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Taking a taxi in French: confirm the address and ask the fare

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Give a precise taxi destination in French, correct a station mix-up and ask for a fare estimate. Practise short exchanges about the address, price and traffic.

In short

Give the place and arrival point: À la gare de Belcourt, entrée sud, rue des Tilleuls, s’il vous plaît. Ask Ça coûterait combien, environ ? (About how much would it cost?). Follow up with C’est un tarif fixe ou une estimation ?

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

1

Resolve the destination first

The driver needs to distinguish the railway station from the coach station.

YouBonjour. À la gare de Belcourt, entrée sud, s’il vous plaît.Hello. To Belcourt station, south entrance, please.
DriverLa gare routière ?The coach station?
YouNon, la gare ferroviaire, rue des Tilleuls. Voici l’adresse.No, the railway station, on Rue des Tilleuls. Here is the address.
DriverD’accord, la gare ferroviaire, entrée sud.All right, the railway station, south entrance.
YouOui, c’est bien ça.Yes, that’s right.
2

Ask about the price

Listen for environ: the amount is approximate.

YouÇa coûterait combien, environ ?About how much would it cost?
DriverEnviron dix-huit euros si la circulation reste fluide.About eighteen euros if traffic stays clear.
YouC’est un tarif fixe ou une estimation ?Is that a fixed fare or an estimate?
DriverUne estimation. Le montant final peut varier.An estimate. The final amount may vary.
YouD’accord, merci pour la précision.All right, thanks for clarifying.
3

Check the time and payment method

YouLe trajet prend combien de temps ?How long does the journey take?
DriverUne vingtaine de minutes, s’il n’y a pas de bouchons.Around twenty minutes, if there are no traffic jams.
YouJe peux payer par carte ?Can I pay by card?
DriverOui, vous pourrez payer par carte à l’arrivée.Yes, you can pay by card when we arrive.

Point to the detail you need

Three price expressions to recognise
FrenchMeaningUseful follow-up
environ dix-huit eurosabout eighteen eurosC’est une estimation ?
un tarif fixea fixed fareQu’est-ce qui est inclus ?
un supplémentan extra chargeIl y a un supplément pour les bagages ?

Combien asks about an amount; combien de temps asks about duration. Here, eighteen is a euro amount and twenty is an approximate number of minutes. Une vingtaine means around twenty. The final oui in the first exchange confirms the destination the driver has just repeated.

Question 1No account needed
Which place does the passenger confirm?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The railway station’s south entrance.. The passenger corrects the type of station and repeats the south entrance.

Question 2No account needed
What does eighteen euros mean in the exchange?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

An estimate if traffic stays clear.. The driver uses environ and then explicitly calls the price an estimate.

Question 3No account needed
Which question asks about journey time?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Le trajet prend combien de temps ?. Adding de temps makes the question about duration rather than price.

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