Using Buses & the Metro
Essential phrases for navigating public transportation, buying tickets, and making sure you are heading the right way.
Key Phrases
Bonjour, je voudrais un carnet de dix tickets, s'il vous plaît.
neutralHello, I'd like a book of ten tickets, please.
A 'carnet' is a very common way to buy cheaper bulk tickets.
Est-ce qu'il est possible d'acheter un ticket directement au chauffeur ?
politeIs it possible to buy a ticket directly from the driver?
Useful when boarding a bus without a pre-purchased pass.
Il faut valider son ticket à chaque correspondance ?
neutralDo you have to validate your ticket at every transfer?
Rules change by city, so it's always smart to ask.
Oublie pas de valider ton pass, sinon tu risques une amende.
casualDon't forget to validate your pass, otherwise you risk a fine.
Spoken French drops the 'ne' in negative commands.
Quelle ligne est-ce que je dois prendre pour aller au musée ?
neutralWhich line should I take to go to the museum?
C'est bien la bonne ligne pour aller dans le centre-ville ?
casualIs this the right line to go downtown?
'C'est bien' is frequently used to ask for confirmation.
Est-ce que ce bus va bien en direction de la gare ?
neutralDoes this bus actually go towards the train station?
Pardon, le métro va dans le bon sens pour Châtelet ?
casualExcuse me, is the metro going in the right direction for Châtelet?
Pourriez-vous me dire combien d'arrêts il y a jusqu'au terminus ?
politeCould you tell me how many stops there are until the end of the line?
Il reste combien d'arrêts avant de descendre ?
casualHow many stops are left before getting off?
Où est-ce que je dois faire un changement pour prendre la ligne quatre ?
neutralWhere do I have to make a transfer to take line four?
'Faire un changement' is the standard way to say 'to transfer'.
On doit changer de ligne à la prochaine station, non ?
casualWe have to change lines at the next station, right?
Adding 'non ?' at the end turns a statement into a question asking for agreement.
Vous pourriez me dire quand il faut que je descende ?
politeCould you tell me when I need to get off?
Uses the subjunctive ('que je descende') after 'il faut que'.
Tu pourras me prévenir quand on arrivera à mon arrêt ?
casualCan you let me know when we get to my stop?
Pardon, est-ce que vous descendez au prochain arrêt ?
politeExcuse me, are you getting off at the next stop?
Standard polite phrase to ask someone to let you past them on a crowded bus or metro.
Excusez-moi, je descends ici.
neutralExcuse me, I'm getting off here.