I can buy a one-way or round-trip ticket, ask for the departure time and the platform, understand that the train is late and where to change, validate my ticket, and ask the way to the station or the stop.
At the train station: ticket, platform, directions
At the train station: ticket, platform, directions
At the station: three steps — buy a ticket, find the platform, get there. With the ticket agent, vous.
The ticket. You buy it au guichet: “Un aller simple pour Lyon” is one-way, “Un aller-retour pour Lyon” is round-trip.
Before boarding. In France a paper ticket often has to be stamped in a yellow machine on the platform: this is composter le billet. On the train, le contrôleur checks tickets.
Platform and time. A set phrase: “À quelle heure part le train ?” Here the verb comes before the subject; learn it whole for now. Departure is le départ, arrival is l'arrivée, the platform is le quai numéro trois.
Delays and changes. A delay is avoir du retard, with the partitive du from Module 7. With a number the article drops: “Le train a vingt minutes de retard.” A change of trains is une correspondance plus the city.
Directions. You can ask: “Pardon, pour aller à la gare, s'il vous plaît ?” The answer is an imperative: “Tournez à gauche.” You wait for the bus à l'arrêt and find the subway sur le plan.
Letters: ill in billet — [j]; ch in guichet — [ʃ]; qu in quai — [k], never “kw”; ai in quai — [ɛ]; ui in huit — [ɥi].
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Le train a retard” → “Le train a du retard”.
• NOT “Je vais à le guichet” → “Je vais au guichet”.
• NOT “de quai trois” → “du quai numéro trois”.
• NOT “un correspondance” → “une correspondance”.
At the ticket window: you speak — the ticket agent answers
Four questions cover buying a ticket from start to finish.
| You | Ticket agent | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Un billet pour Lyon. | Aller simple ? | A ticket to Lyon. — One-way? |
| À quelle heure part le train ? | À midi. | What time does the train leave? — At noon. |
| Deux billets, s'il vous plaît. | Pour quelle ville ? | Two tickets, please. — To which city? |
| Le train pour Nice, c'est ici ? | Oui, quai deux. | Is this the train to Nice? — Yes, track two. |
How to read the timetable
On the board, times are written in 24-hour format and read aloud the same way.
| On the board | What it is |
|---|---|
| départ 18 h 30 | departure at eighteen thirty |
| arrivée 21 h 10 | arrival at twenty-one ten |
| quai 5 | track number five |
Lesson notes
At the train station: ticket, platform, directions
At the station: three steps — buy a ticket, find the platform, get there. With the ticket agent, vous.
The ticket. You buy it au guichet: “Un aller simple pour Lyon” is one-way, “Un aller-retour pour Lyon” is round-trip.
Before boarding. In France a paper ticket often has to be stamped in a yellow machine on the platform: this is composter le billet. On the train, le contrôleur checks tickets.
Platform and time. A set phrase: “À quelle heure part le train ?” Here the verb comes before the subject; learn it whole for now. Departure is le départ, arrival is l'arrivée, the platform is le quai numéro trois.
Delays and changes. A delay is avoir du retard, with the partitive du from Module 7. With a number the article drops: “Le train a vingt minutes de retard.” A change of trains is une correspondance plus the city.
Directions. You can ask: “Pardon, pour aller à la gare, s'il vous plaît ?” The answer is an imperative: “Tournez à gauche.” You wait for the bus à l'arrêt and find the subway sur le plan.
Letters: ill in billet — [j]; ch in guichet — [ʃ]; qu in quai — [k], never “kw”; ai in quai — [ɛ]; ui in huit — [ɥi].
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Le train a retard” → “Le train a du retard”.
• NOT “Je vais à le guichet” → “Je vais au guichet”.
• NOT “de quai trois” → “du quai numéro trois”.
• NOT “un correspondance” → “une correspondance”.