Breakdown of Ich fahre nach Frankreich.
ich
I
fahren
to drive, to travel
nach
to / towards
Frankreich
France
Questions & Answers about Ich fahre nach Frankreich.
If I wanted to ask 'Where are you driving to?', which question word would I use?
You would use Wohin (Where to). The question would be: Wohin fährst du? Since the sentence shows movement toward a destination (nach Frankreich), we need the directional question word Wohin rather than the locational word Wo (Where).
Why does the sentence use nach for 'to'?
In German, nach is the preposition you use when traveling to most countries, continents, cities, and towns (specifically, places that don't use a 'the' before their name). For example, you say nach Deutschland or nach Berlin.
Could I say Ich gehe nach Frankreich if I am just 'going' there?
You should use fahren here. In German, gehen usually means to go on foot (to walk). Since you would almost certainly use a vehicle like a car or a train to get to France, you use fahren (to drive or ride). If you were flying, you would use fliegen.
Why is this translated as 'I am driving' instead of 'I drive'?
German does not have a separate 'am doing' tense. The single phrase Ich fahre covers both 'I drive' and 'I am driving'. You just pick whichever translation sounds most natural in English for the situation.