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If you sit inside it, it is
en; if you sit on it,à— and the ticket isle billetfor a train butle ticketfor the metro.
Nouns
Vehicles
| French | Pronunciation | English | Preposition |
|---|---|---|---|
la voiture | /vwa.tyʁ/ | car | en voiture |
le bus | /bys/ | bus | en bus |
le métro | /me.tʁo/ | underground | en métro |
le tramway le tram | /tʁa.mwɛ/ · /tʁam/ | tram | en tram |
le train | /tʁɛ̃/ | train | en train |
le TGV | /te ʒe ve/ | high-speed train | en TGV |
l'avion (m.) | /a.vjɔ̃/ | plane | en avion |
le bateau | /ba.to/ | boat | en bateau |
le taxi | /tak.si/ | taxi | en taxi |
le vélo | /ve.lo/ | bicycle | à vélo |
la moto | /mɔ.to/ | motorbike | à moto |
le scooter | /sku.tœʁ/ | scooter | à scooter |
le camion | /ka.mjɔ̃/ | lorry | en camion |
| — | /a pje/ | on foot | à pied |
Stations and tickets
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
la gare | /ɡaʁ/ | railway station |
la station | /sta.sjɔ̃/ | metro station |
l'arrêt (m.) | /a.ʁɛ/ | bus stop |
le quai | /ke/ | platform |
la voie | /vwa/ | track |
le billet | /bi.jɛ/ | ticket (train, plane) |
le ticket | /ti.kɛ/ | ticket (metro, bus) |
le carnet | /kaʁ.nɛ/ | book of ten tickets |
l'abonnement (m.) | /a.bɔn.mɑ̃/ | travel pass |
le guichet | /ɡi.ʃɛ/ | ticket window |
le distributeur | /dis.tʁi.by.tœʁ/ | ticket machine |
le contrôleur | /kɔ̃.tʁo.lœʁ/ | inspector |
l'horaire (m.) | /ɔ.ʁɛʁ/ | timetable |
le départ | /de.paʁ/ | departure |
l'arrivée (f.) | /a.ʁi.ve/ | arrival |
la correspondance | /kɔ.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.dɑ̃s/ | connection, change |
le retard | /ʁə.taʁ/ | delay |
la grève | /ɡʁɛv/ | strike |
l'aller simple (m.) | /a.le sɛ̃pl/ | single |
l'aller-retour (m.) | /a.le ʁə.tuʁ/ | return |
la place | /plas/ | seat |
l'embouteillage (m.) | /ɑ̃.bu.tɛ.jaʒ/ | traffic jam |
l'essence (f.) | /e.sɑ̃s/ | petrol |
le permis de conduire | /pɛʁ.mi də kɔ̃.dɥiʁ/ | driving licence |
English uses one word where French uses two, twice on this page.
"Station" covers everything in English. French has three:
la gareis a railway station,la stationis a metro station (andla station-servicea petrol station),l'arrêtis a bus stop. Asking forla garewhen you want the metro sends you to the wrong building."Ticket" likewise.
le billetis a train or plane ticket — it also means a banknote.le ticketis the small one: metro, bus, car park, till receipt. The rule of thumb is size and distance: long journey and a named seat →billet; short hop and a scrap of card →ticket.
Verbs
| Verb | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
prendre | /pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | to take (a means of transport) |
conduire | /kɔ̃.dɥiʁ/ | to drive |
monter dans | /mɔ̃.te/ | to get on / in |
descendre de | /dɛ.sɑ̃dʁ də/ | to get off / out of |
changer à | /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/ | to change at |
rater manquer | /ʁa.te/ · /mɑ̃.ke/ | to miss |
arriver | /a.ʁi.ve/ | to arrive |
partir | /paʁ.tiʁ/ | to depart |
réserver | /ʁe.zɛʁ.ve/ | to book |
composter | /kɔ̃.pɔs.te/ | to validate a ticket |
se garer | /sə ɡa.ʁe/ | to park |
rouler | /ʁu.le/ | to be moving (of a vehicle) |
Adjectives
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
direct /di.ʁɛkt/ | directe /di.ʁɛkt/ | direct |
rapide /ʁa.pid/ | rapide /ʁa.pid/ | fast |
lent /lɑ̃/ | lente /lɑ̃t/ | slow |
à l'heure /a lœʁ/ | — | on time |
en retard /ɑ̃ ʁə.taʁ/ | — | late |
annulé /a.ny.le/ | annulée /a.ny.le/ | cancelled |
complet /kɔ̃.plɛ/ | complète /kɔ̃.plɛt/ | full |
gratuit /ɡʁa.tɥi/ | gratuite /ɡʁa.tɥit/ | free |
Set phrases
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Je prends le métro. | /ʒə pʁɑ̃ lə me.tʁo/ | I take the metro |
Un aller-retour pour Lyon, s'il vous plaît. | /œ̃n a.le.ʁə.tuʁ puʁ ljɔ̃ sil vu plɛ/ | a return to Lyon, please |
Le train part à quelle heure ? | /lə tʁɛ̃ paʁ a kɛl œʁ/ | what time does the train leave? |
Il y a une correspondance ? | /i.lja yn ko.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.dɑ̃s/ | is there a change? |
Le train a du retard. | /lə tʁɛ̃ a dy ʁə.taʁ/ | the train is delayed |
Vous descendez ? | /vu dɛ.sɑ̃.de/ | are you getting off? |
C'est quel quai ? | /sɛ kɛl ke/ | which platform? |
Il y a des embouteillages. | /i.lja dez ɑ̃.bu.tɛ.jaʒ/ | the traffic is bad |
Je suis en retard. | /ʒə sɥi.z‿ɑ̃ ʁə.taʁ/ | I'm late |
à pied | /a pje/ | on foot |
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
en for inside, à for on top | en voiture but à vélo. And à pied, because you travel on your own body. |
billet and ticket are not interchangeable | billet for trains and planes; ticket for the metro and the bus. |
prendre, never "go by" | Je prends le bus, not Je vais par bus |
la station is the metro, l'arrêt the bus | And la gare is trains only. |
monter dans and descendre de | The two verbs take different prepositions. |
rater le train means to miss it | So does manquer. |
composter your ticket | Still required at some stations — skip it and you are fined. |
en and à — why the split
a physical rule, and what you actually hear
The rule is entirely logical:
| Relationship | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| you sit inside it | en /ɑ̃/ | en voiture /ɑ̃ vwa.tyʁ/ en train /ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃/ en avion /ɑ̃.n‿a.vjɔ̃/ |
| you sit on it | à /a/ | à vélo /a ve.lo/ à moto /a mo.to/ à cheval /a ʃə.val/ |
| you use your own body | à /a/ | à pied /a pje/ |
New vehicles follow the same rule: à trottinette for an electric scooter, because you stand on it.
But in everyday speech en is taking over from à: you will hear en vélo, en moto, en trottinette constantly. Write à vélo in an exam or anything formal — but if you hear en vélo, you have not misheard.
Two finer points:
1. No article.
❌
en la voiture✅en voiture❌à le vélo✅à vélo
2. Put an article back in and the meaning shifts from means to place.
| Meaning | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
Je voyage en train. | I travel by train — means | /ʒə vwa.jaʒ ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃/ |
Je suis dans le train. | I'm on the train — place | /ʒə sɥi dɑ̃ lə tʁɛ̃/ |
English gives you a real foothold here. "By train", "by car", "by bus" also drop the article — "by the train" is wrong in English too, for the same reason. So en train and "by train" behave identically.
The one place it breaks: English says "on the bus", "on the train", "in the car" when it means inside the vehicle right now — and there French switches to dans le bus, dans le train, dans la voiture. en is never about where you are, only how you get there.