French Phrase
Le sauna est à côté des douches.
Meaning
The sentence means “The sauna is next to the showers.” It tells someone where the sauna is located within a building such as a spa, gym, or hotel.
When to use
Use this phrase when giving or asking for directions inside a sports centre, hotel, spa, or any place that has both a sauna and shower facilities.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lesaunaestàcôtédesdouches.
Le (definite article)
Masculine singular definite article used before a noun that is known to the listener.
sauna (noun)
Masculine noun meaning 'sauna'; in French it stays masculine regardless of the word's origin.
est (être)
Third‑person singular present of the verb 'être' (to be), used for statements of identity or location.
à côté de (prepositional phrase)
Means 'next to' or 'beside'; always followed by a definite article (le, la, les) or a contracted form.
des (de + les)
Contraction of the preposition 'de' and the plural definite article 'les', used after 'à côté de' with plural nouns.
douches (noun)
Feminine plural noun meaning 'showers'.
🗨In Conversation
Où est le sauna ?
Where is the sauna?
Le sauna est à côté des douches.
The sauna is next to the showers.
✕Common Mistakes
Le sauna est au côté des douches.
The correct preposition is 'à côté de', not 'au côté de'.
Le sauna est à côté douches.
After 'à côté de' you must keep the article; dropping it makes the phrase ungrammatical.
Le sauna est à côté les douches.
The article 'les' must be contracted with 'de' to form 'des'.
↔Alternatives
Le sauna se trouve près des douches.
The sauna is near the showers.
Le sauna est proche des douches.
The sauna is close to the showers.
Cultural Tip
In French, 'à côté de' is the standard way to express that something is immediately beside something else. 'Près de' also means 'near', but it can imply a slightly larger distance. Remember that 'sauna' is masculine in French, so you say 'le sauna' and not 'la sauna'.