By the end of this lesson you'll be able to say how you're travelling, buy a ticket, and find your way around a station or an airport.
Getting around
You already know le train, le bus, la voiture, le métro and la gare from the lesson on places in town and earlier lessons, as well as le billet (the ticket). Here are some more.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| l'avion | lah-VYOHN | the planeMasculine: un avion. |
| la moto | lah moh-TOH | the motorbike |
How you're travelling
To say how you're getting somewhere, use en or à, with no article.
- En for something enclosed, that you sit inside: en voiture, en train, en avion, en bus, en métro.
- À for something you ride on, or on foot: à vélo, à moto, à pied.
Je vais à Marseille en avion.
I'm going to Marseille by plane.
Elle va à l'école à pied.
She walks to school.
Nous partons à Nice en voiture.
We're leaving for Nice by car.
You can also use prendre with the article, from the lesson on common irregular verbs: prendre le train, prendre l'avion, prendre le bus.
Je prends le métro à huit heures.
I'm taking the metro at eight o'clock.
Tickets and platforms
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| un aller simple | uh-nah-lay SAN-pluh | a single ticket |
| un aller-retour | uh-nah-lay ruh-TOOR | a return ticket |
| réserver | ray-zehr-VAY | to book, to reserve |
| le quai | luh KAY | the platform |
| l'aéroport | lah-ay-roh-POR | the airportMasculine: un aéroport. |
| le vol | luh VOHL | the flight |
Times in France are often given in 24-hour style, as you learned at A1: Le train part à dix-huit heures trente (The train leaves at 6:30 p.m.).
Bags and problems
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| la valise | lah vah-LEEZ | the suitcase |
| les bagages | lay bah-GAHZH | the luggagePlural in French. |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| le retard | luh ruh-TAR | the delay |
| annulé / annulée | ah-new-LAY | cancelled (masculine / feminine) |
| la correspondance | lah koh-res-pohn-DAHNSS | the connection |
Annulé matches its noun: le vol est annulé, la correspondance est annulée.
Le train a du retard.
The train is delayed.
Ma valise est grande.
My suitcase is big.
When plans change
Delays and cancellations are part of travelling, so these are worth having ready. Le train a du retard tells you it's late, and you can learn it as a whole phrase. Le vol est annulé means it's cancelled. If you're changing trains, la correspondance is the word to listen for: you may hear it in an announcement, or see it on a ticket. When something goes wrong, you can go to the desk and use a simple question, such as Il y a un train pour Lyon ce soir ? (Is there a train to Lyon this evening?).
Useful questions
These are the phrases to have ready.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Le train part à quelle heure ? | luh tran par ah kel UHR | What time does the train leave? |
| C'est quel quai ? | seh kel KAY | Which platform is it? |
| Un aller-retour pour Lyon, s'il vous plaît. | uh-nah-lay ruh-toor poor lee-OHN, seel voo PLEH | A return to Lyon, please.Fixed phrase for now. |
| Il y a un train pour… ? | eel-yah uhn tran POOR | Is there a train to…?Fixed phrase for now. |
Pour here is part of a fixed phrase. You'll see it properly in the next lesson.
Il y a un train pour Bordeaux ce soir ?
Is there a train to Bordeaux this evening?
At the ticket office
- Bonjour. Un aller-retour pour Lyon, s'il vous plaît. (Hello. A return to Lyon, please.)
- Vous partez quand ? (When are you leaving?)
- Samedi matin. Le train part à quelle heure ? (On Saturday morning. What time does the train leave?)
- À neuf heures quinze. Ça fait quarante euros. (At 9:15. That's forty euros.)
- Merci. C'est quel quai ? (Thank you. Which platform is it?)
- Quai trois. (Platform three.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on prepositions shows how to say "in France" and "in Canada". Then the lesson on booking a hotel helps you with somewhere to stay.