A1 Expression Neutral 1 Min. Lesezeit

C'est loin.

It's far.

Jetzt üben

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use 'C'est loin' to tell someone that a destination requires a significant amount of travel or time.

  • Means: A place is located at a considerable distance from the current location.
  • Used in: Answering questions about travel time, distance, or planning a meeting location.
  • Don't confuse: 'C'est loin' (it is far) with 'C'est long' (it takes a long time).
Map icon + distance arrow = 'C'est loin'

Erklärung auf deinem Niveau:

This phrase means a place is not near. You use it when you want to say that walking or driving will take a long time.
Use 'C'est loin' to describe physical distance. It is a very common way to answer questions about location. You can add 'très' to emphasize the distance.
This expression is essential for navigation. It functions as a predicate adjective. It is also used metaphorically to describe events that are chronologically distant in the future.
Beyond simple distance, 'C'est loin' functions as a pragmatic tool for setting boundaries. It is often used in negotiations regarding meeting points to signal inconvenience or the need for alternative arrangements.
The phrase demonstrates the French tendency toward binary spatial categorization. It is a fixed expression that resists morphological change, serving as a primary lexical item in spatial discourse and temporal orientation.
From a cognitive linguistics perspective, 'C'est loin' maps the source domain of physical space onto the target domain of time. It reflects the conceptual metaphor 'Time is Space', where future events are perceived as locations on a path.

Bedeutung

To state that a place is a long distance away.

🌍

Kultureller Hintergrund

French people value efficiency. Saying 'C'est loin' is a polite way to suggest changing plans. In Quebec, distances are vast, so 'C'est loin' is used very frequently.

💡

Nasal sound

Make sure to nasalize the 'in' in 'loin' for a native sound.

💡

Nasal sound

Make sure to nasalize the 'in' in 'loin' for a native sound.

Teste dich selbst

Which phrase describes distance?

If a place takes 2 hours to reach, you say:

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: C'est loin

'Loin' refers to distance, while 'long' refers to time.

🎉 Ergebnis: /1

Visuelle Lernhilfen

Aufgabensammlung

2 Aufgaben
Wähle die richtige Antwort Fill Blank

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort:
Which phrase describes distance? Choose A1

If a place takes 2 hours to reach, you say:

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: C'est loin

'Loin' refers to distance, while 'long' refers to time.

🎉 Ergebnis: /2

Häufig gestellte Fragen

1 Fragen

Yes, it is common to say 'Les vacances, c'est loin' to mean they are far in the future.

Verwandte Redewendungen

🔄

C'est pas à côté

synonym

It's not nearby

🔗

C'est long

contrast

It's long (time)

Wo du es verwendest

📍

Asking for directions

Tourist: Pardon, la gare est proche ?

Local: Non, c'est loin. Prenez le bus.

neutral
☕

Planning a meeting

Friend: On se voit au café du centre ?

You: C'est loin pour moi, on peut se voir plus près ?

informal

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Think of a 'Lion' (loin) that is so far away you can barely see it.

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a map with a tiny dot far away. You point at it and say 'C'est loin!'

Rhyme

C'est loin, c'est le coin.

Story

I wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower. I asked a local, 'Is it near?' He shook his head and said, 'Non, c'est loin!' I decided to take the metro instead.

In Other Languages

Similar to 'It's far' in English or 'Es lejos' in Spanish. It is a universal concept.

Word Web

distanceloinprocheicilà-basvoyage

Herausforderung

For 5 minutes, look at a map of your city and say 'C'est loin' for places that are more than 30 minutes away.

Review in 1 day, then 3 days, then 1 week.

Aussprache

Stress Stress on the final syllable.

The 'oi' is a diphthong, and the 'n' is nasal.

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
La destination est située à une grande distance.

La destination est située à une grande distance. (Describing distance)

Neutral
C'est loin.

C'est loin. (Describing distance)

Informell
C'est super loin !

C'est super loin ! (Describing distance)

Umgangssprache
C'est à perpète !

C'est à perpète ! (Describing distance)

Derived from the Latin 'longe', meaning 'at a distance'. It evolved through Old French 'loing'.

Latin:
Old French:

Wusstest du?

The word 'loin' is related to the English word 'long', as both share the same Latin root regarding extension.

Kulturelle Hinweise

French people value efficiency. Saying 'C'est loin' is a polite way to suggest changing plans.

“C'est loin, on change de plan ?”

In Quebec, distances are vast, so 'C'est loin' is used very frequently.

“Montréal à Québec ? C'est loin !”

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Est-ce que ton travail est loin de chez toi ?

Häufige Fehler

✗

C'est long.

✓

C'est loin.

literal translation
Learners often confuse 'long' (duration) with 'loin' (distance).

L1 Interference

0 1

In Other Languages

Spanish Very Similar

Está lejos.

Spanish uses 'estar' for location, French uses 'c'est'.

German moderate

Es ist weit weg.

German requires the 'away' particle for naturalness.

Japanese Very Similar

遠いです (Tooi desu).

Japanese does not need a 'c'est' equivalent.

Arabic Very Similar

إنه بعيد (Innahu ba'eed).

Arabic adjective gender agreement is required.

English Very Similar

It's far.

None, they are nearly identical.

Spotted in the Real World

🎬

(2001)

“C'est loin, mais c'est beau.”

Describing a location.

Leicht verwechselbar

C'est loin. vs. C'est long

Both sound similar and relate to 'a lot'.

Loin = distance, Long = time.

Häufig gestellte Fragen (1)

Yes, it is common to say 'Les vacances, c'est loin' to mean they are far in the future.

usage contexts

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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