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

où

/u/

The English word "where" is translated into French as où.

où is used to indicate at or in what place. It can also function as a noun meaning the place in which something happens.

Meaning: at or in what place (adv)

Which one should you use?

While où refers to a location, the related phrase là où is used as a conjunction meaning "while on the contrary", "although" or "whereas".

In French, où can function as both an interrogative adverb to ask a question and a relative pronoun to link a place to a clause.

/u/

Do not forget the grave accent on où. Without the accent, the word becomes ou, which means "or" instead of "where".

In French, où is not only for physical locations but is also the standard word used to ask about time, such as in the phrase le jour où meaning 'the day when'.
The word où is a direct descendant of the Latin word ubi, which also survives in English legal and scientific terms like 'ubiquitous'.
The grave accent on où is not for pronunciation, as both ou and où sound identical, but exists solely to prevent confusion with the word for 'or'.

Qui va où ?
Who goes where?
This sentence shows how to use où to ask about a destination.
Tatoeba #3774677 by GB3, translation #3766209 by Wuzzy
Où va Tom ?
Where is Tom going?
This sentence demonstrates using où to ask for a person's destination.
Tatoeba #7220474 by felix63, translation #3096731 by CK
Il est où ?
Where is he?
This sentence illustrates using où to ask for someone's location.
Tatoeba #8681957 by Julien_PDC, translation #698966 by Zifre
Où se trouve la gare ?
Where is the train station?
Où est-ce que je peux trouver un bon restaurant ?
Where can I find a good restaurant?
Où est le parc ?
Where is the park?
Tu sais où est le supermarché le plus proche ?
Do you know where the nearest supermarket is?
3900 more sentences on Tatoeba

Léa and Hugo are looking for a restaurant in the city.

Léa

Où est le restaurant ?
Where is the restaurant?
Hugo

C'est juste là, à côté du parc.
It is right there, next to the park.
Léa

Ah, je vois ! C'est là que tu voulais aller ?
Ah, I see! Is that where you wanted to go?
Hugo

Oui, c'est l'endroit parfait.
Yes, it is the perfect place.

Sources

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

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