How to Say "Where To" in French

où

/u/

The English phrase "where to" is translated into French as où.

où is used to ask about the destination of a person or a vehicle.

Which one should you use?

It is important to distinguish between où and ou. While où refers to a destination or location (where), the word ou without the accent means "or".

To express "where to [verb]", use où followed by the infinitive form of the verb, such as in où aller (where to go).

/u/

The Latin root of où, ubi, is the ancestor of the English word 'ubiquitous', which describes something that is found everywhere.
The grave accent in où was not originally part of the word but was introduced in Middle French specifically to prevent confusion with the word ou, meaning 'or'.
Because où is so short, French speakers frequently move it to the end of a sentence in casual speech, such as tu vas où ?, rather than using formal inversion.

Par où commencer ?
Where to start?
This sentence shows how to use où to ask where to begin.
Tatoeba #8732228 by Julien_PDC, translation #9741167 by traeton
Il m'a dit où aller.
He told me where to go.
This sentence uses où to describe being told a destination for an action.
Tatoeba #131239 by nimfeo, translation #292030 by CH
Tom savait où aller.
Tom knew where to go.
This sentence uses où to show knowledge of a destination.
Tatoeba #5395719 by pititnatole, translation #1024633 by CK
116 more sentences on Tatoeba

Gabriel and Léa are waiting for a taxi in the street.

Gabriel

Le chauffeur demande où aller.
The driver is asking where to go.
Léa

Dis-lui que nous allons au cinéma.
Tell him that we are going to the cinema.
Gabriel

D'accord, je lui dis ça.
Okay, I will tell him that.
Léa

Merci, Gabriel.
Thank you, Gabriel.

Sources

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