French - Basic Location

Lesson 15 of 159

Student pointing and asking basic location questions in French; lesson about places and people.

Goal: Find people and things around you — simple questions and answers

Free French lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Bonjour! In this short lesson we learn useful French phrases to ask and tell where people and things are. Practice by listening, repeating, and then using the phrases aloud.

Level A1: In Lesson 15 you'll practice basic location questions and short answers (Où est…, Où sont…, C'est ici, C'est là-bas, etc.). This CEFR-aligned lesson focuses on asking where someone or something is, saying if it is here or not, and giving simple nearby locations.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Ask where one person or thing is (Où est ___ ?) and where several are (Où sont ___ ?).
  • Say whether someone or something is here, not here, nearby, or in/next to a place.
  • Practice listening, short dialogues, and speaking these core location phrases (A1).
A friendly street scene for learning basic location phrases in French: asking where things are.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Où est ___ ?

Where is ___?

Meaning: Where is ___?

When to use: Use to ask where a single person or single thing is (one location).

Tip: Don't use 'Où est' for plural subjects (use 'Où sont').

Où est la gare ?
Where is the train station?
Où est Marie ?
Where is Marie?

Où sont ___ ?

Where are ___?

Meaning: Where are ___?

When to use: Use to ask about more than one person or more than one thing (plural).

Tip: Learners often say 'Où est' by mistake when the subject is plural; match verb number to the subject.

Où sont mes clés ?
Where are my keys?
Où sont les enfants ?
Where are the children?

___ est là ?

Is ___ here?

Meaning: Is ___ here?

When to use: Ask if a person or thing is present in the current place (informal spoken speech often uses 'là').

Paul est là ?
Is Paul here?
Le livre est là ?
Is the book here?

___ est là.

___ is here.

Meaning: ___ is here.

When to use: Say someone or something is present in the current place; simple, direct statement.

Anna est là.
Anna is here.
Le stylo est là.
The pen is here.

___ n'est pas là.

___ is not here.

Meaning: ___ is not here.

When to use: Say someone or something is absent from the current place.

Il n'est pas là.
He is not here.
La voiture n'est pas là.
The car is not here.

C'est ici.

It's here.

Meaning: It's here.

When to use: Use when pointing to a nearby place or the exact spot; short and clear.

C'est ici.
It's here.
Le café ? C'est ici.
The café? It's here.

C'est là-bas.

It's over there.

Meaning: It's over there.

When to use: Use to point to a place away from the speaker and listener (visible but distant).

La plage ? C'est là-bas.
The beach? It's over there.
Le magasin est là-bas.
The shop is over there.

C'est dans ___.

It's in ___.

Meaning: It's in ___.

When to use: Use 'C'est dans ...' to say something is inside a place or container; remember different prepositions for cities/countries.

Tip: Don't use 'dans' with cities (use 'à') or mix articles without checking (dans le, dans la).

Le livre ? C'est dans le sac.
The book? It's in the bag.
La réunion est dans la salle A.
The meeting is in room A.

C'est à côté de ___.

It's next to ___.

Meaning: It's next to ___.

When to use: Use to show that something is near or beside another thing; adjust the article (du/des) when needed.

La banque ? C'est à côté de la poste.
The bank? It's next to the post office.
Mon sac est à côté de la chaise.
My bag is next to the chair.

Tu es où ?

Where are you?

Meaning: Where are you?

When to use: Ask the person you are speaking to (informal 'tu'). Spoken casual form: 'T'es où ?' Formal/polite: 'Vous êtes où ?'.

Salut ! Tu es où ?
Hi! Where are you?
T'es où ? Je t'attends au café.
Where are you? I'm waiting for you at the café.

___ est près d'ici ?

Is ___ near here?

Meaning: Is ___ near here?

When to use: Ask if a place or thing is nearby; you can add articles: 'La gare est près d'ici ?'.

La boulangerie est près d'ici ?
Is the bakery near here?
Le parc est près d'ici ?
Is the park near here?

___ est près d'ici.

___ is near here.

Meaning: ___ is near here.

When to use: Say that a place or thing is nearby; include the correct article where necessary (la, le, l').

La pharmacie est près d'ici.
The pharmacy is near here.
Il y a un supermarché près d'ici.
There is a supermarket near here.

___ est sur ___.

___ is on ___.

Meaning: ___ is on ___.

When to use: Use 'sur' to say something is on top of or on a surface (table, page, screen).

Le livre est sur la table.
The book is on the table.
La photo est sur le mur.
The photo is on the wall.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

At the reception desk

Two people talking at a reception desk practicing 'Où est…?' and 'C'est ici.' in French.

What are Anna and David trying to find?

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Tu es où ?

Where are you?

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Je suis à la réception. Où est Marie ?

I'm at reception. Where is Marie?

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Marie est là ?

Is Marie here?

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Non, elle n'est pas là. Elle est dans la salle de réunion.

No, she is not here. She is in the meeting room.

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

La salle est là-bas ?

Is the room over there?

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Oui, c'est là-bas.

Yes, it's over there.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

How do you ask 'Where are the keys?' in French?

Which French phrase means 'It's over there.'?

How do you say 'He is not here.'?

Which question asks if a place is nearby?

Text message: 'David, where are you?'

Message sur le portable: «David, __?»

You ask: 'Is the station near here?'

Vous cherchez un lieu: «La gare ___ ?»

You look at the table and say: 'The book is on the table.'

Tu regardes la table et tu dis: «Le livre ___.»

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Où est ___ ?

Where is ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

Où sont ___ ?

Where are ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est là ?

Is ___ here?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est là.

___ is here.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ n'est pas là.

___ is not here.

Say this phrase out loud:

C'est ici.

It's here.

Say this phrase out loud:

C'est là-bas.

It's over there.

Say this phrase out loud:

C'est dans ___.

It's in ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

C'est à côté de ___.

It's next to ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Tu es où ?

Where are you?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est près d'ici ?

Is ___ near here?

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est près d'ici.

___ is near here.

Say this phrase out loud:

___ est sur ___.

___ is on ___.