Basic French Vocabulary: Road Travel 🚗🛣️
If you’re planning a trip to France or another French-speaking country, it’s very useful to know the French words for road travel.
From renting a car to asking for directions, these words will help you navigate the roads with ease.
This guide covers the most common French road travel vocabulary with English translations and example sentences.
🚘 General Road Travel Vocabulary
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La route – road
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L’autoroute – highway / motorway
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Une nationale – main road
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Un chemin – path / small road
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Un carrefour – crossroads / intersection
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Un rond-point – roundabout
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Un panneau – sign
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Un feu de circulation / un feu rouge – traffic light
👉 Example: Il y a beaucoup de circulation sur l’autoroute.
(There is a lot of traffic on the highway.)
🚗 Vehicles in French
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Une voiture – car
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Un camion – truck / lorry
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Une moto – motorcycle
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Un scooter – scooter
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Un vélo – bicycle
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Un bus – bus
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Un car – coach (long-distance bus)
👉 Example: Nous avons loué une voiture pour voyager en France.
(We rented a car to travel in France.)
⛽ Road Travel Services
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Une station-service – gas station
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L’essence – gasoline / petrol
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Le diesel / gazole – diesel
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Un parking – parking lot
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Un péage – toll
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Un garage – garage / repair shop
👉 Example: Nous devons faire le plein à la station-service.
(We need to fill up at the gas station.)
🧭 Directions & Navigation
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Tout droit – straight ahead
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À gauche – left
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À droite – right
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Prendre la sortie – to take the exit
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Tourner – to turn
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S’arrêter – to stop
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Continuer – to continue
👉 Example: Tournez à droite au rond-point.
(Turn right at the roundabout.)
🚦 Road Safety Vocabulary
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La ceinture de sécurité – seat belt
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Un accident – accident
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Un embouteillage – traffic jam
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La limitation de vitesse – speed limit
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La police – police
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Les pompiers – firefighters
👉 Example: Il y a un embouteillage à cause d’un accident.
(There is a traffic jam because of an accident.)
💬 Useful Phrases for Road Travel
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Où est la station-service la plus proche ? – Where is the nearest gas station?
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Combien coûte le péage ? – How much is the toll?
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Je cherche un parking. – I am looking for a parking lot.
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Quelle est la limitation de vitesse ici ? – What is the speed limit here?
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Pouvez-vous m’indiquer le chemin ? – Can you show me the way?
🎯 Practice Activity
👉 Write 3–5 sentences in French using road travel vocabulary. For example:
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Je prends l’autoroute pour aller à Paris.
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Nous nous arrêtons à une station-service.
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Il y a beaucoup de circulation ce matin.
✅ Conclusion
By learning this basic French road travel vocabulary list, you’ll be ready to rent a car, ask for directions, and travel safely in French-speaking countries.
These French travel words are practical for tourists, drivers, and beginners learning French.
If you found this helpful, check out more of our French vocabulary lists for beginners to build your skills step by step.