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Can both lieu and endroit (words for place) be used interchangeably?

  • In the scenario of deciding a venue for a party/picnic?
  • If the place has already been decided but one needs to convey it to others.
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As I see it, lieu tends to be

  • A vaster or vaguer place than endroit :

    On s'était donné rendez-vous là, à cet endroit exact (correct)

    vs

    On s'était donné rendez-vous là, dans ce lieu exact (sounds awkward)

    You'd never say for instance

    Sa chemise était trouée en plusieurs lieux (precise spot on a piece of clothing)

  • Slightly more formal, old-fashioned than endroit and/or describing an official/ceremonious place

    Avez-vous choisi le lieu ? (formal/written)

    vs

    Vous avez choisi l'endroit ? (everyday/spoken)

    Also

    Le lieu de l'enterrement (correct)

    vs

    L'endroit de l'enterrement (awkward, could sound inappropriate)

You could get away only learning the idiomatic expressions containing lieu

Lieu de rendez-vous

Lieu du drame

Lieu de mémoire

Lieu de culte

Arriver sur les lieux

etc.

and using endroit for everything else.

Sure, there are tons of these expressions in French but if it's just about deciding for a party/picnic place, you probably won't need them — just say endroit.

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    +1, this answer quite sums it up. We say "sa chemise était trouée par endroits". "Lieu" is also the usual and legal word for a house, a building, a public place ("lieu public")
    – Trajan
    Aug 23, 2013 at 15:11
  • « L'endroit de l'enterrement », comment s'avère-t-elle déplacée ?
    – user1995
    Sep 29, 2013 at 6:07
  • @LePressentiment Si on s'adresse à la famille d'un défunt par exemple. Quand des termes un peu solennels sont attendus, "endroit" me parait bizarre, en tout cas c'est mon ressenti. Et encore plus à l'écrit qu'à l'oral.
    – guillaume31
    Sep 30, 2013 at 8:02
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I would say that "lieu" is slightly more precise and "endroit" imprecise. As for many expressions that had been demonstrated above, using "lieu" implies that the person(s) we talk/write to already have a hint/knowledge of the place. ("le lieu de l'enterrement").

On the other hand, "endroit" has a more vague feeling.

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