Les prépositions de transport (en/à)
Use EN with motorised vehicles and À with non-motorised transport: the key rule for getting around.
TRANSPORT PREPOSITIONS: EN vs À vs PAR
EN = used for enclosed/motor vehicles (you ride INSIDE): en voiture (by car), en bus (by bus), en métro (by metro), en train (by train), en avion (by plane), en bateau (by boat), en taxi (by taxi), en tramway (by tram), en moto (by motorbike)
À = used for vehicles you ride ON or power yourself: à vélo (by bike), à moto (by motorbike) (à moto is the traditional form, en moto is very common in speech. Both are accepted), à pied (on foot), à cheval (on horseback). Note: vélo can use both 'en vélo' and 'à vélo': both are correct!
COMMON TRANSPORT VOCABULARY: la gare (the train station), l'aéroport (the airport), l'arrêt de bus (the bus stop), la station de métro (the metro station), le quai (the platform), le billet (the ticket), un aller simple (a one-way ticket), un aller-retour (a return ticket)
Common mistake: 'je vais par train': use EN or a specific verb. Correct: je prends le train (I take the train) or je vais en train (I go by train)
Common mistake: 'en pied'. Walking uses À: à pied (on foot)
- Je vais au travail EN métro et ma femme y va EN voiture. — I go to work by metro and my wife goes by car.
- On prend le bus numéro 42 jusqu'à la gare. — We take bus number 42 to the station.
- Ma fille va à l'école À PIED. C'est à cinq minutes. — My daughter goes to school on foot. It's five minutes.
- Pour aller à Lyon, je préfère prendre le TGV. C'est rapide. — To go to Lyon, I prefer to take the TGV (high-speed train). It's fast.