×

French Transport Vocabulary: 106 Words and Phrases

french-transport-vocabulary

Planning on traveling within a French-speaking country? Whether you’re about to travel and need to learn particular words or phrases before you go, or you just want to brush up on the language, French transportation vocabulary is essential.

In this post, you’ll find 106 French transport words and phrases, plus some ways you can practice this vocabulary.

The Essentials for All Types of Travel in French

Whether you’re on your morning metro commute or taking a taxi to meet a friend for dinner, there are just certain words that you’ll almost always need to know.

FrenchEnglish
Un moyen de transport / Les transports Transportation
VoyagerTo travel
AllerTo go
VenirTo come
PrendreTo take

Directions

FrenchEnglish
Les directionsThe directions
Où est... s'il vous plaît ?Where is... please?
Au nordTo the north
Au sudTo the south
À l'estTo the east
À l'ouestTo the west
Tournez à droite.Turn right.
Tournez à gauche.Turn left.
Tout droitStraight ahead
Loin deFar from
Près deClose to
À côté deNext to
DevantIn front of
DerrièreBehind
Au coin deAt the corner of
Au centreAt the center
Là-basOver there

Getting Your Ticket

FrenchEnglish
Un billet/un ticket*A ticket
Un billet simpleA one-way ticket
Un billet aller-retourA return ticket
Quel est le prix d'un billet ?What is the price of a ticket?
Le guichetThe ticket booth

*In French, you use un ticket for bus and metro tickets and un billet for train and plane tickets.

Travel Time

FrenchEnglish
En avanceEarly
À l'heureOn time
En retardLate/delayed
SuppriméCanceled

Getting Around the Metro

In this section, there are both general metro words you’ll need to know and some terms that are specific to the metro system in France.

FrenchEnglish
Le métroThe metro
Une carte de métroA metro map
En serviceIn service
En raison de travaux de maintenance, le trafic est interrompu.Traffic is interrupted because of maintenance work.
Bus de remplacementReplacement bus
Une perturbation est actuellement en cours.A disruption is underway.
L'écranA screen (for information about the metro)
Un carnetA pack of 10 metro tickets
Les places prioritairesReserved seats
Le contrôle des ticketsTicket verification
Comment aller à la station ... , s'il vous plaît ?How do I get to ... station, please?
Passage interdit.Do not enter.
La correspondanceThe connection
La sortieThe exit

Travel by Car

Here are the essential French words you need to know about traveling by car.

FrenchEnglish
La voitureThe car
La rueThe street
Une rue à sens uniqueA one-way street
ConduireTo drive
Le conducteur/la conductriceThe driver (masculine/feminine)
Un passager/une passagèreA passenger (masculine/feminine)
Le trafic / La circulation The traffic
Un feu tricoloreA stop light
Un feu rougeA red light
Un panneau stopA stop sign
La limite de vitesseThe speed limit
Une voiture de locationA rental car
Les freinsThe brakes
Le moteurThe engine
Le volantThe steering wheel
La ceinture de sécuritéThe seatbelt
Les pneusThe tires
Un permis de conduireA driver's license
Un taxiA taxi
Le chauffeur de taxiThe taxi driver

Bus Transport

Buses are a big part of everyday life in France. Chances are you’ll use them a lot if you’re going abroad.

FrenchEnglish
Le busThe bus
Le chauffeur de busThe bus driver
Le siègeThe seat
Un arrêtA bus stop
Valider votre billetTo validate your ticket
Le prochain arrêtThe next stop
Un noctilienParis-specific night bus
CompletFull (no room for additional passengers)
Le terminusThe last stop
Un itinéraireA route
L'horaireThe timetable

Travel by Boat

Though you may think you’ll never travel by boat, chances are you’ll take a cruise on the Seine River if you’re ever in Paris. If so, it’ll help to know the following vocabulary.

FrenchEnglish
Le bateauBoat
Un bateau touristiqueA sight-seeing boat
La rivièreThe river
Un dîner-croisièreA dinner cruise
À l'intérieurInside
Sur le pontOn deck
Le quaiThe dock

Air Travel

Here are the most important words and phrases you need to know when traveling by airplane.

FrenchEnglish
L'avionThe airplane
L'aéroportThe airport
Le piloteThe pilot
Le décollageTake-off
L'atterrissageLanding
Le retrait des bagagesThe baggage claim
L'enregistrementThe check-in counter
Le terminalThe terminal
La porte*The gate
Le steward / l'hôtesseThe steward/stewardess
VolerTo fly
L'embarquementBoarding

*The French use the same word for “door” to denote an airport gate.

Train Travel

Here are some basic train words and phrases.

FrenchEnglish
Le trainThe train
La gareThe station
Le quai*The platform
La voieThe tracks
En première classeIn first class
En seconde classeIn second class

*Note that this is the same word to denote a dock in the “Travel by Boat” section.

Two-wheel Travel

Renting a bike is a very popular way to get around in French cities. You’ll see bike shares nearly everywhere you go.

FrenchEnglish
Un véloA bike
Faire du véloTo ride a bike
Une location de véloA bike rental
Une mobyletteA moped
Une motoA motorcycle

How to Practice French Transport Vocabulary

For many language learners, rote memorization is like traveling in circles. Here are some fun ways to fast-track your memorization of French transport vocabulary.

You can now turn any YouTube video into a language learning lesson with the help of FluentU.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

FluentU Ad

 

Now that you know the French transportation basics, you’re ready to venture out and have some fun!

And One More Thing...

If you like learning French at your own pace and from the comfort of your device, I have to tell you about FluentU.

FluentU makes it easier (and way more fun) to learn French by making real content like movies and series accessible to learners. You can check out FluentU's curated video library, or bring our learning tools directly to Netflix or YouTube with the FluentU Chrome extension.

learn-french-with-videos

One of the features I find most helpful is the interactive captions—you can tap on any word to see its meaning, an image, pronunciation, and other examples from different contexts. It’s a great way to pick up French vocab without having to pause and look things up separately.

learn-french-with-movies

FluentU also helps reinforce what you’ve learned with personalized quizzes. You can swipe through extra examples and complete engaging exercises that adapt to your progress. You'll get extra practice with the words you find more challenging and even be reminded you when it’s time to review!

practice-french-with-adaptive-quizzes

You can use FluentU on your computer, tablet, or phone with our app for Apple or Android devices. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Enter your e-mail address to get your free PDF!

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

Close