French Vocabulary – In the street Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 2, 2020 in Music, Vocabulary
The other day I was out for a walk and practicing my French en même temps (at the same time) by naming all the things I could see. Les arbres, les plantes, le ciel, le soleil, des boîtes aux lettres, et la rue (The trees, the plants, the sky, the sun, mailboxes, and the street). When I got to la rue I wondered …
Rue, avenue, ou boulevard ?
De nos jours (Nowadays, lit. Of our days) these words are often used interchangeably. But they historically have distinct meanings1and just to be clear, where I live, they are definitely rues.
Une rue is generally smaller, usually narrower and has few if any side streets. Rue is also the most generic term for street.
Une avenue is a large urban voie (way), often bordered by trees (like the Avenue des Champs-Elysées) and leading somewhere of importance, like a monument, that often gives the avenue its name … comme l’avenue de l’Opéra à Paris (like the Avenue of the Opera in Paris).
Un boulevard was traditionally a road that ran along the fortifications of a city or was laid over the foundations/former placement of such fortifications. As such boulevards were often circular (like the boulevard Périphérique), though over time this changed.
Here’s a little song to help you remember at least one of these words … and learn some other useful words for things you might find dans la rue.
Dans ma rue | On my street |
Il y a des cinglés du jogging | There are jogging nuts |
Les amoureux du lèche-vitrine | Window-shopping lovers |
Et des passants comme vous et moi | And passers-by like you and me |
Dans ma rue (x2) | On my street |
Y a des poubelles sur le trottoir | There are trashcans on the sidewalk |
Des toutous que promène le soir | Dogs being walked |
Leur mémé en chemise de nuit | By their grannies in nightgown |
Dans la rue | On my street |
Mais il y a aussi Annie | But there’s also Annie |
Et il y a aussi Cathy | And there is also Cathy |
Puis il y a aussi Sophie | Then there’s also Sophie |
Et il y a aussi Nathalie | And there is also Nathalie |
Dans ma rue | On my street |
Y a des autos à cent à l’heure | There are cars doing sixty miles an hour (a rough equivalent to 100 kilometers per hour) |
Des policiers, des voleurs | Police officers, and thiefs |
Qui s’tirent dessus au revolver | Who shoot at each other with revolvers |
Dans la rue | In the street |
Dans ma rue | On my stret |
Y a eu un mort la semaine dernière | Someone died last week |
Quelqu’un qui supportait pas l’air | Someone who couldn’t take the atmosphere |
Et qui l’a respiré trop fort | And who breathed it in too deep |
Dans ma rue | On my street |
(Refrain) | (Chorus) |
Toi dans la rue tu connais certainement une fille | You likely know a girl in the street |
Qui comme moi t’a souri, que tu n’oublieras plus | Who like me, smilled at you, in a way you won’t forget |
C’est peu de dire tout simplement que tu l’as trouvé jolie | It’s the least to say that your found her pretty |
Cette inconnue qui t’a plu | That stranger who appealed to you |
Elle hante tes nuits, elle hante tes nuits | She haunts your nights, she haunts your nights |
Elle hante tes nuits, tes nuits, tes nuits, tes nuits, Nathalie | She haunts your nights, your nights, your nights, Nathalie |
Dans ma rue … | On my street |
Et pour finir, encore quelques mots utiles (To finish a few more useful words):
Le trottoir – the sidewalk
La chaussée – the pavement, the roadway (as opposed to le trottoir which is for people2though originally it was the place for horses!, la chaussée3which we find in the term rez-de-chaussée / ground floor is the part of the road for cars and other traffic)
Le chemin – the path, trail
La piste – track, runway
La piste cyclable – the bike path/bike lane
Photo by Margerretta from Pexels
- 1and just to be clear, where I live, they are definitely rues.
- 2though originally it was the place for horses!
- 3which we find in the term rez-de-chaussée / ground floor
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