Level B1 (Intermediate)
Today’s French Word of the Day is le bouchon, meaning “cork” and “traffic jam.” We’ll also cover embouteillage (m.), a synonym for traffic jams.
Meaning & usages
Pronunciation
Example sentences
Related lessons
Meaning
“Le bouchon” primarily refers to a cork, like a bottle stopper. It also means traffic jam or traffic congestion.
Pronunciation
Example sentences
This first example sentence uses the object pronoun on, which has many meanings including “we”, “you” or “one”.
On utilise un bouchon pour fermer une bouteille.
A cork is used to close a bottle.
When combined, with tirer (to pull), un tire-bouchon means “bottle opener”. The verb servir à + infinitive means “to be used for”.
Un tire-bouchon sert à ouvrir une bouteille.
A bottle opener is used for opening a bottle.
In this example, à cause de can translate to “due to” or “because of”. In addition to bouchon, we could have used the synonym embouteillage for this sentence.
Je vais arriver en retard à cause des bouchons.
I’m going to arrive late due to the traffic jams.
For this final sentence, another meaning bouchon is a type of restaurant found in the city of Lyon. This lesson explains quand vs. lorsque, which both mean “when”.
J’adore manger dans un bouchon lorsque je visite Lyon.
I love eating in a bouchon when I visit Lyon.
Related lessons – words related to bouchon
- Rue: street, road
- Voiture: car
- Arrêter: to stop
- Boucher: to plug, to stop up
- La bouteille: bottle
- La circulation: traffic, circulation
- L’heure de pointe: rush hour
Reference
