droit
/dʁwa/
The English word 'straight' can be translated into French as droit. Wiktionary also lists rectiligne.
Meaning: not crooked or bent (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| droit | /dʁwa/ /dʁwɑ/ |
| rectiligne | /ʁɛk.ti.liɲ/ |
When describing something that is not crooked or bent, you use the adjective droit. To give directions meaning 'straight ahead', the standard phrase is tout droit.
Which one should you use?
The word rectiligne is also a form used to mean straight.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine singular form is droite, the masculine plural form is droits and the feminine plural form is droites.
How do you pronounce it?
/dʁwa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse tout droit (straight ahead) with à droite (to the right) when giving or following directions.
Did you know?
- If you are looking for the law, you might use the word droit, because in French, 'law' and 'right' (as in a human right) are both expressed by this same word.
- A person who is described as droit is not just someone who walks in a straight line, but someone who is considered 'upright' and honest in character.
- The French word droit is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'direct', as both trace their ancestry back to the same Latin root, 'dīrēctus'.
Examples in context
- Allez tout droit !Go straight on.This sentence shows how to use droit to give directions.Tatoeba #3640822 by sacredceltic, translation #32539 by Dejo
- Allez droit au but.Get straight to the point.This sentence demonstrates using droit in an idiomatic expression meaning 'get straight to the point'.Tatoeba #10511642 by lbdx, translation #10511192 by CK
- Continuez tout droit !Keep going straight.This sentence is useful for using droit to tell someone to keep going straight.Tatoeba #2283582 by sacredceltic, translation #449158 by CK
- Marchez tout droit.Walk straight ahead.
- La route est droite.The road is straight.
- Alignez les objets droit devant vous.Align the objects straight in front of you.
- Passez directement à l'étape suivante.Go straight to the next step.
- Continuez tout droit jusqu'au bout de la rue.Keep going straight to the end of the street.
- Le magasin est tout droit, à quelques pas d'ici.The store is straight ahead, just a few steps away.
- Courez en ligne droite jusqu'au point d'arrivée.Run straight to the finish line.
- Le cours d'eau suit une ligne droite ici.The river follows a straight line here.
- 93 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are checking a piece of wood in a workshop.
- LéaEst-ce que ce bois est droit ?Is this wood straight?
- LucasNon, il n'est pas tout à fait droit.No, it is not quite straight.
- LéaIl faut qu'il soit bien droit pour le meuble.It must be perfectly straight for the furniture.
- LucasJe vais en choisir un autre, plus droit.I will choose another one, straighter.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “straight” translations and entries droit, rectiligne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries droit, rectiligne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
