Environment and Local Area: Vocabulary and Prepositions of Place
The French words for the local area and the prepositions of place used to say where things are, such as devant, derriere and pres de, along with se trouver and il y a.
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Free, interactive practice on the words and structures the examiner keeps asking for.
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Saying where things are
Dans ma ville il y a un parc et une gare. To describe your local area in French you need the words for the places around you and the little words that say where each one is. These little words are the prepositions of place. This module builds the vocabulary and the prepositions, plus the verb se trouver, to be situated.
Place vocabulary
Learn these four building blocks before you build sentences.
Two ways to say where
You can place a thing with a preposition or with se trouver.
Place it precisely
A strong description says exactly where each place is. Use il y a to say what there is, then add a preposition to place it, choosing from devant, derrière, près de or loin de. The verb se trouve, which tells you a building is situated somewhere, does the same job. Pick the preposition that matches the picture in your head.
Match the preposition
- dans
- devant
- derrière
- entre
- in
- in front of
- behind
- between
Match the word
- près de
- loin de
- sur
- sous
- near
- far from
- on
- under
In front of the house
Which is the correct French for in front of the house?
- devant la maison
- derrière la maison
- sous la maison
- dans la maison
Correct French
Select the TWO sentences that are correct French.
- il y a un parc près de la maison
- la gare se trouve loin du parc
- il y a devant un parc
- je vivre en ville
Build the sentence
Put the French words in order to say there is a park near the house.
- il y a
- un parc
- près de
- la maison
Complete the French
The French for in front of is _____. The French for behind is _____. The French for near is _____ de. To say a building is situated somewhere, use se _____. The French for there is or there are is _____.
Build a location
Build the French for the house is situated in front of the park.
Build where you live
Build the French for I live near the town.
Choose the French
For each English phrase, choose the best French translation.
- In front of the house.
- The town is far from the park.
- There is a shop next to the house.
Describe your area
Write three or four sentences in French about your local area. Use il y a and prepositions of place.
- Say what there is in your area, using il y a
- Place two things using prepositions such as devant or près de
- Say where you live, using je vis and a preposition