ELONIO
Log inSign up

Tourne à droite au coin de la rue.

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

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

What verb form is Tourne?
It’s the imperative, second person singular (addressing tu). It gives a direct instruction: Tourne = Turn. The other imperative forms are Tournez (vous, formal/plural) and Tournons (let’s...).
Why is there no final -s on Tourne?
For regular -ER verbs (and aller) in the tu imperative, the final -s is dropped: tu tournes (indicative) but Tourne ! (imperative). Exception: when followed by the pronouns y or en, you add back an -s for pronunciation: Vas‑y !, Manges‑en !, and (rare but correct) Tournes‑y !.
When should I say Tournez instead of Tourne?
Use Tournez when speaking to more than one person or when you want to be polite/formal with one person. Tourne is informal, used with someone you’d call tu.
How can I make the command more polite?
  • Add please: Tournez à droite au coin de la rue, s’il vous plaît. / Tourne..., s’il te plaît.
  • Make it more formal: Veuillez tourner à droite au coin de la rue. or Pourriez‑vous tourner à droite au coin de la rue ?
Why is it à droite and not à la droite?
À droite is an adverbial phrase meaning “to the right/rightward,” used for directions. À la droite (de) means “to the right of” something/someone and needs a complement: à la droite du musée = to the right of the museum.
What’s the difference between à droite and tout droit?
  • À droite = to the right (you are turning).
  • Tout droit = straight ahead (you are not turning). Example: Continuez tout droit, then tournez à droite.
What does au mean in au coin?

Au is the contraction of à + le. Since coin is masculine (le coin), à le coin becomes au coin. Other patterns:

Why is it de la rue and not something else?
After coin, you use de to show possession/relationship: the corner “of” the street. Rue is feminine, so de + la = de la. With a masculine noun you’d get du (de + le), e.g., au coin du boulevard; with plural, des, e.g., au coin des avenues.
Can I say au coin de rue without the article?
No—use the article: au coin de la rue. If you name the street, you still keep the article before the common noun: au coin de la rue Victor‑Hugo.
Is à l’angle a good alternative to au coin?
Yes. À l’angle (de) is a near‑synonym and can sound a bit more formal or precise for intersections: Tourne à droite à l’angle de la rue... Both are fine in everyday speech.
Does au bout de la rue mean the same as au coin de la rue?
No. Au bout de la rue = at the end of the street (where it finishes). Au coin de la rue = at the corner (where it intersects another street).
Can I change the word order?
Yes. Fronting the place phrase is natural: Au coin de la rue, tourne à droite. The comma marks the pause; both orders are fine.
How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximate: “toorn ah drwaht oh kwan duh lah ry.” Key points:

  • Tourne: final -e is silent; French r in tourne and rue is uvular.
  • droite: oi = [wa], final t is pronounced.
  • au = [o].
  • coin has nasal in: [kwɛ̃], the final n isn’t fully pronounced.
  • rue has the French u [y], not like English “oo.”
Do I ever need a hyphen after Tourne?
Only when adding object/adv. pronouns in the imperative: Tourne‑le, Tourne‑là, Tournes‑y (with the restored -s before y/en). In your sentence, there are no pronouns attached, so no hyphen is needed.
Is rue capitalized?
As a common noun, rue is lowercase in running text: au coin de la rue. With a street name, the type word is usually lowercase and the proper name is capitalized: au coin de la rue Victor‑Hugo. (On signs you may see Rue, but in prose lowercase is standard.)
Can I say Prends à droite instead of Tourne à droite?
Yes. Prends à droite (take a right) is very common in directions. You can also say Prends la première à droite (take the first right).
What’s the difference between droit and droite?
  • à droite (feminine noun) = to the right.
  • tout droit (masculine adjective/adverb) = straight ahead.
  • le droit (masculine noun) = the right/law (different meaning).
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“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.).

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning French

Master French — from Tourne à droite au coin de la rue to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning French→