Practise the answer as well as the question
Où est la gare ? means “Where is the station?” Once you can ask it, practise recognising à gauche (“left”), à droite (“right”) and tout droit (“straight ahead”). These replies are more useful than adding a long description to the question before you can understand a short answer.
Repeat the important direction as a check: À droite ? gives the other person an opportunity to confirm or correct you. If the answer is too fast, use a short repetition request. You do not need to complete an entire travel conversation to practise this exchange.
Keep the vowel in où rounded and steady. Then say the question as a small group rather than inserting a pause after every written word. The travel pronunciation guide expands the situation, while the phrase library supplies models you can replay.
Mouth position and airflow
Keep où rounded and steady, make est short, and group the place name after the question.
Three examples to practise
| Round | French target |
|---|---|
| 1 | Où est la gare ? |
| 2 | Je cherche le métro. |
| 3 | C’est à droite ? |
Common mistakes and a correction
- Avoid turning où into English w.
- Avoid pausing before every word.
- Avoid making place names unclear.
Five-minute practice ladder
- Say où alone.
- Say Où est la gare ?
- Replace gare with métro.
- Practise à gauche and à droite.
- Ask and answer once.