French Vocabulary Lesson Driving a Car

Travelers to France and other French-speaking areas of the world may like to get behind the wheel of a car and drive. If you are in that group, you will need to know a few French words related to driving. By the end of this French vocabulary lesson, you will be able to identify various parts of a car, be familiar with navigation, and know how to speak about people and roads in French. It is an easy lesson and one that you will find useful while you travel. Should you decide to drive and need to rent a car, you will find more useful words in phrases in the French travel lesson. Note: Many of the words below are linked to .wav files. Simply click on the link to listen to the pronunciation. Vehicles on the Road (Và ©hicules sur la route) First of all, you need to learn the French words for the basic types of vehicles (và ©hicules) that you will encounter on the road. These are all part of transportation (le  transport). Car -  une  auto  (apocope*  of  automobile)  or  une  voiture Bicycle -  une  bicyclette  or un  và ©lo  (apocope  of  và ©locipà ¨de -  archaic) Motorbike -  une  moto  (apocope  of  motocyclette) Bus -  lautobus Truck -  un camion Taxi - un  taxi * What is an apocope? It is a word that is a shortened version of the original word. In French, the word  automobile  is often  shortened to  auto, just like it is in English. People  on the Road (Les gens sur la route) While you are driving, there are a few people that you will meet. Of course, other drivers (conducteurs) are among them. Driver -  un  conducteur  (false cognate  of conductor) Drivers license -  un permis de conduire Police Officer -  un policier Hitchhiking  -  lauto-stop  (m) To hitchhike -  faire de lauto-stop  Hitchhiker -  un auto  stoppeur Types of Roads (Types de routes) Even if you are not in a car, you will find it useful to know the French words for various types of roads.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Street (la rue) is the one that you will encounter most often as it is used in the names of many streets. For example, famous streets in Paris include Rue de Barres, Rue de lAbreuvoir, and Rue Montorgueil. Street -  la  rue Highway -  une  autoroute Traffic circle -  rond-point  (it can vary from country to country)Court - cour Toll -  un  pà ©age Toll road -  une autoroute à   pà ©age   To pay a toll -  de payer un  pà ©age Driving the Car Now that you know what, whom, and where you will be driving, it is time to learn the words for how to drive in French. To drive -  conduire  or  rouler On the way -  en route Trip -  une  excursion To go on walks / trips -  excursionner   To go / move (in reference to cars and traffic) -  circuler Navigation If your navigator is speaking in French while you are driving, then these words are absolutely essential. Without them, you might take a wrong turn (mauvais tournant). Straight ahead -  tout droit To cross -  traverser To turn - tourner To the right -  Ãƒ   droite To the left -  Ãƒ   gauche Turn signal -  le  clignotant To park -  stationner To pass -  doubler Traffic Stop lights are inevitable and, with luck, you will not be stuck in a traffic jam. Yet, it is best to be prepared and you can always practice your French if you do get stuck in traffic (circulation). Stop light -  le  feu  rouge Traffic jam -  un  embouteillage And,  hopefully, your car does not break down in traffic. If it does, you can be prepared to explain it to someone. Broken-down -  en panne   To break down -  Ãƒ ªtre/tomber en panne At the Gas Station If you choose to drive, a stop at the gas station (une  station-service) is inevitable. It is important to know which type of gas your car needs. Gas / petrol -  de lessence  (f) Regular gas -  essence ordinaire Premium gas - essence  du  super Diesel -  le gasoil, gazole To fill it up -  faire le plein Parts of a Car Finally, we will wrap up our French driving lesson with a quick look at a few parts of the car. Gas pedal -  un  accà ©là ©rateur Accelerator -  un  champignon  (informal)Steering wheel - le  volant Stick shift -  la boà ®te manuelle Windshield -  un  pare-brise Windshield wipers -  les  essuie-glaces Headlights - les  phares High beams -  les  feux  de  route Brakes - les  freins Brake lights -  le  feux  de  stop