where

Most French learners are familiar with the word for “where,” which is “où.” But how do you say “somewhere,” “nowhere,” “anywhere,” “everywhere,” “elsewhere,” and similar words?

  • where – où
    • Où sont les toilettes ? (Where is the toilet?)
  • somewhere – quelque part
    • Tu as quelque part où dormir ce soir ? (You have somewhere to sleep tonight?)
  • nowhere – nulle part
    • Le chemin ne menait nulle part (The path led nowhere)
  • nowhere near – loin, loin d’être
    • Loin d’être assez grand (Nowhere near big enough)
    • La gare est loin de la cathédrale (The train station is nowhere near the cathedral)
  • anywhere – quelque part, nulle part (with negative), où, n’importe où
    • Avez-vous un cintre quelque part ? (Do you have a coat hanger anywhere?)
    • Tu ne peux aller nulle part (You can’t go anywhere)
    • Où tu veux (Anywhere you like)
    • Le chat peut se cacher n’importe où dans la maison (The cat can hide anywhere in the house)
  • everywhere – partout
    • Il a voyagé partout (He’s been everywhere)
  • elsewhere – ailleurs, autre part
    • Il vient d’ailleurs (It comes from elsewhere)
    • Il faut chercher autre part (You have to look elsewhere/somewhere else)

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • fois, foi and foie

    What are the differences between the three French homonyms (words that sound the same, in this case) la fois, la foi and le foie? These three words are pronounced identically, but have quite different meanings. La fois La fois means “the time.” It always ends in the letter “s,” even when it is singular. Despite…

  • au milieu de

    The phrase “au milieu de” is a common French prepositional phrase that literally translates to “in the middle of” or “amid.” It consists of three parts: the preposition “à” combined with the definite article “le” (contracted to “au”), the noun “milieu,” and the preposition “de.” Usage and Meanings: 1. Physical Location The most straightforward use…

  • il vaut mieux que

    “Il vaut mieux que” means “It is better that.” It is derived from the phrase “il vaut mieux,” meaning “it is better.” The phrase it is derived from, “il vaut mieux,” is used in a general way to say that “it is better that something be done.” But “il vaut mieux” does not specify who…

  • verb: toucher

    The French verb “toucher” has a few different meanings. Not all of them are obvious. It can mean “to touch,” “to hit,” “to affect,” “to be next to,” “to get,” “to receive,” or “to win.” “Le toucher” is also a masculine noun meaning “the touch” or “the sense of touch.” to touch to hit to…

  • passer l’éponge

    Passer l’éponge means literally to pass the sponge, but in slightly better English it would be to wipe the sponge. The English saying it most closely resembles would be “to wipe the slate clean.” It means to restart from zero, to forgive, or to forget disagreeable acts. The expression dates back to the start of…