French Phrase
Évite de prendre des raccourcis dans des endroits inconnus.
Meaning
‘Avoid taking shortcuts in unknown places.’ The sentence gives a precautionary piece of advice, warning the listener not to rely on paths or routes they are not familiar with.
When to use
Use this phrase when giving safety advice while traveling, hiking, or navigating a city. It works well in informal conversations, travel guides, or warning signs that encourage people to stay on known routes.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Évitedeprendredesraccourcisdansdesendroitsinconnus
Imperative (2nd pers. sing.)
‘Évite’ is the second‑person singular imperative of the verb *éviter*; note that the final –s is dropped in the affirmative form.
de + infinitive after *éviter*
When *éviter* is followed by another verb, it requires the preposition *de* before the infinitive.
Partitive article *des*
*Des* is the plural partitive article used before a non‑specific plural noun (raccourcis, endroits).
Agreement of adjective *inconnus*
*Inconnus* agrees in gender (masc.) and number (pl.) with *endroits*.
Preposition *dans* for location
*Dans* introduces the place where the action would occur.
🗨In Conversation
Je vois un petit sentier qui semble plus rapide, je devrais le prendre ?
I see a little trail that looks faster, should I take it?
Non, évite de prendre des raccourcis dans des endroits inconnus.
No, avoid taking shortcuts in unknown places.
✕Common Mistakes
Évite prendre des raccourcis dans des endroits inconnus.
The verb *éviter* must be followed by *de* before an infinitive.
Évite de prendre un raccourci dans des endroits inconnus.
Because the sentence talks about multiple shortcuts, the noun must be plural *raccourcis*.
Évite de prendre des raccourcis dans un endroit inconnu.
Using the singular changes the nuance; the original warns about any unknown places, not a single one.
↔Alternatives
Ne prends pas de raccourcis dans des lieux inconnus.
Don’t take shortcuts in unknown places.
Il vaut mieux rester sur les chemins connus.
It’s better to stay on known paths.
Évite les raccourcis quand tu ne connais pas le terrain.
Avoid shortcuts when you don’t know the terrain.
Cultural Tip
In French, the imperative of *éviter* almost always takes *de* before an infinitive (e.g., *Évite de parler trop fort*). Also, *raccourci* can be used figuratively to mean a ‘quick fix’ or ‘shortcut’ in a process, so the phrase can appear in both literal travel contexts and metaphorical advice about work or study.