Learn Hardcore French: Ce panneau est près de la station de métro.

ce: before a masculine singular noun starting with a consonant
- ce panneau (this/that sign)
cet: before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel or mute h
- cet arbre (this tree)
cette: before a feminine singular noun, regardless of the first letter
- cette table (this table)

Because panneau is masculine and starts with a consonant sound /p/, the correct form is ce panneau.

What exactly does panneau mean here? Is it any kind of sign?

Panneau most often means a signboard, panel, or notice board—usually something flat and rigid with writing or symbols on it, often in public spaces.

Typical uses:

un panneau de signalisation – a road/traffic sign
un panneau d’affichage – a notice board / display panel
un panneau publicitaire – a billboard

It does not usually mean a small handwritten notice on a piece of paper; that might be une affiche, un écriteau, or un panneau if it’s rigid and mounted.

Grammatically, what is ce in Ce panneau? Is it a pronoun?

Here, ce is a demonstrative determiner (demonstrative adjective), not a pronoun.

It stands before the noun panneau and modifies it:
ce panneau = this/that sign.

A demonstrative pronoun would stand alone:

C’est un panneau. – That/this is a sign.
(Here ce is part of the pronoun c’ in c’est.)

So in the sentence Ce panneau est près de la station de métro, ce is a word that points to a specific sign, similar to this/that in English.

Why is it près de and not just près before la station de métro?

près by itself is an adverb meaning near / close in a general sense:

Il est près. – He is near.

When you say near something (followed by a noun), French normally requires près de:

près de la maison – near the house
près du parc – near the park
près de la station de métro – near the metro station

You cannot say ✗ près la station de métro; it must be près de la station de métro.

Why is it près de la and not près du here?

The form depends on the gender and number of the noun:

de + le = du (contraction)
de + les = des (contraction)
de + la = de la (no change)
de + l’ = de l’ (no change)

Station is feminine singular (la station), so we use:

près de la station

If it were masculine singular, we’d have:

près du parc (de + le parc → du parc)

So: près de la station de métro is correct because station is feminine.

Why is there a de between station and métro (station de métro)? Why not just station métro?

In French, when one noun describes another (“X station”, “bus stop”, etc.), the relationship is usually expressed with de:

une station de métro – a metro station
une station de ski – a ski resort
une tasse de café – a cup of coffee
un arrêt de bus – a bus stop

So station de métro literally means “station of metro”, which corresponds to “metro station” in English. You don’t say ✗ station métro in standard French.

Why is it station de métro and not something like gare de métro or arrêt de métro?

French distinguishes these words:

une station (de métro) – a metro/underground/subway stop
un arrêt (de bus / de tram) – a bus or tram stop
une gare – a (rail) train station, usually larger, with platforms, etc.

For urban underground trains, French uses une station de métro.
You wouldn’t say gare de métro or arrêt de métro in normal French.

Why doesn’t métro have an article here? Why not de la métro or du métro?

In station de métro, métro is used like a category/type label rather than a specific metro system. In that pattern, French usually omits the article:

une station de métro – a metro station
une station de ski – a ski resort
un arrêt de bus – a bus stop
un verre de vin – a glass of wine

If you add an article (du métro, de la métro), you usually change the meaning, for example:

le bruit du métro – the noise of the metro (specific system)

Here we just want the type of station, so station de métro (no article before métro) is correct.

What is the difference between près de, proche de, and à côté de?

All three express nearness, but with slightly different nuances:

près de – near, close to (very common, neutral)
- près de la station de métro – near the metro station
proche de – also near/close to, a bit more formal or literary in many contexts
- proche de la station de métro – close to the metro station
à côté de – next to / beside, usually implies being immediately adjacent
- à côté de la station de métro – right next to the metro station

In your sentence, près de just says the sign is in the vicinity of the station, not necessarily right beside the entrance.

How do you pronounce Ce panneau est près de la station de métro? Are there any liaisons?

Approximate IPA:
/sə pano ɛ prɛ də la stasjɔ̃ də metro/

Word by word:

Ce – /sə/ (like “suh”)
panneau – /pano/ (“pa-no”; final eau = /o/)
est – /ɛ/ or /e/ (like “eh”)
près – /prɛ/ (“preh”; the s is silent)
de – /də/ (“duh”)
la – /la/
station – /stasjɔ̃/ (“sta-syon”, nasal -tion)
de – /də/
métro – /metro/ (“may-tro”)

Liaisons:

Between est and près, a liaison (/ɛ‿prɛ/) is optional; some speakers do it, others don’t.
There is no liaison between près and de (you do not pronounce the s).
The other words are pronounced separately as written (no required liaisons here).

Could we say Ce panneau se trouve près de la station de métro or Ce panneau est à la station de métro? What’s the difference?

Yes, both are possible, with slightly different nuances:

Ce panneau est près de la station de métro.
- Neutral, simple “is near”.
Ce panneau se trouve près de la station de métro.
- Literally “is found / is located near…”
- Slightly more formal or descriptive, often used in explanations, guidebooks, instructions.
Ce panneau est à la station de métro.
- More like “at the metro station”, suggesting it’s actually in or at the station itself, not just nearby.

So:

près de = in the surrounding area
à = at that place (inside/at the location)
se trouve = “is located”, a style choice rather than a change of basic meaning.