French · Travel & Getting Around

"Far" in French: loin

loin

Say it: lwahnadverb/lwɛ̃/

Far in French is loin. C'est loin means it's far. Loin de Paris means far from Paris. The opposite idea is souvent près or pas loin.

Asking directions

La gare, c'est loin d'ici ?
Is the station far from here?
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How to pronounce loin

Say it

lwahn

/lwɛ̃/

Lwahn (nasal). One syllable; the n is not a hard English n.

"Far" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
loinfar

Basic adverb.

c'est loinit's far

Quick reaction to distance.

loin defar from

Before a place or person.

pas loinnot far

Nearby, casual.

très loinvery far

Stronger distance.

How to use loin in real life

  1. 1Asking directions

    La gare, c'est loin d'ici ?

    Is the station far from here?

    C'est loin for distance checks.

  2. 2Choosing a restaurant

    Celui-là est trop loin à pied.

    That one is too far on foot.

    Trop loin plus manner.

  3. 3Talking about family

    Mes parents habitent loin de la ville.

    My parents live far from the city.

    Loin de + place.

Mistakes English speakers make with loin

Incorrect: C'est far.

Correct: C'est loin.

Use loin, not English far.

Incorrect: Il habite loine.

Correct: Il habite loin.

Loin does not take an extra e.

Good to know

French speakers often answer distance with time: à vingt minutes à pied rather than only loin. Still, c'est loin ? is the everyday yes/no question when you wonder if something is worth walking to.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Deciding whether to walk

  1. ChatPal

    Le musée, c'est loin ?

    Is the museum far?

  2. You

    Un peu loin, oui. Prenons le bus.

    A bit far, yes. Let's take the bus.

  3. ChatPal

    Ou on marche. Ce n'est pas si loin.

    Or we walk. It's not that far.

  4. You

    OK, si ce n'est pas trop loin.

    OK, if it's not too far.

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"Far" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Far" in French

How do I say it's far?

C'est loin.

How do I say far from here?

Loin d'ici.

What is the opposite of loin?

Near often uses près or pas loin.

How do you pronounce loin?

A nasal lwahn.

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