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Promenade, balade or randonnée: choose your French outing

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Plan a stroll, a casual bike ride or a hike in French. Explore an illustrated riverside, compare the outing words and check balade versus ballade.

In short

Une promenade is a walk or leisurely outing; une balade is a casual everyday word for a walk or excursion. Une randonnée usually suggests a hike along a route. Add the place, duration and transport to make the plan clear.

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Friends stroll along a gentle French riverside path while cyclists pass in the distance.
Une balade can be a relaxed outing by the river. Illustration: Atelier

Three outings

une promenadef.a walk, a leisurely outingNous faisons une promenade dans le parc après le déjeuner.
une baladef.a casual walk or outingOn fait une balade au bord de la rivière ?
une randonnéef.a hikeNous préparons une randonnée de quatre heures en forêt.

People and actions

se promenerto go for a walk, strollJ’aime me promener près de l’eau.
randonnerto hikeIls aiment randonner en montagne.
un randonneurm.a male hikerUn randonneur regarde sa carte.
une randonneusef.a female hikerLa randonneuse suit le sentier.

Explore a riverside outing

A broad riverside park seen from slightly above: a curving river, a flat walking path beside it, a wooden bench, a small footbridge, a bicycle leaning near the
What kind of plan?
French invitationEnglish
On fait une petite promenade dans le parc ?Shall we go for a little walk in the park?
Ça te dit, une balade à vélo dimanche ?Fancy a bike ride on Sunday?
On prépare une randonnée de quatre heures ?Shall we plan a four-hour hike?
Tu préfères une promenade en bateau ?Would you prefer a boat trip?

Promenade and balade can describe the same walk; balade sounds more conversational. A randonnée suggests a more sustained outing, but the noun gives you neither an exact distance nor a fixed duration. Here “four hours” comes from the sentence.

Is it balade or ballade?

Après notre balade, nous écoutons une ballade au piano.

After our walk, we listen to a piano ballad.

Balade with one l is the outing. Ballade with two is a poem or musical piece. You can se balader in a park and listen to une ballade afterwards.

Question 1No account needed
Which is the outing word?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

une balade. The walk or informal outing is une balade, with one l.

Question 2No account needed
How do the people travel in une balade à vélo?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

By bicycle.. À vélo specifies a bicycle outing.

Question 3No account needed
Which phrase gives a duration as well as an activity?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

une randonnée de quatre heures. De quatre heures gives the duration explicitly.

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