Key points about describing your local area
Use the A preposition is a word such as 'at', 'for', 'with', 'into' or 'from' which is usually followed by a noun or pronoun. They are used to show where something is in place or time. en and à to talk about being in a place or going to a place.
Higher Tier - The Words that replace nouns, ie. he, she, it, they. y can either mean ‘there’ to replace a place or it can replace an object.
This guide contains a video as well as reading and listening practice.
Video - Describing my local area
Watch the video of Detchen exploring the suburb of Sceaux in Paris.
Use impersonal verbs and adjectives to describe the local area
Bienvenue au parc de Sceaux.
C’est un parc qui se trouve au sud de Paris, en banlieue.
Autour du parc de Seaux, il y a plusieurs villes.
La ville de Sceaux est à 20 minutes de Paris en train.
Et le parc est l'endroit idéal pour échapper au stress de la vie parisienne.
Dans le centre-ville de Sceaux, il y a beaucoup de touristes parce qu'il y a de très beaux bâtiments anciens.
Ici, c’est la rue Houdan où il n’y a pas de voitures.
Elle est très célèbre, parce que c’est une rue commerciale interdite aux voitures depuis 40 ans !
Moi, j’aime la Rue Houdan parce que j’y retrouve mes amis dans un super endroit qui s’appelle Plaisir des Thés.
Il y a un grand choix de thés et il faut absolument goûter leur thé des légendes. Il est trop bon !
J’y vais aussi pour acheter mon pain à la boulangerie, à gauche.
Dans ma famille, on trouve qu'ils font les meilleures baguettes de la ville.
On peut aussi y acheter un déjeuner à emporter.
D’ailleurs, j’ai un peu faim.
Je vais prendre un sandwich au fromage.
À Paris, en général, il fait beau de mai jusqu'au mois d'octobre.
Et le parc de Sceaux est un endroit idéal pour pique-niquer.
Par contre, il vaut mieux y aller quand il fait encore beau.
On ne va pas au Parc de Sceaux seulement pour manger, on peut aussi y aller pour faire une promenade ou pour courir.
Certaines personnes viennent de loin pour profiter du parc, et c'est vrai, il vaut vraiment la visite !
Moi je vais rester un peu ici pour lire au soleil !
Translation
Welcome to Parc de Sceaux.
It's a park that finds itself in the southern suburbs of Paris.
There are several towns around the park.
The town of Sceaux is 20 minutes by train from Paris.
And the park is the perfect place to escape the stress of Parisian life.
In the city centre of Sceaux, there are a lot of tourists because there are some very beautiful old buildings.
Here is Houdan street, where there are no cars.
It is very well known, because it is a commercial street that has been closed to cars for 40 years!
I like Rue Houdan because I meet my friends there in a great place called Plaisir des Thés.
There is a large selection of teas and you absolutely have to try their ‘thé des légendes’. It’s so good!
I also come to buy my bread, in the bakery on the left.
In my family, we think they have the best baguettes of the city.
You can also buy a lunch to takeaway.
Actually, I'm a bit hungry…
I'll take a cheese sandwich.
In Paris, in general, the weather is nice from May until the month October.
And the Parc de Sceaux is the ideal place for a picnic.
However, it’s better to go when the weather is still nice.
People don't just go to Parc de Sceaux to eat, they also go there to take a walk or run.
Some people come from far to enjoy the park, and it's true, it's definitely worth the visit!
I'm going to stay here for a while to read in the sun!
Vocabulary - Describing the local area
Useful vocabulary to talk about where people live includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| en ville | in a town |
| dans un village | in a village |
| dans un grand ville | in a city |
| à la campagne | in the countryside |
| à la montagne | in the mountains |
| au bord de la mer | by the seaside/coast |
Useful nouns to talk about the local area include:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | noise |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | forest |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | building |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | pollution |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | street |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | beach |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | view |
Useful adjectives to describe places include:
| French | English | French | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ancien(ne) | former (when before the noun), ancient (when after the noun) | joli(e) | pretty |
| beau / beaux / belle / bels / bel | beautiful | moderne | modern |
| calme | quiet/calm | pauvre | poor |
| dangereux/-euse | dangerous | propre | clean |
| historique | historic | riche | rich |
| idéal | ideal | sale | dirty |
| industriel(le) | industrial |
Grammar - How to use the prepositions 'en' and 'à'
En and à are prepositions that mean both ‘to’ and ‘in’. They are used with:
cities or towns
countries
continents
When to use 'en'
- Use en with ville to mean ‘in’ or ‘to’. For example:
Je suis en ville. – I am in town.
Je vais en ville. – I go to town.
- Use en (without an 'A', 'an' and 'the'.) to mean ‘to’ and ‘in’ feminine countries, such as France, and continents such as Europe. For example:
Je vais en Espagne. - I go to Spain.
Je suis en France. – I am in France.
When to use 'à'
- Use à with the masculine or plural definite articles (le or les) to mean ‘to’ and ‘in’ masculine countries, such as Canada, and plural countries, such as the USA. For example:
Je suis au Canada. - I’m in Canada.
Je vais aux États-Unis. - I’m going to the USA.
- Use à with the definite article (le, la or les) to mean ‘to’ when going to a place, such as the market, bank or beach.
For example:
Je vais au supermarché. – I’m going to the supermarket.
Nous allons à la plage. – We’re going to the beach.
Je vais aux magasins. – I’m going to the shops.
Remember
When using à with le, it is contracted to au.
When using à with les, it is contracted to aux.
- Use à without an article to mean ‘to’ or ‘in’ a city or town.
For example:
Je vais à Dakar. – I’m going to Dakar.
Je suis à Marrakech. – I’m in Marrakech.
Using 'en' and 'à' - Mini quiz
Complete the following sentences with the correct prepositions:
J’habite ___ Angleterre.
I live in England.
J’habite en Angleterre.
With a feminine country, such as l’Angleterre, use en to mean ‘in’.
Nous aimons aller ______ ville.
We’re like going to town.
Nous aimons aller en ville.
With ville, meaning 'town', use en to mean ‘in’ or ‘to’.
Il va ____ marché cet après-midi.
He’s going to the market this afternoon.
Il va au marché cet après-midi.
When talking about a place, use à plus the article.
Le marché (market) is masculine, and à followed by le contract to au.
L’année prochaine je vais _____ Montréal.
Next year I’m going to Montreal.
L’année prochaine je vais à Montréal.
When talking about towns and cities, use à before the name of the town or city.
Find out more about using prepositions in the Prepositions of place in French guide.
Reading practice - my local area
You are looking at a school blog on which some French students have written about where they live. Read the texts and work out where each person lives. There is one option too many.
| A | In the countryside |
| B | In a city |
| C | On the coast |
| D | In the mountains |
Question 1
J’habite dans une ferme à quinze kilomètres d’une petite ville. Il y a beaucoup de champs et une grande forêt près de chez nous. J’adore là où j’habite parce que c’est très joli.
The answer is A
J’habite dans une ferme à quinze kilomètres d’une petite ville. Il y a beaucoup de champs et une grande forêt près de chez nous. J’adore là où j’habite parce que c’est très joli.
I live on a farm 15km from a small town. There are lots of fields and a big forest near our house. I love it where I live because it is very pretty.
Question 2
J’ai de la chance parce que je peux faire du ski tous les jours en hiver et je fais des randonnées deux ou trois fois par semaine en été. J’habite dans un chalet et ma chambre a une vue extraordinaire.
The answer is D
J’ai de la chance parce que je peux faire du ski tous les jours en hiver et je fais des randonnées deux ou trois fois par semaine en été. J’habite dans un chalet et ma chambre a une vue extraordinaire.
I’m lucky because I can go skiing every day in the winter and I go hiking two or three times a week in the summer. I live in a chalet and my bedroom has a spectacular view.
Question 3
Bonjour, je m’appelle Antoine et j’habite dans un appartement assez petit dans un bâtiment moderne. Il y a beaucoup de voitures dans ma rue et il y a un grand centre commercial à deux minutes de mon appartement. J’aime bien habiter ici car il y a beaucoup de choses à faire.
The answer is B
Bonjour, je m’appelle Antoine et j’habite dans un appartement assez petit dans un bâtiment moderne. Il y a beaucoup de voitures dans ma rue et il y a un grand centre commercial à deux minutes de mon appartement. J’aime bien habiter ici car il y a beaucoup de choses à faire.
Hi, my name is Antoine and I live in a fairly small apartment in a modern building. There are a lot of cars on my road and there is a big shopping centre two minutes from my flat. I like living here because there are lots of things to do.
Vocabulary - Describing my town
Useful phrases when talking about your local area include:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J’habite dans une grande ville en France. | I live in a big town in France. |
| Mon village se trouve près de Marseille. | My village is located near Marseille. |
| Il y a beaucoup de magasins dans ma ville. | There are lots of shops in my town. |
| Ma ville est moderne. | My town is modern. |
| Il y a beaucoup de choses à faire pour les jeunes. | There are lots of things to do for young people. |
| On peut aller au cinéma le soir. | You can go to the cinema in the evening. |
| Je préfère habiter en ville. | I prefer to live in town. |
| Ma copine habite à la campagne. | My friend lives in the countryside. |
| Il faut visiter le château ancien. | It’s necessary to visit the old castle. |
| Pour les jeunes, il y a une piscine et un centre sportif. | For young people, there is a swimming pool and a sports centre. |
| Pour améliorer ma ville, on pourrait construire un grand centre commercial. | To improve my town, they could build a big shopping centre. |
| L’avantage est que c’est très calme et on peut faire des randonnées dans la nature. | The advantage is that it’s very quiet/calm and you can go hiking in nature. |
| L’inconvénient est qu’il y a trop de véhicules, qui causent la pollution. | The disadvantage is that there are too many vehicles, which cause pollution. |
All Foundation Tier vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Listening practice
You listen to a radio phone-in, during which some people talk about where they live. Listen to each person and decide whether their opinion is positive, negative or both.
Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when describing the local area.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary
Useful Higher Tier vocabulary includes:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | field |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | quiet |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | the best |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | the worst |
All vocabulary listed in this guide can be found on the vocabulary sheet below.
Higher Tier - Grammar - The pronoun 'y'
The pronoun y can either mean ‘there’ to replace a place or it can replace an object (not a person) that is introduced by the preposition à, to mean ‘it’ or ‘them’.
How to use the pronoun ‘y’ to mean ‘there’
When using the pronoun y to mean ‘there’, the y comes between the The person or thing in the sentence that is doing the action. or Words to replace the subject of a sentence, eg 'He read the book' instead of 'James read the book'. and the A word used to describe an action or state of being.. For example:
Il va au marché. Il y va pour acheter des fruits. – He goes to the market. He goes there to buy some fruit.
Je suis allé(e) en ville le week-end dernier avec mes amis. Nous y sommes allé(e)s en autobus. – I went to town last weekend with my friends. We went there by bus.
How to use the pronoun ‘y’ to mean ‘it' or 'them’
The pronoun y is also used to replace a previously mentioned or implied place or location. It usually translates to 'there' in English.
However, the concept of y is broader, and it can also be used to replace any phrase that begins with à, en, dans, or other prepositions indicating location.
It can mean ‘it’ or ‘them’ depending on the context.
For example:
Il s’intéresse à l’histoire de sa ville. Il s’y intéresse depuis longtemps. – He’s interested in the history of his town. He’s been interested in it for a long time.
J’aime jouer au foot. J’y joue deux fois par semaine. – I like playing football. I play it twice a week.
When y is used with a verb and followed by à, it typically replaces the object of the preposition à, referring back to something previously mentioned.
The object can be a thing, a place, or a concept/idea. The pronoun y replaces the à + noun phrase to avoid repetition.
Examples of how to use verbs followed by the pronoun y include:
Il faut faire attention en allant à vélo. Il faut y faire attention. – You should pay attention when going on your bike. You should pay attention to it.
Je pense aux vacances. J’y pense tous les jours. - I’m thinking about the holidays. I think about them every day.
Click or tap on Show more to see some useful verbs that are followed by à and can use y as a pronoun.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to believe in
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to pay attention to/be careful of
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to be interested in
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (+ sport) - to play (sport)
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to think of/about (not opinion)
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - to think about/reflect on
Higher Tier - Using the pronoun 'y' - Mini quiz
Complete the following sentences:
___ _____ tous les jours.
I go there every day.
J’y vais tous les jours.
Y means there and is positioned between the pronoun, je, and the verb, vais.
As je ends in a vowel, e, remove the e and add an apostrophe before y to form j’y.
____ _____ ______ pendant une semaine.
We are there for a week.
Nous y sommes pendant une semaine.
Y means there and is positioned between the pronoun, nous and the verb, sommes.
Elle aime jouer au foot. ____ ____ _____ le week-end.
She likes playing football. She plays it at the week-end.
Elle aime jouer au foot. Elle y joue le week-end.
Jouer à is a verb that takes y as a preposition to replace what is being played.
Y is positioned between the pronoun, elle and the verb, joue.
J’aime faire le shopping pour les vêtements. _____ ______ depuis longtemps.
I like going shopping for clothes. I’ve been interested in it for a long time.
J’aime faire le shopping pour les vêtements. Je m'y intéresse depuis longtemps.
S’intéresser à is a verb that takes y as a preposition to replace what the person is interested in.
Y is positioned between the pronoun, je me and the verb, intéresse.
As me ends in a vowel, e, remove the e and add an apostrophe before y, to form j’y.
Find out more about using the pronoun y in the Higher Tier - Adverbial pronouns 'y' and 'en' in French guide.
Higher Tier - Vocabulary sheet
Click or tap on the image below for a list of useful vocabulary to use when describing the local area.
Now you have learned about describing the local area, why not have a look at the Life at school guide?
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