Paris has one of the world's great public transport systems, and in this lesson you're going to learn how to use it — in French! You'll discover vocabulary for different types of transport, how to talk about getting on and off, and a grammar structure that you'll use every single day: 'il y a' (there is / there are). By the end of this lesson you'll be able to describe transport options and ask whether something exists nearby. Time to hop on board!
Learning tips
- The phrase 'il y a' is a fixed expression — the 'y' is a pronoun meaning 'there', and the whole thing means 'there is' or 'there are'. Don't try to translate it word-by-word; just learn it as a single chunk.
- Notice 'monter' (get on) and 'descendre' (get off) — these are opposites and very useful together. 'Je monte dans le bus' (I get on the bus), 'je descends du bus' (I get off the bus).
- French transport vocabulary often appears in news and announcements. Listen for 'la ligne' (line), 'la station' (station), and 'le terminus' at the ends of metro lines.
- The Paris metro has 16 numbered lines. When talking about which line you take, use 'la ligne' followed by the number: 'la ligne 4', 'la ligne 1'.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| à droite | to the right / on the right |
| à gauche | to the left / on the left |
| tout droit | straight ahead |
| près | near / close |
| loin | far |
| à côté de | next to / beside |
| en face de | opposite / across from |
| tourner | to turn |
| continuer | to continue |
| chercher | to look for |
Dialog
Camille and Lucas are planning how to get to the Louvre. Lucas prefers the metro, Camille likes the bus — and then they consider cycling! The dialogue introduces transport vocabulary and the grammar point 'il y a'.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le métro | /lə me.tʁo/ | the metro / underground | Always masculine. In Paris, the metro runs from around 5:30am to 1:15am (later on weekends). |
| le bus | /lə bys/ | the bus | Pronounced /bys/ — the 's' is heard, unlike in English 'bus'. Always masculine. |
| le taxi | /lə tak.si/ | the taxi | Almost identical to English. In Paris, official taxis have a rooftop light. Ride-share apps are also popular. |
| le vélo | /lə ve.lo/ | the bicycle / bike | Short for 'vélocipède'. Paris has a popular bike-share scheme called Vélib'. |
| le billet | /lə bi.jɛ/ | the ticket | Used for metro, bus, and train tickets. A single metro ticket is called 'un ticket' (informally 'un ticket t+'). |
| la station | /la sta.sjɔ̃/ | the (metro/bus) station / stop | For metro stops use 'la station'; for train stations use 'la gare'. Don't mix them up! |
| la ligne | /la liɲ/ | the (metro/train) line | Always feminine. 'Quelle ligne ?' (Which line?) is a very common question on public transport. |
| changer | /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/ | to change (lines) / to transfer | Regular -er verb. 'Je change à Châtelet' means 'I change at Châtelet' — you switch from one metro line to another. |
| descendre | /de.sɑ̃dʁ/ | to get off / to go down | Irregular -re verb. 'Je descends' (I get off), 'tu descends', 'il descend'. Also used for going downstairs. |
| monter | /mɔ̃.te/ | to get on / to go up | Regular -er verb. The opposite of 'descendre'. Also used for going upstairs: 'Je monte à l'étage'. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le plan | /lə plɑ̃/ | ||
| le trajet | /lə tʁa.ʒɛ/ | ||
| la correspondance | /la kɔ.ʁɛs.pɔ̃.dɑ̃s/ | ||
| l' l'arrêt | /la.ʁɛ/ | ||
| le quai | /lə ke/ | ||
| direct | /di.ʁɛkt/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| il y a une station | there's a station |
| je prends le métro | I take the metro |
| il faut changer | you need to change / one must change |
Grammar: Il y a — there is / there are
| Structure | Exemple |
|---|---|
| Il y a + un/une + nom | Il y a une station près d'ici. |
| Il y a + des + nom | Il y a des bus sur cette ligne. |
| Il n'y a pas de + nom | Il n'y a pas de taxi ici. |
| Est-ce qu'il y a + ... ? | Est-ce qu'il y a un métro ? |
| Il y a + combien de... ? | Il y a combien de lignes ? |
'Il y a' is one of the most useful structures in French. It means 'there is' or 'there are', and the form never changes regardless of whether what follows is singular or plural. To say 'there is a metro station', you say 'il y a une station de métro'. For 'there are buses', it becomes 'il y a des bus'. To make it negative — 'there is no', 'there isn't any' — use 'il n'y a pas de': 'il n'y a pas de taxi ici' (there's no taxi here). Note that after 'pas de', the articles 'un', 'une', and 'des' are all replaced by just 'de'. To ask a question, add 'Est-ce que' at the beginning: 'Est-ce qu'il y a un bus direct ?' (Is there a direct bus?). You can also ask how many there are: 'Il y a combien de lignes ?' (How many lines are there?). This single structure — 'il y a' — will serve you well in every conversation about locations, availability, and surroundings.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct transport word from this lesson.
- Je prends le pour aller au travail. (metro)(underground train system)
- Il faut à Châtelet pour prendre la ligne 1. (change)(switch from one line to another)
- Je du bus devant la gare. (get off)(get off — conjugate for 'je')
- Le de métro coûte deux euros. (ticket)(the document you need to ride)
- Il une station de bus près de l'école. (there is)(there is — 2-word answer to complete 'il ___ ___')
Grammar Application
Complete each sentence using the correct form of 'il y a' — positive, negative, or question form as indicated.
- un métro direct ? (Is there)(question form: 'Is there...' — begins with Est-ce qu')
- Il de taxi ici. (there is no)(negative form: 'there is no' — 'il ___ ___ pas de')
- Il y a lignes de bus ? (how many)(how many? — use 'combien de')
- Il y a station sur cette ligne. (une)(singular indefinite article for a feminine noun)
- Il y a arrêts de bus dans la rue. (no stops → pas de)(negative: no stops at all — 'pas de' replaces the article)
Translate into French
Translate each sentence into French using 'il y a' and the transport vocabulary from this lesson.
- There's a metro station nearby.
- I take the bus and get off at the station.
- There's no taxi here.
- I change at Châtelet.
- Is there a bike to hire?
Build Your Own Sentence
Write your own French sentence about getting around your city or town.
Takeaway
'Il y a' is an indispensable French structure: use it to describe what exists in any location, and 'il n'y a pas de' to say what doesn't.