Driving in France can be terrifying, especially when it’s your first trip. On this page you’ll find a list of phrases covering gas stations and asking for help, phrases covering breakdowns and mechanic help, accidents and parking. This list should be a big help to get started. On separate pages we covering phrases for renting a car as well as basic car vocabulary.
| GAS STATION & ASKING FOR HELP | |
| Où est la station de service la plus proche? | Where's the nearest gas station? |
| Où est la garagiste la plus proche? | Where is the closest mechanic? |
| Le plein, s'il vous plaît. | Fill it up, please. |
| Avez-vous la liquide lave-glace? | Do you have windshield wiper fluid? |
| Donnez-moi cinq litres d'essence, s'il vous plaît. | Please give me ten liters of gas. |
| La voiture prend du super, de la normale, sans plomb, du gasoil. | The car takes premium gas, regular, unleaded, diesel. |
| Veuillez regarder la batterie, le liquide des freins, l'huille. | Please check the battery, break fluid, oil. |
| Où puis-je controler la pression des pneus? | Where may I check the tire pressure? |
| Nous avons un pneu crevé. | We have a flat tire. |
| Pourriez-vous reparer ce pneu crevé? | Could you repair this flat tire? |
| Pourriez-vous changer l'ampule, le pneu, les bougies, les essuie-glace? | Could you change the bulb, the tire, the spark plug, the windshield wipers? |
| Le pare-brise est brisé. | The windshield is broken. |
| Je voudrais faire la vidange. | I'd like to get an oil change. |
| Veuillze contrôler la pression des pneus. | Please check the tire pressure. |
| Pourriez-vous me donner un estimation des coûts/un devis? | Could you give me an estimate? |
| Quand est-ce que je peux venir chercher la voiture? | When I can I pick up the car? |
| DEALING WITH BREAKDOWNS | |
| La voiture est tombée en panne. | The car broke down. |
| La voiture ne démarre pas. | The car won't start. |
| La batterie est à plat. | The battery is dead. |
| Nous sommes en panne d'essence. | We're out of gas. |
| Le moteur chauffe. | The car is overheating. |
| Nous avons un pneu crevé. | We have a flat tire. |
| On a eu une crevaison. | We had a tire blow-out. |
| Il y a un problème avec... | There's a a problem with... |
| Nous avons besoin d'une dépanneuse. | We need a tow truck. |
| On est sur le bord de l'autoroute. | We're on the side of the highway. |
| DEALING WITH ACCIDENTS | |
| Nous avons eu un accident. | We had an accident. |
| Il y a eu un accident. | There was an accident. |
| Appelez une ambulance. | Call an ambulance. |
| Appelez la police, s'il vous plaît. | Call the police, please. |
| Voici nos renseignements d'assurance. | Here's our insurance information. |
| Voici nos noms et notre adresse. | Here are our names and our address. |
| DEALING WITH PARKING | |
| Puis-je me garer ici. | May I park here? |
| Où puis-je me garer? | Where can I park? |
| Puis-je rester ici? | Can I stay here? |
| Ca coûte combien? | How much is it? |
| Quel est le tarif horaire? | What's the hourly rate? |
| Dois-je payer le parcomètre? | Do I have the pay the parking meter? |
| Où est-ce que paie la contravention? | Where do I pay the parking fine? |
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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
