Town, region and country: GCSE French vocabulary
70 words and phrases for town, region and country, in 3 groups. Every entry has the English meaning and a French example sentence with its translation. Nouns show their gender.
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Places in town
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la ville feminine | town | Ma ville est assez grande. My town is quite big. |
| le centre-ville masculine | town centre | Le centre-ville est très animé. The town centre is very lively. |
| l'hôtel de ville masculine | town hall | L'hôtel de ville est sur la place. The town hall is in the square. |
| la mairie feminine | town hall | Ils se sont mariés à la mairie. They got married at the town hall. |
| l'église feminine | church | L'église date du douzième siècle. The church dates from the twelfth century. |
| la cathédrale feminine | cathedral | La cathédrale est magnifique. The cathedral is magnificent. |
| le château masculine | castle | Nous avons visité un château. We visited a castle. |
| le musée masculine | museum | Le musée est ouvert tous les jours. The museum is open every day. |
| la bibliothèque feminine | library | La bibliothèque ferme à six heures. The library closes at six o'clock. |
| le parc masculine | park | Il y a un grand parc près de chez moi. There is a big park near my house. |
| la place feminine | square | Il y a un marché sur la place. There is a market in the square. |
| le pont masculine | bridge | On traverse le pont pour aller au centre. You cross the bridge to get to the centre. |
| la gare feminine | railway station | La gare est à cinq minutes d'ici. The station is five minutes from here. |
| la piscine feminine | swimming pool | La piscine est ouverte le dimanche. The swimming pool is open on Sundays. |
| le stade masculine | stadium | Le stade est près de la rivière. The stadium is near the river. |
| le cinéma masculine | cinema | Il y a un cinéma en centre-ville. There is a cinema in the town centre. |
| le théâtre masculine | theatre | Nous allons au théâtre ce soir. We are going to the theatre tonight. |
| le café masculine | café | Nous nous retrouvons au café. We meet at the café. |
| le commissariat masculine | police station | Le commissariat est en face de la poste. The police station is opposite the post office. |
| l'hôpital masculine | hospital | L'hôpital est à côté du parc. The hospital is next to the park. |
| la banque feminine | bank | La banque ouvre à neuf heures. The bank opens at nine. |
| la poste feminine | post office | Je vais à la poste. I am going to the post office. |
| l'office de tourisme masculine | tourist office | L'office de tourisme donne des plans gratuits. The tourist office gives out free maps. |
| le monument masculine | monument | Ce monument est très ancien. This monument is very old. |
| la zone piétonne feminine | pedestrian zone | Le centre est une zone piétonne. The centre is a pedestrian zone. |
| le rond-point masculine | roundabout | Prenez la deuxième sortie au rond-point. Take the second exit at the roundabout. |
| le quartier historique masculine | historic district | Le quartier historique est très beau. The historic district is very beautiful. |
Things to do and see
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| visiter | to visit (a place) | Nous visitons le château demain. We are visiting the castle tomorrow. |
| se promener | to go for a walk | On peut se promener au bord de la rivière. You can go for a walk by the river. |
| faire une promenade | to go for a walk | Nous faisons une promenade en famille. We go for a walk as a family. |
| faire du shopping | to go shopping | On peut faire du shopping en centre-ville. You can go shopping in the town centre. |
| aller au cinéma | to go to the cinema | Je vais au cinéma le samedi soir. I go to the cinema on Saturday evenings. |
| aller au restaurant | to go to a restaurant | On peut aller au restaurant avec des amis. You can go to a restaurant with friends. |
| faire du sport | to do sport | On peut faire du sport au centre sportif. You can do sport at the sports centre. |
| sortir | to go out | Nous sortons le vendredi soir. We go out on Friday evenings. |
| louer | to hire | On peut louer un vélo. You can hire a bike. |
| les distractions | entertainment | Il y a beaucoup de distractions pour les jeunes. There is a lot to do for young people. |
| les activités | activities | La ville propose beaucoup d'activités. The town offers a lot of activities. |
| le spectacle masculine | show | Nous avons vu un spectacle de danse. We saw a dance show. |
| le concert masculine | concert | Il y a un concert sur la place samedi. There is a concert in the square on Saturday. |
| le marché masculine | market | Le marché a lieu le dimanche matin. The market takes place on Sunday morning. |
| la visite guidée feminine | guided tour | Nous avons fait une visite guidée de la ville. We did a guided tour of the town. |
| le plan masculine | map (of a town) | Je cherche un plan de la ville. I am looking for a map of the town. |
| le patrimoine masculine | heritage | La ville a un riche patrimoine. The town has a rich heritage. |
| animé | lively | Le centre-ville est animé le samedi. The town centre is lively on Saturdays. |
| manquer de | to lack | Ma ville manque de distractions pour les jeunes. My town lacks things for young people to do. |
Region and country
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la région feminine | region | Ma région est célèbre pour ses plages. My region is famous for its beaches. |
| le pays masculine | country | Mon pays est petit. My country is small. |
| la côte feminine | coast | La côte est très belle. The coast is very beautiful. |
| la plage feminine | beach | Il y a une plage de sable. There is a sandy beach. |
| la mer feminine | sea | La mer est calme aujourd'hui. The sea is calm today. |
| la montagne feminine | mountain | Nous faisons du ski à la montagne. We go skiing in the mountains. |
| la colline feminine | hill | Le village est sur une colline. The village is on a hill. |
| la forêt feminine | forest | Nous nous promenons dans la forêt. We walk in the forest. |
| le lac masculine | lake | Il y a un lac près de chez nous. There is a lake near us. |
| la rivière feminine | river | La rivière traverse la ville. The river flows through the town. |
| le fleuve masculine | river (large, to the sea) | La Loire est un grand fleuve. The Loire is a big river. |
| la campagne feminine | countryside | J'aime la tranquillité de la campagne. I like the peace of the countryside. |
| le paysage masculine | landscape | Le paysage est magnifique. The scenery is magnificent. |
| célèbre | famous | Cette ville est célèbre pour sa cathédrale. This town is famous for its cathedral. |
| touristique | tourist | La région est très touristique. The region is very touristy. |
| industriel | industrial | Ma ville est industrielle. My town is industrial. |
| historique | historic | C'est une ville historique. It is a historic town. |
| le nord masculine | north | J'habite dans le nord de l'Angleterre. I live in the north of England. |
| le sud masculine | south | Nous allons dans le sud de la France. We are going to the south of France. |
| l'est masculine | east | Strasbourg est dans l'est de la France. Strasbourg is in the east of France. |
| l'ouest masculine | west | Nantes est dans l'ouest. Nantes is in the west. |
| pittoresque | picturesque | Ce petit village est pittoresque. This little village is picturesque. |
| le littoral masculine | coastline | Le littoral attire beaucoup de touristes. The coastline attracts many tourists. |
| rural | rural | La région est très rurale. The region is very rural. |
Learn how to use these words in sentences: Town, region and country lesson with practice questions.
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