»

Transportation — Les transports by Dawn-Michelle Baude, Ph.D.

There are many places to go to have fun, but first, you have to get there. French kids walk (aller à pied). They also take their bikes (prendre leurs vélos) or a skateboard (prendre un skate).

Maybe you've taken other forms of transportation, too. Look at the following list, and see how many you've used:

<tgroup cols="2"> <colspec align="left" colname="col1" colnum="1" colsep="0" colwidth="50%"/> <colspec align="left" colname="col2" colnum="2" colsep="0" colwidth="50%"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p><B>English</B></p></td> <td><p><B>French</B></p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>car</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>la voiture</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>bus</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>le bus</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>tour bus</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>l'autocar</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>subway</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>le métro</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>train</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>le train</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>ferry</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>le ferry</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>boat</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>le bateau</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>airplane</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>l'avion</emphasis></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <h2>How Will We Get There<emphasis> — Comment s' y rendre?</emphasis></h2> <p>In order to use your transportation, you have to use a special verb — <emphasis>prendre</emphasis>. In fact, you don't “use” your transportation, as much as you “take” it. <emphasis>Prendre</emphasis> means “to take” or “to catch.”You take a car (<emphasis>Tu prends une voiture</emphasis>), and even an airplane (<emphasis>Tu prends l'avion</emphasis>). So it's a good idea to study the conjugation map for <emphasis>prendre</emphasis>, just to make sure you get where you're going!</p> <table frame="none" width="100%"> <title/> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec align="left" colname="col1" colnum="1" colsep="0" colwidth="50%"/> <colspec align="left" colname="col2" colnum="2" colsep="0" colwidth="50%"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p><B>English</B></p></td> <td><p><B>French</B></p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>to take</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>prendre</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>I take</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>je prends</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>you take</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>tu prends</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>he/she/it takes</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>il/elle/il prend</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>we take</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>nous prenons</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>you take</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>vous prenez</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>they take</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>ils/elles prennent</emphasis></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <div class="npsb"> <h2> FUN FACTS <emphasis>Pour s'amuser</emphasis></h2> <p>France has a wonderful train system, called the TGV. The initials stand for <emphasis>Train à Grande Vitesse</emphasis> (“Very Fast Train”). It usually cruises at 186 miles per hour, but can attain speeds of over 200 mph! The TGV is recognized as one of the best train systems in the world.</p> </div> <p>Lucky you! You know one of the main French transportation verbs and several ways of getting where you're going. But wait — what if you can't leave right away? What if “I take the train” or “I am taking the train” isn't exactly what you want to say?</p> <p>Unfortunately, that's all you get with <emphasis>je prends</emphasis>. It's either “I take…” or “I am taking….” When a verb talks about “now” time, you say the verb is in the “present” tense. The same thing for all the other forms of <emphasis>prendre</emphasis> in the table above — they're “present tense.” <emphasis>Nous prenons</emphasis> will always be happening now, as in “We take” or “We are taking.” But what if you want to say something about the future? What if what you really need is “I'm going to take the train” or “We're going to take the train”?</p> <h2>The Near Future — <emphasis>Le futur proche</emphasis></h2> <p>French has a very simple way of expressing the idea of “I am going to.” You probably remember your French “to go” verb from Chapter 3, don't you? It's <emphasis>aller</emphasis>. In order to talk of an action in the near future, you need to conjugate <emphasis>aller</emphasis>. That means you need to match the forms of <emphasis>aller</emphasis> (<emphasis>vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont</emphasis>) with the subject.</p> <p>For the near future, you make a formula like this: subject +conjugated <emphasis>aller</emphasis> + <emphasis>prendre</emphasis> + type of transportation. So “I am going to take a boat” is <emphasis>Je + vais + prendre + un bateau</emphasis> = <emphasis>Je vais prendre un bateau</emphasis>. And “She is going to take the plane” is <emphasis>Elle + va + prendre + l'avion</emphasis> = <emphasis>Elle va prendre l'avion</emphasis>.</p> <p>Look at the following present tense sentences and change them to <emphasis>le futur proche</emphasis>:</p> <ul> <li><p><emphasis>Elles prennent un avion.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Il prend le bateau.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Nous prenons une voiture.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Je prends le bus.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Vous prenez un ferry.</emphasis></p></li> <li><p><emphasis>Tu prends l'autocar.</emphasis></p></li> </ul> <div class="npsb"> <h2> TRY THIS <emphasis>Essaie ceci</emphasis></h2> <p><B>Reading the Metro Map — <emphasis>Lire la carte du métro</emphasis></B></p> <p>Paris has a wonderful métro (“subway”) system. But it takes some time to get the hang of it. Ask your parents or your teacher to download a Paris metro map. Pick two metro stations at random, and try to figure out the best itinerary to get from one to the other! Try to find the direct route or change trains just once. A couple of itineraries require you to change trains twice. Can you find them?</p> </div> <div class="npsb"> <tip> <h2>IMPORTANT TIPS <emphasis>TRUCS IMPORTANTS</emphasis><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata fileref="!.jpg" format="JPG"/></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></h2> <p>While you “take” (prendre) a train, bus, plane, boat and car in French, you don't “take” your feet. If you're going to walk, you say, <emphasis>Je vais à pied</emphasis>, which literally means, “I go by foot.”</p> </tip> </div> <div class="npsb"> <h2>Paris Puzzle</h2> <div class="npmo"> <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/kids-french/p86-001.jpg"> </div> <p>There's a note left here, but it's in code. Can you figure out where Lucy is going?</p> <div class="npsb"> <title/> <p>The first letter is in “love” but not “dove.”</p> <p>The second letter is the ninth letter of the alphabet.</p> <p>The third letter is in “rubber” two times.</p> <p>The fourth letter is in “Paris” and “France.”</p> <p>The fifth letter starts the alphabet.</p> <p>The sixth letter has already been used.</p> <p>The seventh letter is the letter a lot French people rrrroll.</p> <p>The eighth letter sounds like what you see with.</p> <p>The ninth letter shows up in “Eiffel Tower” three times.</p> <div class="npsb"> <h2><emphasis>Fun to do!</emphasis></h2> <p>Once you figure this out, you can go, too! It's a great place to learn all about France.</p> </div> </div> </div> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/" title="Going to Town — Aller en ville">Going to Town — Aller en ville</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/asking-for-directions-demander-son-chemin.htm" title="Asking for Directions — Demander son chemin">Asking for Directions — Demander son chemin</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/transportation-les-transports.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Transportation — Les transports - French for Kids </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/forming-the-future-tense/le-futur-proche.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Le Futur Proche - French </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/what-should-we-do-quest-ce-quon-va-faire/doing-sports-faire-du-sport.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Doing Sports — Faire du sport - French for Kids </a></li> <li><a href="http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/future.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> French Future Tense - Le futur </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/french/forming-the-future-tense/english-future-tense-constructions.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> English Future-Tense Constructions - French </a></li> </ul></div> <div id="sec"><div class="n5">Read More Going to Town — Aller en ville</div><ul><ul class="col1"><li class="btO">Transportation — Les transports</li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/asking-for-directions-demander-son-chemin.htm">Asking for Directions — Demander son chemin</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/spending-money-dpenser-de-largent.htm">Spending Money — Dépenser de l'argent</a></li> </ul><ul class="col2"><li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/keeping-your-money-safe-garder-son-argent-en-securit.htm">Keeping Your Money Safe — Garder son argent en securité</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/asking-for-help-demander-de-laide.htm">Asking for Help — Demander de l'aide</a></li> <li ><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/activities-activits.htm">Activities — Activités</a></li> </ul></ul></div> </div> <script>if(zSbL<1)zSbL=3;zSB(2);zSbL=0</script> </div> <div id="widgets"><script type="text/javascript">if(z336>0){w('<div id="adB">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,280,'1','bb',3);w('</div>')}if(z155>0){w('<div id="adP">'+ap[0]+at[4]+as[0]);adunit('','','about.com',ch,gs,336,155,'1','ps',4);w('</div>')}</script> <div id="pg" class="pane"><div class="n3">Shopping</div><div class="cntnr"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-kids-learning-french-book"><img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/kids-french/Cover.jpg"></a><h4><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-kids-learning-french-book">THE EVERYTHING KIDS' LEARNING FRENCH BOOK</a></h4><p><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-kids-learning-french-book">By Dawn-Michelle Baude, Ph.D.</a></p><div id="fp"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-kids-learning-french-book">Buy This Book</a></div></div></div> <div id="toc" class="pane"><div class="n3">French for Kids Sections</div><ul><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/lets-get-started-allons-y/">Let's Get Started! — Allons-y!</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/time-and-dates-lheure-et-les-dates/">Time and Dates — L'heure et les dates</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/all-about-me-tout-sur-moi/">All About Me — Tout sur moi</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/social-life-la-vie-sociale/">Social Life — La vie sociale</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/what-should-we-do-quest-ce-quon-va-faire/">What Should We do? — Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire?</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/im-hungry-jai-faim/">I'm Hungry! — J'ai faim!</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/">Going to Town — Aller en ville</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/lets-go-outdoors-allons-dehors/">Let's Go Outdoors — Allons dehors</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/getting-along-bien-sentendre/">Getting Along — Bien s'entendre</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/appendix-a-english-french-dictionary/">English-French Dictionary</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/appendix-b-glossary/">Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/appendix-c-puzzle-answers/">Puzzle Answers</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/appendix-d-exercise-answers/">Exercise Answers</a></li> </ul></div></div> <script type="text/javascript">zCi();validateForms();</script> <div id="abf" style="padding-right:0"><ol class="crumbtrail"><li class="home"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/">Home</a></li><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/">French for Kids</a></li><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/kids-french/going-to-town-aller-en-ville/">Going to Town — Aller en ville</a></li><li>Transportation — Les transports</li></ol></div> <div id="aboutinfo" class="hlist"><div id="morefrom"><h6>Visit other About.com sites:</h6><ul><li><a href="http://caloriecount.about.com/" rel="nofollow">Calorie Count</a></li><li class="last"><a href="http://www.allexperts.com/" rel="nofollow">Allexperts.com</a></li></ul></div> <ul id="siteinfo"><li><a href="http://spiderbites.about.com/sitemap.htm">SiteMap</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/hc.htm" rel="nofollow">Help</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/mprivacy.htm" rel="nofollow">Privacy Policy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.about.com/gi/pages/mprivacy.htm#adchoices" rel="nofollow">Your Ad Choices</a></li><li class="last"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/pform.htm" rel="nofollow">Contact Us</a></li></ul> <ul id="companyinfo"><li class="last"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/ " rel="nofollow">Buy Books</a></li></ul><div id="disclaimer"> </div></div></div> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- zPxA[zPxC]=new Image();zPxA[zPxC++].src="http://b.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6036459&c7=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2enetplaces%2ecom%2fkids%2dfrench%2fgoing%2dto%2dtown%2daller%2den%2dville%2ftransportation%2dles%2dtransports%2ehtm&c8=Transportation%20%26%238212%3b%20Les%20transports&c9=&cv=2.0&cj=1"; adclose() //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript">(function(){var po=document.createElement('script');po.type='text/javascript';po.async=true;po.src='https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js';var s=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(po,s)})();</script> </body></html>