station de métro'. |
| le marché | /lə maʁ.ʃe/ | the market | Masculine noun. Open-air markets (marchés en plein air) are a French institution, typically held several mornings a week. |
| la place | /la plas/ | the square / plaza | A public open space in the centre of a neighbourhood. Many famous Parisian squares end in '-place', e.g. Place de la Bastille. |
| la pharmacie | /la faʁ.ma.si/ | the pharmacy | Recognisable from English. French pharmacies display a green cross and are a trusted source of health advice. |
| le magasin | /lə ma.ɡa.zɛ̃/ | the shop / store | A general word for any shop. For clothing shops the French often say 'le magasin de vêtements'. |
| l' l'école | /le.kɔl/ | the school | Begins with a vowel, so 'le/la' becomes 'l''. Pronounced /le.kɔl/ — the 'é' sounds like the 'e' in 'café'. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| l' l'église | /le.ɡliz/ | ||
| l' l'hôpital | /lo.pi.tal/ | ||
| le centre commercial | /lə sɑ̃tʁ kɔ.mɛʁ.sjal/ | ||
| la poste | /la pɔst/ | ||
| la bibliothèque | /la bi.bli.jɔ.tɛk/ | ||
| le musée | /lə my.ze/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| je vais à | I'm going to (+ place) |
| il y a | there is / there are |
| à côté de | next to / beside |
Grammar: Present tense of aller (to go)
| Pronom | Aller | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| je | vais | Je vais à la banque. |
| tu | vas | Tu vas au parc ? |
| il / elle / on | va | Elle va à la gare. |
| nous | allons | Nous allons au marché. |
| vous | allez | Vous allez à l'école ? |
| ils / elles | vont | Ils vont à la pharmacie. |
The verb 'aller' (to go) is one of the most essential verbs in French — and one of the most irregular. You absolutely must memorise it. The six present-tense forms are: je vais, tu vas, il/elle/on va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont. Notice that 'je vais', 'tu vas', and 'il va' look nothing like the infinitive 'aller' — this is normal for highly irregular verbs in French (just as 'go/went' is irregular in English). After 'aller', place names are connected with 'à': je vais à la banque, je vais au marché, je vais à l'école. The exact form of 'à' changes depending on the gender and number of the noun — you'll learn this in detail in lesson 4.4. For now, just copy the patterns you see in the dialogue and exercises.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct place name from this lesson.
- J'achète du pain à la . (bakery)(where you buy bread)
- Les enfants jouent dans le . (park)(outdoor green space with benches and paths)
- Le train arrive à la . (station)(where trains arrive and depart)
- J'achète des médicaments à la . (pharmacy)(where you buy medicine, marked with a green cross)
- Le samedi, je vais au acheter des fruits. (market)(outdoor stalls selling fresh produce)
Grammar Application
Conjugate 'aller' correctly for each subject pronoun.
- Je à la banque. (aller)(je form of aller)
- Tu au parc ? (aller)(tu form of aller)
- Elle à l'école. (aller)(elle form of aller)
- Nous au marché. (aller)(nous form of aller)
- Ils à la gare. (aller)(ils form of aller)
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French using 'aller' and the place vocabulary from this lesson.
- I'm going to the bakery.
- The park is next to the school.
- Are you going to the station tomorrow?
- The pharmacy is on the square.
- We're going to the shop.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write your own French sentence about going somewhere in the city. Use 'aller' and at least one place word from this lesson.
Takeaway
Master 'aller' and the names of city places and you'll be able to describe any urban journey in French — the foundation of real-world navigation.