Movement, Home, and Neighborhood | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: A beginner practices six useful English phrases about basic movement, home, and neighborhood..

EN → FR / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Movement, Home, and Neighborhood to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

J'arrive maintenant.

zhah-REEV meh(n)-tuh-NAHN I am coming now.
B

Je vais à la maison.

zhuh VEH ah lah meh-ZOHN I am going home.
A

Je suis à la maison.

zhuh SWEE ah lah meh-ZOHN I am at home.
B

Je suis dehors maintenant.

zhuh SWEE duh-OR meh(n)-tuh-NAHN I am outside now.
A

Je serai de retour.

zhuh suh-REH duh ruh-TOOR I will be back.
B

J'habite près d'ici.

zhah-BEET preh dee-SEE I live near here.

Word by Word

J'arrive “J'arrive” means “I am coming” or “I am arriving” here. It is the first-person form of arriver used to say that the speaker is on the way or is arriving now. A common reuse pattern is J'arrive + a time expression or destination.
maintenant “maintenant” means “now” in “J'arrive maintenant.” It places the action at the present time. You can reuse it with another statement to say that something is happening now.
Je “Je” means “I” and identifies the speaker in “Je vais,” “Je suis,” and “Je serai.” It is placed before the verb in these sentences. A common reuse pattern is Je + verb to make a first-person statement.
vais “vais” means “am going” in “Je vais à la maison.” It is the first-person form of aller used here for movement toward a destination. Reuse Je vais + a destination.
à In “Je vais à la maison,” “à” links the movement to its destination, expressed here as “to the house/home.” It also appears in “Je suis à la maison,” where it introduces a location. A common reuse pattern is à + a place.
la “la” is the form of “the” used before “maison” in “la maison.” It is the feminine singular definite article matching maison. A common reuse pattern is la + a feminine singular noun.
maison “maison” means “house” or “home” here. In “à la maison,” the whole expression means “at home” or “home,” depending on the verb. You can reuse à la maison when talking about being at home or going home.
suis “suis” means “am” in “Je suis à la maison” and “Je suis dehors maintenant.” It is the first-person form of être used to describe the speaker’s location or state. A common reuse pattern is Je suis + a place or state.
dehors “dehors” means “outside” in “Je suis dehors maintenant.” It tells the listener where the speaker is. You can use Je suis dehors when telling someone that you are outside.
serai “serai” means “will be” in “Je serai de retour.” It is the first-person future form of être and refers to a future state. A common reuse pattern is Je serai + a location or state.
de In the exact expression “de retour,” “de” combines with “retour” to express the idea of being back or returning. Here it is part of the expression after “Je serai.” A common reuse pattern is être or a form of être + de retour.
retour “retour” contributes the idea of “return” or “back” in “de retour.” Together, “de retour” describes someone who is back or will be back. You can reuse de retour after a form of être to talk about someone’s return.
J'habite “J'habite” means “I live” in “J'habite près d'ici.” It is the first-person form of habiter used to state where the speaker lives. A common reuse pattern is J'habite + a place.
près “près” means “near” in “J'habite près d'ici.” It expresses proximity to the place referred to by “d'ici.” A common reuse pattern is près de + a place or person.
d'ici “d'ici” refers to “here” in “près d'ici,” so the whole expression means “near here.” It follows “près” to identify the reference point for the location. You can reuse près d'ici when describing a place that is close to the current location.

Grammar Points

aller + à + lieu

Je vais à la maison.

zhuh VEH ah lah meh-ZOHN

I am going home.

Use aller followed by à to express movement toward a place. With maison, use the fixed expression à la maison.

être au futur simple : serai

Je serai de retour.

zhuh suh-REH duh ruh-TOOR

I will be back.

Serai is the future form of être for je. It expresses a state or situation that will happen later.

French Vocabulary

à la maison phrase
ah lah meh-ZOHN home; to the house; at home

Je vais à la maison. Je suis à la maison.

aller verb
ah-LAY to go vais

Je vais à la maison.

arriver verb
ah-ree-VAY to arrive; to come J'arrive

J'arrive maintenant.

d'ici phrase
dee-SEE from here; of here

J'habite près d'ici.

de retour phrase
duh ruh-TOOR back; returned

Je serai de retour.

dehors adv
duh-OR outside

Je suis dehors maintenant.

être verb
EH-tr to be suis

Je suis à la maison.

habiter verb
ah-bee-TAY to live; to reside J'habite

J'habite près d'ici.

maintenant adv
meh(n)-tuh-NAHN now

J'arrive maintenant.

maison noun
meh-ZOHN house; home

Je vais à la maison.

près de prep
preh duh near

J'habite près d'ici.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I am coming now.

Show AnswerJ'arrive maintenant.

I am going home.

Show AnswerJe vais à la maison.

I am at home.

Show AnswerJe suis à la maison.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

outside

Show Answerdehors

to go

Show Answervais

house; home

Show Answermaison

now

Show Answermaintenant