Getting Around
French Basic Conversation 1
Chapter 12 · Getting Around: Trains, Buses & Tickets
🚆 Getting Around — Se déplacer
Buy a train ticket, find your platform, ask about delays, take a bus or the metro, and say how you travel. You'll use je voudrais (Chapter 8), the 24-hour clock (Chapter 7), commands (Chapter 10) and plenty of numbers. A small but important grammar point: French says en train but à pied.
① Buying a Ticket — Un aller-retour pour Lyon
A:
Bonjour, je voudrais un billet pour Lyon, s'il vous plaît.
bõ-ZHOOR, zhuh voo-DRAY ẽ bee-YAY poor lee-Õ, seel voo PLAY
Hello, I'd like a ticket to Lyon, please.
B:
Aller simple ou aller-retour ?
ah-lay SẼ-pluh oo ah-lay-ruh-TOOR
Single or return?
A:
Aller-retour, en deuxième classe. Pour demain matin.
ah-lay-ruh-TOOR, ã duh-ZYEM KLAS. poor duh-MẼ mah-TẼ
Return, second class. For tomorrow morning.
B:
Il y a un train à neuf heures vingt.
eel-ee-AH ẽ TRẼ ah nuh-VUR VẼ
There's a train at nine twenty.
A:
Parfait. C'est combien ?
par-FAY. say kõ-BYẼ
Perfect. How much is it?
B:
Quatre-vingt-quatre euros.
kah-truh-vẽ-KAH-truh uh-ROH
Eighty-four euros.
② Which Platform? — De quelle voie ?
A:
Excusez-moi, de quelle voie part le train pour Lyon ?
ek-skü-zay-MWAH, duh kel VWAH par luh TRẼ poor lee-Õ
Excuse me, which platform does the Lyon train leave from?
B:
Voie quatre.
VWAH KAH-truh
Platform four.
A:
Il part à quelle heure ?
eel PAR ah kel UR
What time does it leave?
B:
À neuf heures vingt. Il est déjà là.
ah nuh-VUR VẼ. eel-ay day-zhah LAH
At nine twenty. It's already here.
③ A Delay — Le train a du retard
A:
Pardon, le train pour Paris est en retard ?
par-DÕ, luh TRẼ poor pah-REE ay-tã ruh-TAR
Excuse me, is the Paris train late?
B:
Oui, il a vingt minutes de retard.
WEE, eel-ah vẽ mee-NÜT duh ruh-TAR
Yes, it's twenty minutes late.
A:
Il arrive à quelle heure ?
eel ah-REEV ah kel UR
What time does it arrive?
B:
À quatorze heures quarante. Je suis désolé.
ah kah-tor-ZUR kah-RÃT. zhuh swee day-zoh-LAY
At 14:40. I'm sorry.
④ The Bus — Le bus numéro douze
A:
Pardon, le bus numéro douze va à la gare ?
par-DÕ, luh BÜS nü-may-ROH DOOZ vah ah lah GAR
Excuse me, does the number twelve bus go to the station?
B:
Oui. Il y a un bus toutes les dix minutes.
WEE. eel-ee-AH ẽ BÜS toot lay dee mee-NÜT
Yes. There's a bus every ten minutes.
A:
Je prends le ticket où ?
zhuh PRÃ luh tee-KAY OO
Where do I get the ticket?
B:
Vous achetez le ticket dans le bus. C'est deux euros.
voo-zahsh-TAY luh tee-KAY dã luh BÜS. say duh-zuh-ROH
You buy the ticket on the bus. It's two euros.
⑤ The Metro — Ligne quatre, direction…
A:
Pour aller à la gare du Nord, s'il vous plaît ?
poor ah-LAY ah lah GAR dü NOR, seel voo PLAY
How do I get to the Gare du Nord, please?
B:
Prenez la ligne quatre, direction Porte de Clignancourt.
pruh-NAY lah LEEN-yuh KAH-truh, dee-rek-SYÕ PORT duh kleen-yãn-KOOR
Take line four, in the direction of Porte de Clignancourt.
A:
C'est direct ?
say dee-REKT
Is it direct?
B:
Oui, c'est direct. Descendez à Gare du Nord.
WEE, say dee-REKT. day-sã-DAY ah GAR dü NOR
Yes, it's direct. Get off at Gare du Nord.
⑥ Meeting a Friend — Tu arrives à quelle heure ?
A:
Tu arrives à quelle heure demain ?
tü ah-REEV ah kel UR duh-MẼ
What time do you arrive tomorrow?
B:
Mon train arrive à dix-huit heures dix.
mõ TRẼ ah-REEV ah dee-zwee-TUR DEES
My train arrives at 18:10.
A:
Super ! Je viens te chercher à la gare.
sü-PAIR! zhuh VYẼ tuh sher-SHAY ah lah GAR
Great! I'll come and pick you up at the station.
B:
Merci ! À demain !
mair-SEE! ah duh-MẼ
Thanks! See you tomorrow!
🗝️ Key Phrases at a Glance — Phrases clés
| Situation | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a ticket | Un billet pour Lyon, s'il vous plaît. | A ticket to Lyon, please. |
| Type of ticket | Un aller simple / un aller-retour, en deuxième classe. | A single / a return, second class. |
| Next train | Le prochain train pour Paris part à quelle heure ? | When does the next train to Paris leave? |
| Platform | De quelle voie part le train ? | Which platform does the train leave from? |
| Delay | Le train a vingt minutes de retard. | The train is twenty minutes late. |
| Direct? | C'est direct ? / On change où ? | Is it direct? / Where do we change? |
| Getting off | Descendez à … / Je descends à … | Get off at … / I'm getting off at … |
🚌 Ways to Travel — Les moyens de transport
| French | Say it | English | "by …" |
|---|---|---|---|
| le train | luh TRẼ | train | en train |
| le bus | luh BÜS | bus | en bus |
| le car | luh KAR | coach (long-distance) | en car |
| le tramway | luh trah-MWAY | tram | en tramway |
| le métro | luh may-TROH | metro, underground | en métro |
| le taxi | luh tak-SEE | taxi | en taxi |
| la voiture | lah vwah-TÜR | car | en voiture |
| l'avion (m.) | lah-vyõ | plane | en avion |
| le vélo | luh vay-LOH | bicycle | à vélo |
| (on foot) | ah PYAY | on foot | à pied |
"En" for Vehicles You Sit In, "À" for Bike and Foot
For most transport you say en (en train, en bus, en voiture, en avion), but for things you ride or walk on, you say à: à vélo, à pied. So: Je vais au travail en train. Il va à l'école à pied. Elle va à la gare à vélo. For public transport you can also use le: Je prends le train / le bus ("I take the train").
🎫 Tickets and Timetables — Billets et horaires
| French | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| un billet | ẽ bee-YAY | a ticket (train, plane) |
| un aller simple | ẽ-nah-lay SẼ-pluh | a single (one-way) ticket |
| un aller-retour | ẽ-nah-lay-ruh-TOOR | a return ticket |
| première / deuxième classe | pruh-MYAIR / duh-ZYEM KLAS | first / second class |
| la voie / le quai | lah VWAH / luh KAY | track number / platform |
| l'horaire (m.) | loh-RAIR | timetable, schedule |
| le prochain / le dernier train | luh pro-SHẼ / luh dair-NYAY TRẼ | the next / the last train |
| à l'heure / en retard / annulé | ah LUR / ã ruh-TAR / ah-nü-LAY | on time / late / cancelled |
Timetables Use the 24-Hour Clock
Station announcements and timetables use the 24-hour clock from Chapter 7: quatorze heures quarante (14:40), dix-huit heures dix (18:10). For regular services, French uses toutes les + number + minutes ("every … minutes"): toutes les dix minutes. And le prochain train is the next one, le dernier train the last, so Le dernier bus part à minuit is a useful sentence to know.
🔧 Three Verbs You Just Used — Trois verbes
Arriver ("to arrive") and changer ("to change") are regular -er verbs (changer keeps its soft g with nous changeons). Descendre ("to get off, to go down") belongs to the third regular group, the -re verbs: the endings are -s, -s, —, -ons, -ez, -ent, and the d is pronounced in the plural only.
| Who | arriver (to arrive) | Say it | changer (to change) | Say it | descendre (to get off) | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | j'arrive | zhah-REEV | je change | zhuh SHÃZH | je descends | zhuh day-SÃ |
| tu | tu arrives | tü ah-REEV | tu changes | tü SHÃZH | tu descends | tü day-SÃ |
| il / elle / on | il arrive | eel ah-REEV | il change | eel SHÃZH | il descend | eel day-SÃ |
| nous | nous arrivons | noo-zah-ree-VÕ | nous changeons | noo shã-ZHÕ | nous descendons | noo day-sã-DÕ |
| vous | vous arrivez | voo-zah-ree-VAY | vous changez | voo shã-ZHAY | vous descendez | voo day-sã-DAY |
| ils / elles | ils arrivent | eel-zah-REEV | ils changent | eel SHÃZH | ils descendent | eel day-SÃD |
Three Verb Families — A Summary
You have now met all three regular verb groups in French: -er verbs (parler, habiter, aimer, arriver), -ir verbs (finir, with -iss- in the plural), and -re verbs (descendre, prendre). Alongside them sit the irregular verbs you've used all course: être, avoir, aller, faire, venir, vouloir, boire, partir. Practise the present tense of each and you can say most everyday things.
📖 Vocabulary — Vocabulaire
20 key words and phrases from this chapter. Nouns are listed with their article.
| # | French | Say it | English | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | le train | TRẼ | train | noun, m. | en train |
| 2 | le billet | bee-YAY | ticket | noun, m. | for train and plane; "ticket" for bus/metro |
| 3 | l'aller simple | ah-lay SẼ-pluh | single ticket | noun, m. | "one-way go" |
| 4 | l'aller-retour | ah-lay-ruh-TOOR | return ticket | noun, m. | "go-and-back" |
| 5 | la classe | KLAS | class | noun, f. | en deuxième classe |
| 6 | la voie | VWAH | track, platform number | noun, f. | voie quatre |
| 7 | le quai | KAY | platform, quay | noun, m. | sur le quai |
| 8 | l'horaire | oh-RAIR | timetable | noun, m. | les horaires = opening / running times |
| 9 | le retard | ruh-TAR | delay | noun, m. | vingt minutes de retard |
| 10 | la ligne | LEEN-yuh | line (metro, bus) | noun, f. | la ligne quatre |
| 11 | la direction | dee-rek-SYÕ | direction; management | noun, f. | direction + end station |
| 12 | le taxi | tak-SEE | taxi | noun, m. | en taxi |
| 13 | prochain | pro-SHẼ | next | adj | le prochain train |
| 14 | dernier | dair-NYAY | last | adj | le dernier bus |
| 15 | direct | dee-REKT | direct, non-stop | adj | un train direct |
| 16 | annulé | ah-nü-LAY | cancelled | adj | annulée in the f. |
| 17 | arriver | ah-ree-VAY | to arrive | verb | regular -er |
| 18 | changer | shã-ZHAY | to change | verb | nous changeons |
| 19 | descendre | day-SÃ-druh | to get off; to go down | verb | first -re verb: je descends |
| 20 | à l'heure / en retard | ah LUR / ã ruh-TAR | on time / late | phrase | Le train est à l'heure. |
Real French Tip — Validate Your Ticket, Check for Strikes
On French trains, some paper tickets (especially for regional trains) have to be validated before you board, using a small machine on the platform. This is called composter ("kõ-pos-TAY"). Tickets bought online or on an app with a barcode usually don't need it, so read the instructions printed on your ticket, because travelling without a validated ticket can mean a fine. Platform numbers (la voie) at big stations are often announced only shortly before the train leaves, so keep an eye on the departure board (le tableau des départs). Occasionally there's a grève ("GREV", strike) on the railways or metro. It's a fact of life that locals take in their stride, so check the news before an important journey.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Exercices
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Ask for a return ticket to Lyon, second class.
Show answer
Je voudrais un aller-retour pour Lyon, en deuxième classe, s'il vous plaît.
2. Ask what time the next train to Paris leaves, and from which platform.
Show answer
Le prochain train pour Paris part à quelle heure ? Il part de quelle voie ?
3. Say "The train is twenty minutes late."
Show answer
Le train a vingt minutes de retard. (Or: Le train est en retard.)
4. Choose en or à: Je vais au travail ___ train · ___ pied · ___ vélo · ___ bus.
Show answer
en train · à pied · à vélo · en bus.
5. Say "I arrive at 18:10" using the 24-hour clock.
Show answer
J'arrive à dix-huit heures dix.
6. Tell a stranger to get off at Gare du Nord.
Show answer
Descendez à Gare du Nord. (Vous command, from Chapter 10.)
🎉 Course Complete — Ce que vous savez maintenant
You've finished French Basic Conversation 1. Here's what you can now do:
| Chapter | You can now… |
|---|---|
| 1 · Greetings & Goodbyes | Say hello and goodbye, ask how someone is, use tu and vous, and read the sounds of French. |
| 2 · Introducing Yourself | Say your name, say "nice to meet you", introduce others, spell a name aloud. |
| 3 · Numbers, Age & Contact Details | Count to 100, say your age with avoir, give a phone number and email address. |
| 4 · Where You're From | Say where you're from and live (en / au / aux), and name nationalities and languages. |
| 5 · Talking About Your Family | Name family members, use mon / ma / mes, and say what you have. |
| 6 · Talking About Your Job | Say and ask what you do, where you work, and use feminine job titles. |
| 7 · Days, Dates & Telling the Time | Give days, dates and birthdays; tell the time, including the 24-hour clock. |
| 8 · Ordering at a Café | Order politely with je voudrais, use du / de la / des, and ask for the bill. |
| 9 · Shopping & Prices | Ask prices, say euros, describe colours and sizes, and pay. |
| 10 · Asking for Directions | Ask where things are, follow simple directions, say you're lost. |
| 11 · Booking a Hotel | Book a room, check in and out, and report a problem. |
| 12 · Getting Around | Buy tickets, find platforms, use buses and the metro, and understand delays. |
In total that's around 240 vocabulary items, a bank of everyday verbs (être, avoir, aller, venir, faire, vouloir, prendre, boire, partir, parler, habiter, travailler, arriver and more), and the confidence to hold short real conversations. Well done: Bravo ! ("brah-VOH").
What Comes Next — Basic Conversation 2
The natural next step is French Basic Conversation 2, which builds on these situations with new ones: your daily routine, hobbies and free time, making plans and invitations, and describing people and things. Many things you've copied as ready-made phrases (au / du, du / de la, je voudrais, il y a) will be explained properly later. Keep practising out loud, and revisit the vocabulary tables: bonne continuation ! ("good luck with what comes next!").