Ask for and give directions, navigate public transportation, and get around in France and Canada — from the Paris Métro to the Montréal STM.
Estimated Time: 45–55 minutes
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ă gauche | ah GOHSH | to the left |
| Ă droite | ah DRWAHT | to the right |
| tout droit | too DRWAH | straight ahead |
| en face (de) | ahn FAHSS (duh) | across from / facing |
| à côté (de) | ah koh-TAY (duh) | next to |
| entre | AHNTR | between |
| devant | duh-VAHN | in front of |
| derrière | deh-ree-AIR | behind |
| au coin (de) | oh KWAN (duh) | at the corner (of) |
| au bout (de) | oh BOO (duh) | at the end (of) |
| près (de) | PREH (duh) | near |
| loin (de) | LWAN (duh) | far (from) |
| le nord / le sud / l'est / l'ouest | north / south / east / west |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Excusez-moi, oĂą est... ? | Excuse me, where is...? |
| Comment aller Ă ... ? | How do I get to...? |
| C'est loin d'ici ? | Is it far from here? |
| C'est Ă combien de minutes Ă pied ? | How many minutes on foot? |
| Est-ce qu'il y a un(e) ... près d'ici ? | Is there a ... near here? |
| Je suis perdu(e) | I'm lost |
| Pouvez-vous me montrer sur la carte ? | Can you show me on the map? |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Allez tout droit | Go straight ahead |
| Tournez Ă gauche / Ă droite | Turn left / right |
| Prenez la première / deuxième rue | Take the first / second street |
| Continuez jusqu'au feu | Continue to the traffic light |
| Traversez la rue / le pont | Cross the street / bridge |
| C'est sur votre gauche / droite | It's on your left / right |
| C'est Ă cinq minutes Ă pied | It's five minutes on foot |
| Vous ne pouvez pas le manquer | You can't miss it |
| French | English | French | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| la gare | train station | l'hĂ´pital (m) | hospital | |
| l'aéroport (m) | airport | la banque | bank | |
| la station de métro | metro station | la poste / le bureau de poste | post office | |
| l'arrĂŞt de bus (m) | bus stop | l'Ă©glise (f) | church | |
| le musée | museum | le parc | park | |
| l'hĂ´tel (m) | hotel | la place | square / plaza | |
| le restaurant | restaurant | le pont | bridge | |
| la pharmacie | pharmacy | le carrefour | intersection |
Le métro — Paris has 16 lines, one of the world's densest metro systems
Le RER — Regional express trains connecting suburbs to Paris
Le TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) — High-speed rail, up to 320 km/h
Le bus — City and intercity buses
Le tramway (le tram) — Light rail in many cities
La SNCF — National railway company
La RATP — Paris transit authority
Le métro — Montréal's metro has 4 lines, 68 stations
La STM — Société de transport de Montréal
L'autobus — More common term than "bus" in Québec
Le train de banlieue — Commuter rail (Exo in Montréal)
VIA Rail — Canada's intercity rail service
Le traversier — Ferry (common in Québec, e.g., Lévis-Québec)
BIXI — Montréal's bike-share system
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un billet | a ticket (single) |
| un carnet (de tickets) | a book of tickets (10) |
| un abonnement / une carte | a pass / a transit card |
| un aller simple | a one-way ticket |
| un aller-retour | a round-trip ticket |
| la ligne | the line (metro/bus line) |
| le quai | the platform |
| la correspondance | transfer / connection |
| la direction | the direction (terminus name) |
| le prochain train / bus | the next train / bus |
| descendre Ă ... | to get off at... |
| monter dans... | to get on / board... |
| changer Ă ... | to change/transfer at... |
The Paris MĂ©tro is identified by line numbers AND the name of the terminus station in your direction. So to take Line 4 northbound, you'd follow signs for "Direction: Porte de Clignancourt." To transfer, follow signs for "Correspondance" + the new line number.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une voiture / un char (🇨🇦 informal) | a car |
| conduire | to drive |
| le permis de conduire | driver's license |
| l'essence (f) | gas/petrol |
| la station-service | gas station |
| se garer / stationner (🇨🇦) | to park |
| le stationnement / le parking (🇫🇷) | parking lot |
| l'autoroute (f) | highway/motorway |
| un taxi / un Uber | a taxi / an Uber |
| le péage | toll (highway) |
"Je voudrais aller Ă ..." (I'd like to go to...)
"Combien ça coûte pour aller à ...?" (How much to go to...?)
"Vous pouvez me déposer ici" (You can drop me off here)
"Gardez la monnaie" (Keep the change)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ă pied | on foot |
| à vélo / en vélo | by bike |
| la piste cyclable | bike lane/path |
| le trottoir | sidewalk |
| le passage piéton / le passage clouté | crosswalk / pedestrian crossing |
| le feu (rouge/vert) | traffic light (red/green) |
| le rond-point | roundabout |
1. How do you say "Go straight ahead" in French?
2. What does TGV stand for?
3. What is a "correspondance" in the transit context?
✦ Key directions: à gauche (left), à droite (right), tout droit (straight), en face (across).
✦ Always start with "Excusez-moi, où est...?" when asking for directions.
✦ France: Métro, RER, TGV, SNCF. Canada: Métro (STM), autobus, VIA Rail, traversier.
✦ "Correspondance" = transfer. Follow the terminus name for your metro direction.
✦ "Voiture" = car (🇫🇷), "char" = car (🇨🇦 informal). "Se garer" (🇫🇷) vs "stationner" (🇨🇦) = to park.