Location, location, location...
Location, Location, location. The much-repeated explanation of the most important factor which determines house prices. In this class, we'll look at loads of different ways of talking about the location of a house, apartment or plot.
False friend alert.
Before we start, a word of warning: The word ‘location' exists in French, but it means ‘rental'.
Introduce the location
- La maison se trouve sur la place de la Bourse, derrière la Maison Duchamp.
The house is located in place de la Bourse, behind Duchamp House. - C´est un quartier très paisible, avec beaucoup d'arbres et des espaces verts.
It's a very peaceful neighbourhood, with a lot of trees and green spaces. - La zone est très tranquille, mais elle est très bien desservie.
The area is very peaceful, but well-connected.
Distances from places
- C´est à environ 25 minutes à pied du centre du village.
It's 25 minutes by foot from the centre of the village. - Il faut compter 20 minutes en bicyclette. En moto ou voiture, c´est à 5 minutes.
It takes about 20 minutes by bicycle. By scooter or car, it's about 5 minutes. - Dans cette zone, il est nécessaire de disposer d´une moto ou d´une bicyclette électrique.
In this area it's necessary to have a scooter or an electric bike. - En descendant, il faut environ 5 minutes pour atteindre la plage. Au retour, il faudrait 10 minutes à cause de la montée.
It takes about 5 minutes to go down to the beach. To come back up it takes about 10 minutes because of the slope.
Traffic and Parking
- En général, il est facile de trouver de la place pour se garer dans la rue, sauf à la pleine saison en août.
Usually it's easy to find a parking space in the street, except in the middle of August. - On entendra un peu le bruit de la rue.
You will notice the noise from the street a bit. - On n´entend pas beaucoup le bruit de la rue, sauf quand une vieille moto passe.
You don't notice the noise from the street very much, unless an old scooter passes by. - De nuit, il y a peu de voitures qui circulent, en revanche il y a beaucoup de circulation.
Few cars pass by at night, but during the day there is more traffic.
Thanks for visiting!
Some other stuff here
This Course
Business French
Our Business French course is designed to get you working in French as quickly as possible. The course contains sections on meetings and the telephone, as well as French for finance and practical workplace French (The type of practical phrases you'll need in a French-speaking office).
We are also working on a series of sector-based courses. First up is a set of classes for estate agents and property buyers.
Other sections in this course
Real estate
Whether you're selling property in Provence or working with clients in Paris, the type of vocabulary you'll need isn't going to vary much from place to place.
Speaking on the Phone
Speaking on the phone can be one of the most difficult tasks in any foreign language. In this course we'll take you through all the basics, from answering the phone, to taking messages or giving excuses when your boss hasn't come back from lunch.
French for Meetings
Need to attend a meeting with French-speaking clients?
In this section we'll cover everything from arranging dates and sending invitations, to writing agendas, through to summarising the agreements reached at the meeting.
In a French-speaking office
Dont' know how to ask for a stapler? In this section we'll take you through all those useful little phrases and questions for office life that other courses just don't cover.
Finance and Numbers
How do we present numbers and talk about financial information in French? In this section we cover the basics (the numbers in French!) as well as how to present graphs, sales results, or complicated statistical data.
Real estate
Other classes in this section:
Estate agents: Getting started
This first class in our section on English for Estate Agents looks at some of the most important questions which you'll want to ask a new client. We'll also take you through the most usual responses you'll hear from clients.
Talking about properties
How to describe the main characteristics of a property and its location.
Arranging Property Viewings
Need to organise a viewing, meeting or other business engagement with a French-speaking client? This article forms part of our course on French for (Real) Estate Agents, but it should also prove useful for professionals in other sectors too.
Talking about Offers
Who doesn't like receiving an offer for a property? Unfortunately, we'll probably have to do quite a bit of work before we get an offer, or at least one which is likely to be accepted. So, in this class, let's look at different ways of talking about, making, and reacting to, offers.
The property search
Understanding what the client is looking for is an absolutely essential part of being a successful estate agent. With French-speaking clients there are a serious of fairly standard questions which you'll need to use in order to find out what type of property the client wants.
Location, location, location...
How can we talk about the location of a property in French? What's the best way to describe the area, and talk about it's pros and cons. How can we talk about the distance to a town centre, shopping centre or beach?
Installations
Don't you just hate it when potential start asking technical questions about the heating system or electric wiring? However, it's inevitable that clients will have quite a few questions about the installations of a house, from the plumbing to the hot water, and lots else besides.
The property market
It's not just estate agents, but a whole range of professionals, who will find themselves having to explain aspects of the property market to clients, colleagues or suppliers.