Points of the compass

abbreviated as

north = nord N

south = sud S

east = est E

west = ouest O

nord, sud, est, ouest is the normal order in French as well as English.

northeast = nord-est NE

northwest = nord-ouest NO

north-northeast = nord-nord-est NNE

east-northeast = est-nord-est ENE

Where?

Compass points in French are not normally written with a capital letter. However, when they refer to a specific region in phrases such as I love the North or he lives in the North, and it is clear where this North is, without any further specification such as of France or of Europe, then they are written with a capital letter, as they often are in English, too. In the following examples, north and nord stand for any compass point word.

I love the North

= j’aime le Nord

to live in the North

= vivre dans le Nord

Normally, however, these words do not take a capital letter :

in the north of Scotland

= dans le nord de l’Écosse

Take care to distinguish this from

to the north of Scotland (i.e. further north than Scotland)

= au nord de l’Écosse

in the south of Spain

= dans le sud de l’Espagne*

it is north of the hill

= c’est au nord de la colline

a few kilometres north

= à quelques kilomètres au nord

due north of here

= droit au nord

* Note that the south of France is more usually referred to as le Midi.

There is another set of words in French for north, south etc., some of which are more

common than others :

(north) septentrion (rarely used) septentrional(e)

(south) midi méridional(e)

(east) orient oriental(e)

(west) occident occidental(e)

Translating northern etc.

a northern town

= une ville du Nord

a northern accent

= un accent du Nord

the most northerly outpost

= l’avant-poste le plus au nord

Regions of countries and continents work like this :

northern Europe

= l’Europe du Nord

the northern parts of Japan

= le nord du Japon

eastern France

= l’est de la France

For names of countries and continents which include these compass point words, such as North America or South Korea, see the dictionary entry.

Where to?

French has fewer ways of expressing this than English has ; vers le is usually safe :

to go north

= aller vers le nord

to head towards the north

= se diriger vers le nord

to go northwards

= aller vers le nord

to go in a northerly direction

= aller vers le nord

a northbound ship

= un bateau qui se dirige vers le nord

With some verbs, such as to face, the French expression changes :

the windows face north

= les fenêtres donnent au nord

a north-facing slope

= une pente orientée au nord

If in doubt, check in the dictionary.

Where from?

The usual way of expressing from the is du :

it comes from the north

= cela vient du nord

from the north of Germany

= du nord de l’Allemagne

Note also these expressions relating to the direction of the wind :

the north wind

= le vent du nord

a northerly wind

= un vent du nord

prevailing north winds

= des vents dominants du nord

the wind is in the north

= le vent est au nord

the wind is coming from the north

= le vent vient du nord

Compass point words used as adjectives

The French words nord, sud, est and ouest are really nouns, so when they are used as adjectives they are invariable.

the north coast

= la côte nord

the north door

= la porte nord

the north face (of a mountain)

= la face nord

the north side

= le côté nord

the north wall

= le mur nord

Nautical bearings

The preposition by is translated by quart in expressions like the following :

north by northwest

= nord quart nord-ouest

southeast by south

= sud-est quart sud

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.