droite
/dʁwat/
The French word for "right" (of direction, opposite of left) is droite.
droite is used to indicate the direction or side opposite of the left. When giving directions, you can say Tournez à droite or Prenez à droite to mean "Turn right", as these two phrases are interchangeable.
Meaning: of direction, opposite of left (adj)
Which one should you use?
While droite refers to the direction "right", the masculine adjective droit means "straight". Additionally, the noun droit refers to a legal or moral entitlement, such as a right or privilege and the verb se redresser means to return to a normal upright position.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Belgium, you may encounter the form à dret instead of à droite.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the concepts "to the right" or "on the right", use the prepositional phrase à droite.
How do you pronounce it?
/dʁwat/
Did you know?
- The word droite shares the same linguistic root as the English word 'direct', both stemming from the Latin 'directus' meaning 'straight'.
- A main droite is a right hand, but in historical contexts, the 'right hand' often symbolized power and justice in French royal ceremonies.
- The word droiture exists to describe the abstract quality of being upright or having high moral integrity.
Examples in context
- Je pris à droite.I turned right.The first sentence shows how to use droite to indicate a turn.Tatoeba #1313892 by sacredceltic, translation #258392 by CK
- Je suis à droite.I am on the right.The second sentence shows how to use droite to indicate a location.Tatoeba #1949051 by Amastan, translation #810174 by BraveSentry
- Prends la rue à droite.Take the street on the right.The third sentence shows how to use droite to specify a street on a certain side.Tatoeba #8027009 by Aiji, translation #2949281 by AlanF_US
- Tournez à droiteTurn right
- Tournez à droite au coinTurn right at the corner
- L'église est à votre droiteThe church is on your right
- 232 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are looking for a room in a building.
- ChloéC'est ici que nous tournons à droite ?Is this where we turn right?
- NathanOui, le bureau est juste là.Yes, the office is right there.
- ChloéC'est la porte droite ou gauche ?Is it the right door or the left one?
- NathanC'est la porte à droite.It is the door on the right.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry droite, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries droite, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
