Places of Interest and Directions
Practise Places of Interest and Directions for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). This topic covers describing a town, places of interest and asking for directions.
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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.
Topic overview
Giving directions relies on the imperative and on a small set of prepositions that must be precise.
The imperative gives the instruction: tournez à gauche, allez tout droit, prenez la première rue. The vous form is used with strangers, which is almost always the case when giving directions.
The key confusion is between tout droit meaning straight on and à droite meaning to the right. They look similar and mean different things, and mixing them sends someone the wrong way. Position words are useful: en face de, à côté de, près de, loin de, entre. All of these take de, which contracts: en face du cinéma.
Revision notes
The imperative
Tournez à gauche, allez tout droit, prenez la première rue, continuez jusqu'au feu.
The vous form is used, since directions are almost always given to a stranger. Traversez la place, descendez la rue.
Tout droit versus à droite
Tout droit means straight on. À droite means to the right.
They look similar and are constantly confused, but they give opposite instructions. À gauche means to the left.
Position words
En face de — opposite. À côté de — next to. Près de — near. Loin de — far from. Entre — between.
All except entre take de, which contracts: en face du cinéma, à côté de la banque, près des magasins.
Key points
- Directions use the imperative.
- The vous form is used with strangers.
- Tout droit means straight on.
- À droite means to the right.
- Position words take de.
- De contracts with le and les.
Worked examples
Example 1
Translate: turn left. [2 marks]
Working
Example 2
Explain the difference between tout droit and à droite. [2 marks]
Working
Example 3
Translate: opposite the cinema. [2 marks]
Working
Common mistakes
Confusing tout droit and à droite.
They give opposite instructions.
Using the tu imperative with a stranger.
Vous is required.
Forgetting the contraction.
En face du cinéma, not en face de le cinéma.
Omitting de from position phrases.
À côté de, not à côté.
Exam tips
- Use the vous imperative for directions.
- Keep tout droit and à droite clearly distinct.
- Include de in every position phrase.
- Apply contractions with le and les.
Key terms
- Tout droit
- Straight on.
- À droite
- To the right.
- En face de
- Opposite.
- Imperative
- The command form used for directions.
Related topics
Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.