Vehicles

1. la voiture

   Car

   Usage

   The general word. Casually people say "la bagnole", but stick to "la voiture" with strangers. It also means a train carriage

2. le bus

   City bus

   Usage

   The city bus; the stop is "l'arrêt de bus". The formal "l'autobus" turns up on signage

3. le car

   Long-distance coach

   Usage

   French always separates the city "bus" from the intercity "car" — BlaBlaCar Bus and FlixBus are "cars". Nothing to do with the English word "car"

4. le train

   Train

   Usage

   France's operator is SNCF. The station is "la gare" and the platform "le quai". Some tickets still need stamping — "composter" — in the yellow machine before boarding

5. le TGV

   TGV (French high-speed train)

   Usage

   Short for Train à Grande Vitesse — Paris to Lyon in two hours, Marseille in three. Reservation is compulsory and early fares are far cheaper. The budget brand "Ouigo" often leaves from outlying Paris stations

6. le TER

   TER (regional train)

   Usage

   Transport express régional — the regional stopping train. No reservation needed, so it is the way into small towns. Its ticketing works differently from the TGV

7. le métro

   Metro

   Usage

   Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille and Toulouse all have one. Paris is phasing out paper tickets in favour of the Navigo Easy card and phone tickets. Directions are given by the name of the last station, so check the end of the line

8. le RER

   RER (Paris regional express)

   Usage

   Réseau express régional — metro-like inside Paris, fast rail beyond it. Line B serves Charles de Gaulle, line C Versailles, line A Disneyland. Fares are zoned, so a city ticket will not let you out at a suburban station

9. le tramway

   Tram

   Usage

   Shortened to "le tram". Revived in Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Nice and Montpellier among others, and handy for the old quarters

10. le taxi

    Taxi

    Usage

    In France you queue at "la station de taxis" rather than hail one. Paris airport runs have a legally fixed flat fare into the city

11. le VTC

    Ride-hailing car

    Usage

    The umbrella term for Uber and Bolt — "voiture de transport avec chauffeur". They hold a different licence from taxis and can only be booked through the app

12. le covoiturage

    Carpooling

    Usage

    BlaBlaCar, a French company, has made this a mainstream way to travel between cities — cheaper than the train and often door-to-door for small towns. Pick-ups are usually near a motorway junction

13. la moto

    Motorbike

    Usage

    Short for "la motocyclette" and the everyday form. A small step-through is "le scooter"

14. la trottinette électrique

    E-scooter

    Usage

    Paris voted to scrap the rental schemes in 2023. Privately owned ones are still allowed, but riding on the pavement is fined. Other French cities still have rentals

15. le vélo

    Bicycle

    Usage

    The formal word is "la bicyclette" but everyone says "le vélo". France has a national network of "véloroutes"; the Loire route, "La Loire à Vélo", is the best known

16. le Vélib'

    Vélib' (Paris bike share)

    Usage

    Paris's bike-share, a blend of "vélo" and "liberté" and a pioneer of the format since 2007. Green bikes are pedal-only, blue ones electric. A day pass in the app works fine for visitors

17. l'avion

    Plane

    Usage

    For domestic routes, Corsica and the overseas départements. France has banned some short domestic flights where the train takes under two and a half hours (with many exceptions)

18. le bateau

    Boat

    Usage

    The general word; a large seagoing vessel is "le navire"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine; the plural "les bateaux" takes an -x

19. le bateau-mouche

    Bateau-mouche (Seine tour boat)

    Usage

    The Seine sightseeing boat. Once one company's brand name, now the general term for the type. The after-sunset departures are the most popular

20. le ferry

    Ferry

    Usage

    For the Channel crossing from Calais and the run to Corsica. The formal word is "le transbordeur", but everyone uses the English one

21. la péniche

    Péniche (canal barge)

    Usage

    The flat-bottomed barge of the French canals. On the Canal de Bourgogne and the Canal du Midi many are converted into floating hotels and restaurants, and Paris has bars moored along the Seine

22. le funiculaire

    Funicular

    Usage

    The Montmartre line in Paris is the famous one, and a metro ticket is valid on it. Lyon has one up to Fourvière

23. le téléphérique

    Cable car

    Usage

    The cable-hung kind. The Aiguille du Midi line at Chamonix climbs to 3,842m in two stages. A ski chairlift is a different word, "le télésiège"

24. la camionnette

    Van

    Usage

    The boxy delivery or transfer vehicle. A full-size lorry is "le camion"

25. l'ambulance

    Ambulance

    Usage

    Say "appelez une ambulance". In France medical emergencies are 15 (SAMU), fire and rescue 18, and the EU-wide number is 112

26. la voiture de location

    Rental car

    Usage

    "Je voudrais louer une voiture". French rentals default to manual gearboxes — ask for "automatique". Motorways are tolled, so expect a "péage"

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