Transportation Modes

Why this matters

France has one of the best public transit systems in the world — high-speed trains (TGV), extensive metro networks, and bike-share programs. Knowing how to talk about getting around isn't just practical, it's a window into how the French live and move.

🦝 Remy says: "My preferred transportation? À pied — on foot! Or occasionally à vélo when I feel sporty. But for longer distances, le train is extraordinary. Let's learn how to talk about all of it!"

Core Lesson: Les Moyens de Transport

Transportation vocabulary

| French | Pronunciation | English | |

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| | une voiture | [vwa-tewr] | car | | un bus | [bews] | bus | | un train | [tran] | train | | un avion | [ah-vyon] | airplane | | un vélo | [vay-loh] | bicycle | | une moto | [mo-toh] | motorcycle | | un taxi | [tak-see] | taxi | | un bateau | [ba-toh] | boat | | le métro | [may-troh] | subway/metro | | le tramway | [tram-way] | tram |

The big rule: EN vs. À

This is one of the most useful mini-rules in French:

| Use EN for... | Use À for... | |

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--| | en voiture (by car) | à pied (on foot) | | en bus (by bus) | à vélo (by bike) | | en train (by train) | à moto (by motorbike — less common) | | en avion (by plane) | | | en taxi (by taxi) | | | en bateau (by boat) | | | en métro (by metro) | |

🦝 Remy's memory trick: "EN goes with engines and enclosed vehicles — things with a motor or hull. À goes with your own power — feet and pedals. Think: ENgine = EN, Àthletics = À !"

Example sentences

| French | Pronunciation | English | |

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| | Je vais à l'école en bus. | [zhuh veh a lay-kol on bews] | I go to school by bus. | | Elle va au travail en voiture. | [el va oh tra-viy on vwa-tewr] | She goes to work by car. | | Nous allons à Paris en train. | [noo za-lon a pa-ree on tran] | We go to Paris by train. | | Il va à la plage à vélo. | [eel va a la plazh a vay-loh] | He goes to the beach by bike. | | Vous voyagez en avion ? | [voo vwa-ya-zhay on ah-vyon] | Do you travel by plane? | | Je rentre à pied. | [zhuh rontr a pyay] | I go home on foot. |

Asking about transport

| French | English | |

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| | Comment vas-tu à l'école ? | How do you get to school? | | Tu prends le bus ? | Do you take the bus? | | C'est rapide en train ? | Is it fast by train? | | Il vaut mieux prendre le métro. | It's better to take the metro. |

📝 Exercise 1 — Fill in the Blank

Use en or à:

1. Elle va au bureau _______ voiture.
2. Mon frère va au parc _______ vélo.
3. Nous voyageons _______ avion pour aller à New York.
4. Il rentre _______ pied parce que c'est près.
5. Vous prenez le taxi ou vous allez _______ métro ?

✅ Answers:

1. en
2. à
3. en
4. à
5. en

📝 Exercise 2 — Make a Sentence

1. I go to work by train every day.
2. She travels by plane to visit her family.
3. We go to school on foot because we live nearby.

✅ Model answers:

1. Je vais au travail en train tous les jours.
2. Elle voyage en avion pour rendre visite à sa famille.
3. Nous allons à l'école à pied parce que nous habitons près.

📝 Exercise 3 — Translate into French

1. by car
2. on foot
3. by subway
4. by boat
5. by bicycle

✅ Answers:

1. en voiture
2. à pied
3. en métro
4. en bateau
5. à vélo

🎯 Today's Challenge

Think about your typical week. List three places you go and how you get there, in French. Example: Le lundi, je vais au travail en train. Le week-end, je vais au marché à pied.

⭐ Key Takeaways

• Use en before most vehicles (voiture, bus, avion, train, métro, bateau).
• Use à for human-powered movement: à pied (on foot) and à vélo (by bike).
• Combine transport with the verb ALLER (today's vocab links perfectly to Day 39's lesson!).