Metro or Bus

Natalia has just arrived by train at Gare Saint-Charles in Marseille. She wants to go to the Vieux-Port and asks an RTM employee near the metro entrance.

Full Transcript

Natalia: Excusez-moi, pour aller au Vieux-Port, je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Employee: Prenez la ligne 1.

Natalia: C’est direct ?

Employee: Oui, c’est direct.

Natalia: Je change où ?

Employee: Vous ne changez pas.

Natalia: Combien de stations ?

Employee: Deux stations. Descendez à Vieux-Port.

English Translation

Natalia: Excuse me, which line do I need to take to go to the Vieux-Port?

Employee: Take line 1.

Natalia: Is it direct?

Employee: Yes, it’s direct.

Natalia: Where do I change?

Employee: You don’t need to change.

Natalia: How many stops?

Employee: Two stops. Get off at Vieux-Port.

Question 1

Which metro line does Natalia need?

1. line 1

2. line 2

3. the tram

Answer: a

Question 2

Does Natalia need to change?

1. Yes.

2. No.

3. The employee doesn’t know.

Answer: b

Micro-task

You want to know how many stops you need to travel.

What do you ask?

1. Où est la gare ?

2. Combien de stations ?

3. C’est loin à pied ?

Answer: b

Core 5

Je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Pronunciation: /ʒə dwa pʁɑ̃dʁ kɛl liɲ/
Meaning: Which line do I need to take?

Example:

Pour aller au Vieux-Port, je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Où est l’arrêt ?

Pronunciation: /u ɛ la.ʁɛ/
Meaning: Where is the stop?

Example:

Excusez-moi, où est l’arrêt de bus ?

C’est direct ?

Pronunciation: /sɛ di.ʁɛkt/
Meaning: Is it direct?

Example:

Saint-Charles–Vieux-Port, c’est direct ?

Je change où ?

Pronunciation: /ʒə ʃɑ̃ʒ u/
Meaning: Where do I change?

Example:

Je dois changer ? Je change où ?

Combien de stations ?

Pronunciation: /kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ də sta.sjɔ̃/
Meaning: How many stops?

Example:

Jusqu’au Vieux-Port, combien de stations ?

Plus

Prenez la ligne 1.

Pronunciation: /pʁə.ne la liɲ œ̃/
Meaning: Take line 1.

Example:

Prenez la ligne 1 jusqu’au Vieux-Port.

Vous ne changez pas.

Pronunciation: /vu nə ʃɑ̃.ʒe pa/
Meaning: You don’t change.

Example:

C’est direct. Vous ne changez pas.

Je dois changer ?

Pronunciation: /ʒə dwa ʃɑ̃.ʒe/
Meaning: Do I need to change?

Example:

Je dois changer de ligne ?

Descendez à…

Pronunciation: /de.sɑ̃.de a/
Meaning: Get off at…

Example:

Descendez à Vieux-Port.

C’est la prochaine station ?

Pronunciation: /sɛ la pʁɔ.ʃɛn sta.sjɔ̃/
Meaning: Is it the next stop?

Example:

Vieux-Port, c’est la prochaine station ?

Mark arrives at Marseille Saint-Charles and asks a transport employee how to reach the Vieux-Port.

Mark: Excusez-moi, pour aller au Vieux-Port, je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Employee: Prenez la ligne 1.

Mark: D’accord. C’est direct ?

Employee: Oui, c’est direct.

Mark: Donc, je ne dois pas changer ?

Employee: Non, vous ne changez pas.

Mark: Et combien de stations ?

Employee: Deux. Colbert, puis Vieux-Port.

Mark: Et je descends où exactement ?

Employee: Descendez à Vieux-Port. Facile !

Quick Check

1. Does Mark need to change lines?

2. Where does he get off?

Answers:

1. No.

2. At Vieux-Port.

When using public transport in a new city, you usually need five pieces of information.

1. Find the line

Je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

2. Find the stop

For a bus:

Où est l’arrêt ?

For the metro:

Où est le métro ?

3. Check if it is direct

C’est direct ?

4. Check if you need to change

Je dois changer ?

Je change où ?

If there is no change:

Vous ne changez pas.

5. Count the stops

Combien de stations ?

Then listen for your destination:

Descendez à Vieux-Port.

You do not need to understand a long explanation.

Listen for:

line → change → number of stops → destination

Pattern 1 — devoir + infinitive

Use:

Je dois + verb

for something you need to do.

Examples:

Je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Je dois changer ?

Je dois descendre ici ?

Je dois prendre le bus ?

For this lesson, learn the useful chunks rather than the full verb table.

Pattern 2 — prendre + transport / line

Use:

prendre + le métro

prendre + le bus

prendre + la ligne 1

Examples:

Je prends le métro.

Je dois prendre la ligne 1.

Vous pouvez prendre le bus.

Pronunciation Focus — ligne

ligne = /liɲ/

The final sound /ɲ/ is similar to the sound in French:

montagne

Practise the whole question:

Je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Do not pronounce ligne as if every written letter were separate.

One compact transport pattern

DESTINATION → LINE → CHANGE → STOPS

Pour aller au Vieux-Port…

↓

Je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

↓

C’est direct ?

↓

Je dois changer ?

↓

Combien de stations ?

Guided Examples

Pour aller au Vieux-Port, je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

C’est direct ?

Semi-Guided

Pour aller à ____________________, je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Je change ____________________ ?

Your Turn

You are at a metro station in a new French city.

Ask three questions:

Exercise 1 — Choose the Right Question

1. You want to know which metro to take.

2. Je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

3. Il est quelle heure ?

4. You want to know whether you need another line.

5. C’est près d’ici ?

6. Je dois changer ?

7. You want to know the number of stops.

8. Combien de stations ?

9. Combien de personnes ?

Answers: 1a, 2b, 3a

Exercise 2 — Complete the Journey

Use:

ligne — direct — changez — stations — descendez

— Je dois prendre quelle ________ ?

— La ligne 1.

— C’est ________ ?

— Oui. Vous ne ________ pas.

— Combien de ________ ?

— Deux. ________ à Vieux-Port.

Answers:

ligne — direct — changez — stations — descendez

Exercise 3 — Get to the Vieux-Port

You are at Gare Saint-Charles.

Ask an employee:

1. which line to take;

2. whether it is direct;

3. whether you need to change;

4. how many stops there are.

Start:

Excusez-moi, pour aller au Vieux-Port…

Continue without looking at the Essential Phrases.

Je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

Which line do I need to take?

C’est direct ?

Is it direct?

Je dois changer ?

Do I need to change?

Je change où ?

Where do I change?

Combien de stations ?

How many stops?

Download the lesson files

Save these resources to keep practicing offline.

Le Vieux-Port de Marseille

Why is the Vieux-Port such an easy place to recognise in Marseille?

The Vieux-Port is one of Marseille’s best-known central landmarks. Metro line M1 serves the Vieux-Port station, making it a useful arrival point for exploring central Marseille.

Simple French

— On est où ?

— Au Vieux-Port.

— C’est le centre ?

— Oui, on est au centre de Marseille.

Remember

Vieux-Port is both a famous Marseille landmark and the name of a metro station.

Mission — Get from Saint-Charles to the Vieux-Port

You arrive by train at Gare Saint-Charles.

You do not know the Marseille metro system.

Ask an employee enough questions to understand your journey.

Your conversation must include:

1. your destination;

2. the line you need;

3. whether it is direct;

4. whether you need to change;

5. the number of stops.

Possible Conversation

— Excusez-moi, pour aller au Vieux-Port, je dois prendre quelle ligne ?

— La ligne 1.

— C’est direct ?

— Oui.

— Je dois changer ?

— Non, vous ne changez pas.

— Combien de stations ?

— Deux stations.

— Et je descends où ?

— À Vieux-Port.

— Parfait, merci !

Extra Challenge — Bus

Now imagine there is no metro.

Ask:

Où est l’arrêt de bus ?

Je dois prendre quel bus ?

C’est direct ?

Communication Win

You do not need to understand the whole transport network.

You need to get four pieces of information:

line → direct/change → stops → destination

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to think:

“I can ask how to use the metro or bus in a French city.”

I can ask which line to take.

Yes, on my own.
Yes, with a little help.
Not yet.

I can ask where the bus stop or metro is.

Yes, on my own.
Yes, with a little help.
Not yet.

I can ask if the journey is direct.

Yes, on my own.
Yes, with a little help.
Not yet.

I can ask where I need to change.

Yes, on my own.
Yes, with a little help.
Not yet.

I can ask how many stops there are.

Yes, on my own.
Yes, with a little help.
Not yet.

I can understand a simple journey such as:

ligne 1 → direct → deux stations → Vieux-Port

Yes, on my own.
Yes, with a little help.
Not yet.