How to Say "Here" in French - How To Say Guide

ici

/i.si/

The English word 'here' is translated to French as ici.

ici is an adverb meaning in, on or at this place. You can also use the phrase ici et maintenant to express the concept of 'here and now'.

Meaning: in, on, or at this place (adv)

Which one should you use?

While ici refers specifically to the immediate location of the speaker, the word là is often used to mean 'there' or to refer to a general location.

By adding the preposition 'par' to ici, you create the phrase par ici, which means 'this way' or 'around here' when giving directions.

ici is pronounced /i.si/. It has 2 syllables.

The word ici is often used in the idiomatic expression d'ici peu, which means 'shortly' or 'in a little while', translating literally to 'from here a little'.
French uses the word ici in the phrase ici-bas to refer specifically to the earthly world as opposed to heaven.
The word ici shares an ancient root with the Latin 'ecce', which means 'behold' or 'look'. This suggests that to say 'here' in French is linguistically tied to the act of drawing attention to something.

Tu es ici ?
Are you here?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone is present using ici.
Tatoeba #5240627 by Iriep, translation #3823878 by CK
Il est ici !
Here he is!
This sentence is useful for announcing someone's presence with ici.
Tatoeba #10192 by sacredceltic, translation #71715 by CK
Tu vis ici ?
Do you live here?
This sentence is useful for asking about where someone lives using ici.
Tatoeba #4081046 by sbamsbamsbam, translation #15882 by CK
Voici notre nouveau projet.
Here is our new project.
L'événement aura lieu ici.
The event will take place here.
La salle de réunion se trouve par ici.
The meeting room is this way.
Voilà ton cadeau d'anniversaire.
Here's your birthday present.
5238 more sentences on Tatoeba

Chloé and Gabriel are meeting at a cafe.

Sources

Wiktionary, “here” translations and entries ici, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries ici, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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