French Vocabulary – Cars Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 21, 2019 in Vocabulary
As I’ve shared before, I love to drive in France. The post I shared a few weeks ago and a recent passage in the book I’m reading got me thinking about car-related vocabulary. This week we’ll look at some key words related to cars … and some examples of how to use them in context.
L’idée m’est venue … / The idea struck me
As I mentioned, part of the inspiration for this week’s post came from a book. Until I read it, I had forgotten that in French there is a specific word for ‘car door’ (as opposed to a door door). The passage (“Elle claqua la portière et partit à grandes enjambées …” * / “She slammed the door and left taking big strides …”) comes from Un Appartement à Paris by one of France’s most popular contemporary authors Guillaume Musso (whose works are available in 41 different languages!) It’s the third novel I’ve read by him and I highly recommend him if you like fun adventures with an other-worldly twist.
La voiture / The car
| Français | English |
| la voiture | the car |
| les pneus (m.) | the tires |
| le clignotant | the blinker |
| le coffre | the trunk (the boot) |
| le frein | the brake |
| le klaxon | the horn |
| la portière | the door |
| le volant | the steering wheel |
| le pare-brise | the windshield |
| les essuie-glaces (m.) | the windshield wipers |
Les voitures ont normalement quatre pneus. / Cars generally have for tires.
Avant de tourner, il faut mettre son clignotant. / Before turning, one must turn on their blinker.
On dirige une voiture à l’aide du volant. / One controls the car with the steering wheel.
Quand il pleut, les essuie-glaces permettent de nettoyer le pare-brise. / When it rains, the windshield wipers keep the windshield clean.
En Angleterre on appelle ‘le coffre’ ‘the boot. Aux Etats-Unis on dit ‘the trunk’. / In England they call ‘le coffre’ ‘ the boot’. In the US they say ‘the trunk’.
* Notice the use of the more literary passé simple.
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About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.