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Tourne à gauche au coin de la rue.

Tourne à gauche au coin de la rue.
Turn left at the corner of the street.
FromLesson 28inHardcore French

Questions & Answers about Tourne à gauche au coin de la rue.

What is the function of bold Tourne bold here, and why is there no subject pronoun?

bold Tourne bold is the imperative (command) form of bold tourner bold for bold tu bold (you, singular, informal). Imperatives in French omit the subject pronoun. So:

  • bold Tourne… bold = (you, singular) Turn…
  • bold Tournez… bold = (you, plural/formal) Turn…
  • bold Tournons… bold = Let’s turn…
Why is it bold Tourne bold and not bold Tournes bold?
With bold -er bold verbs, the bold tu bold form of the imperative drops the final bold -s bold: bold tu tournes bold (present) → bold Tourne bold! There’s one classic exception: before bold y bold or bold en bold, the bold -s bold returns for ease of pronunciation (e.g., bold Vas-y! Parles-en! Manges-en! bold). It doesn’t apply here.
How do I say it politely or to more than one person?

Use the bold vous bold imperative:

  • bold Tournez à gauche au coin de la rue. bold For extra politeness/formality:
  • bold Veuillez tourner à gauche au coin de la rue. bold You can also add bold s’il vous plaît bold at the end.
Can I just say bold Tourne à gauche bold without bold au coin de la rue bold?
Yes. bold Tourne à gauche bold simply means Turn left. Adding bold au coin de la rue bold specifies where: at the street corner (i.e., at the intersection), which is useful in step‑by‑step directions.
What does bold au bold stand for, and why not bold à la coin bold?
bold Au bold = bold à + le bold. The noun bold coin bold (corner) is masculine, so you must contract: bold au coin bold. You’d use bold à la bold with a feminine noun (e.g., bold à la station bold).
Why is it bold de la rue bold and not bold de le rue bold or just bold de rue bold?
  • bold Rue bold is feminine singular, so it takes bold de la bold: bold au coin de la rue bold.
  • bold De le bold contracts to bold du bold, but only for masculine nouns (e.g., bold du boulevard bold).
  • In standard European French, you keep the article; bold au coin de rue bold (without bold la bold) is more typical in Canadian French. With a named street, you still keep the article in France: bold au coin de la rue Victor-Hugo bold.
Are there synonyms for bold au coin de la rue bold?

Yes:

  • bold à l’angle de la rue bold (slightly more formal)
  • bold au carrefour bold / bold au croisement bold / bold à l’intersection bold (intersection/crossroads; broader terms) Note: bold dans le coin bold means in the corner (of a room) or in the area/neighborhood, not at the street corner.
How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

Approximate IPA: /tuʁn a ɡoʃ o kwɛ̃ də la ʁy/

  • bold tourne bold: /tuʁn/ (final e usually silent; French bold r bold is in the throat)
  • bold à bold: /a/
  • bold gauche bold: /ɡoʃ/ (bold ch bold = English “sh”)
  • bold au bold: /o/
  • bold coin bold: /kwɛ̃/ (nasal vowel; don’t fully pronounce the final n)
  • bold de bold: /də/ (often a quick, weak vowel)
  • bold la bold: /la/
  • bold rue bold: /ʁy/ (French bold u bold = rounded front vowel, not like English “oo”) No required liaison in this sentence.
Could I use a different verb instead of bold tourner bold?

Yes:

  • Very common: bold Prends/Prenez à gauche bold (Take a left)
  • Informal/regional: bold Vire/Virez à gauche bold
  • More technical/driving: bold Bifurque/Bifurquez à gauche bold Also common: bold Prends la première à gauche bold (Take the first left).
What’s the difference between bold à gauche bold, bold sur la gauche bold, bold à la gauche de bold, and bold vers la gauche bold?
  • bold à gauche bold: to the left (direction to turn/go).
  • bold sur la gauche bold: on the left(-hand side) (location along a path: bold Le café est sur la gauche bold).
  • bold à la gauche de bold: to the left of (needs a reference: bold à la gauche de l’église bold).
  • bold vers la gauche bold: toward the left (approximate direction).
How do I make it negative?
  • Informal singular: bold Ne tourne pas à gauche au coin de la rue. bold
  • Formal/plural: bold Ne tournez pas à gauche au coin de la rue. bold
How do I mention specific street names or two cross streets?
  • One street: bold Tourne à gauche au coin de la rue Victor-Hugo. bold
  • Two streets: bold Tourne à gauche à l’angle des rues Victor-Hugo et Pasteur. bold
  • Mix of types: bold au coin de la rue Victor-Hugo et du boulevard Saint-Michel bold; bold au coin de l’avenue de l’Opéra et de la rue de la Paix bold.
What’s the difference between bold rue bold and bold route bold?
  • bold Rue bold = a street in a town/city.
  • bold Route bold = a road/highway outside or connecting places. At rural junctions you might say bold au carrefour bold / bold à l’intersection bold rather than bold au coin bold.
Is the article bold la bold always used with bold rue bold?
In sentences, yes: bold la rue bold (generic) or bold la rue Victor-Hugo bold (named street). On envelopes, maps, or lists, you’ll often see the article omitted: bold 12, rue Victor-Hugo bold. In Quebec, you’ll also hear bold au coin de rue bold, but in France it’s normally bold au coin de la rue bold.
Does bold au coin bold ever mean “in the corner” indoors?
No. For a room’s corner, use bold dans le coin bold (e.g., bold dans le coin de la pièce bold). bold Au coin bold is for street corners.
Why is there an accent on bold à bold?
bold À bold (with accent) is the preposition to/at. bold A bold (without accent) is the verb has (third person of bold avoir bold). The accent distinguishes them: bold Il a bold = He has; bold Il est à la maison bold = He is at home.
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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