French · Travel & Getting Around

"Turn left" in French: tournez à gauche

tournez à gauche

Say it: toor-NAY ah gohshphrase/tuʁ.ne a ɡoʃ/

Turn left in French is tournez à gauche. Keep the whole phrase for directions. Informal tu form: tourne à gauche.

GPS voice

Dans cent mètres, tournez à gauche.
In one hundred meters, turn left.
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How to pronounce tournez à gauche

Say it

toor-NAY ah gohsh

/tuʁ.ne a ɡoʃ/

Tournez: toor-NAY. À: ah. Gauche: gohsh. Together: toor-NAY ah gohsh.

"Turn left" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
tournez à gaucheturn left

Vous / GPS default.

tourne à gaucheturn left

Informal tu.

prenez à gauchetake a left

Also common.

à gaucheon the left / left

Short cue.

How to use tournez à gauche in real life

  1. 1GPS voice

    Dans cent mètres, tournez à gauche.

    In one hundred meters, turn left.

    Full tournez à gauche.

  2. 2Walking guide

    Au feu, tournez à gauche vers le parc.

    At the light, turn left toward the park.

    Tournez à gauche.

  3. 3Passenger helping

    ! Tournez à gauche maintenant.

    There! Turn left now.

    Urgent cue.

Mistakes English speakers make with tournez à gauche

Incorrect: Tournez à droit.

Correct: Tournez à gauche. / Tournez à droite.

Left is gauche; droite is right (not droit alone).

Incorrect: Turn left au feu.

Correct: Tournez à gauche au feu.

Use the full French phrase.

Good to know

French GPS uses vous: tournez à gauche. On foot, people often shorten to à gauche after pointing. Roundabouts need the exit number more than endless lefts.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Navigating to a bakery

  1. ChatPal

    Au prochain carrefour, tournez à gauche.

    At the next intersection, turn left.

  2. You

    OK. Je tournetournez à gauche, c'est ici ?

    OK. I turn… turn left—is it here?

  3. ChatPal

    Oui. Après, encore tournez à gauche au stop.

    Yes. After that, turn left again at the stop sign.

  4. You

    Vu. La boulangerie est juste .

    Got it. The bakery is right there.

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"Turn left" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Turn left" in French

How do you say turn left?

Tournez à gauche (vous) / tourne à gauche (tu).

Gauche or droite?

Gauche is left; droite is right.

Do GPS apps use vous?

Yes—tournez à gauche.

How do you pronounce tournez à gauche?

toor-NAY ah gohsh.

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