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Lesson 8 of 10

Getting around in French

Left, right, the station, one ticket, where is the toilet. Play the ten French words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.

A roadside place-name sign written in both French and Breton near Oudon
Getting around
10 words · 20 seconds each · 8 of 10 to pass
What it meansHow to say it
Skimel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

All 10 French phrases in this lesson

Où sont les toilettes ?oo sohn lay twah-LET
Where is the toilet?

Always say "les toilettes," never "la salle de bain" (bathroom) in a public setting. In cafés you often need to ask for a token or code for the WC.

Comment aller à... ?ko-MAHN ta-LAY ah
How do I get to...?
À gaucheah GOHSH
To the left

The à is doing the work of "to the." Métro corridors sign the exits as "Sortie" with a street name rather than a compass direction, so gauche and droite are what you get from a passer-by, not from the walls.

À droiteah DRWAHT
To the right
Tout droittoo DRWAH
Straight ahead

Gauche, droite, and tout droit are the three core direction words. Learn them together and pair with pointing for clarity.

Iciee-SEE
Here
La garelah GAR
Train station

Paris has several major stations: Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon, Gare Montparnasse. Each serves different regions. "La gare" alone means the nearest or most relevant station in context.

Le busluh BEWS
Bus
L'aéroportla-ay-ro-POR
Airport
Un ticket, s'il vous plaîtuhn tee-KAY, seel voo PLEH
One ticket, please

The paper carnet of ten is gone; Paris sells single t+ tickets or loads them onto a Navigo Easy card, which is the cheaper way in. One ticket covers a single journey in zones 1 to 2. Validate it before boarding and keep it until you exit.

Where French is spoken

Next lesson: Time and days →