Résumé de l’épisode 2116 de Demain nous appartient

What does “dans les parages” mean in French?

“Dans les parages” is a very common French way to say “nearby” or “around here”. You use it when something or someone is close, but you do not say the exact spot. “Y a un café dans les parages ?” means “Is there a café around here?” Surprisingly, “parages” started as a sea word. Long ago it named a zone of the ocean. Today it just means the area near you, on land too.

In this episode recap, the danger is not over. The narrator asks: “Basile rôde-t-il encore dans les parages ?” — “Is Basile still around nearby?” Here “rôder” means to move around slowly, like someone watching and waiting — often in a scary way. So “rôder dans les parages” shows a person moving close by in a way that does not feel safe. You can use the two parts separately. “Dans les parages” on its own is neutral and very useful: “Je serai dans les parages cet après-midi” = “I’ll be around this afternoon.” Add “rôder” only when you want that scary, unsafe feeling. About the word: “parages” comes from an old sailing word. It first named a part of the sea, like “dangerous waters”. Over time people used it on land for “the area around a place”. That sea history is why it almost always stays plural — you say “les parages”, not “un parage”, in normal speech. One more example: “Il n’y a pas de pharmacie dans les parages.” = “There’s no pharmacy around here.”