📍❓

How to Say ‘How far is it?’ in French

C'est à quelle distance ?

suh eh ah kehl dees-TAHNSS

[suh eh ah kehl dees-TAHNSS]

💬 Usage Tip: The little word à carries the idea of "away" here, and it comes back in the answer: C'est à deux minutes "It's two minutes away." Asking with quelle at the end, instead of at the start, is the relaxed, everyday way to say it.

Phrase Breakdown

C'est à

suh eh ah

It is at

Used to express distance or location. Say 'seh-tah', linking the 't' to 'à'.

Example

C'est à côté.

It's next door.

Words in this phrase

[suh]

Used to refer to a thing previously mentioned.

Example

C'est incroyable.

It is incredible.

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

[ah]

A preposition indicating position or direction.

Example

À la maison.

At the house.

quelle distance ?

kehl dees-TAHNSS

what distance?

'Distance' is feminine, so it takes 'quelle'. The ending is nasal: 'dees-tahns'.

Example

À quelle distance est la gare ?

How far is the station?

Words in this phrase

quelle

[kehl]

What

Used to ask for information specifying something.

Example

Quelle couleur préfères-tu ?

What color do you prefer?

distance

[dees-TAHNSS]

distance

Feminine noun; how far apart two places are.

Example

La distance est courte.

The distance is short.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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