Dispute with taxi driver: Route choice
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Key Phrases
Pourquoi prenez-vous cette route ?
Why are you taking this road?
Il y a souvent des bouchons là-bas.
There are often traffic jams there.
On peut tourner à la prochaine rue si vous préférez.
We can turn at the next street if you prefer.
Skills You'll Learn
Ask why someone chooses a particular route.
Demander pourquoi quelqu'un choisit un itinéraire précis.
Discuss traffic, speed, and whether a route is faster or more direct.
Parler de la circulation, de la rapidité et du fait qu'un trajet soit plus direct.
Politely suggest or agree on an alternative route during a trip.
Proposer poliment ou accepter un autre itinéraire pendant un trajet.
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you are in a taxi in France, politely asking the driver why he is taking a certain route while you worry about traffic and the fare.
Bonjour, monsieur, pourquoi prenez-vous cette route ?
Hello, sir, why are you taking this road?
Bonjour, c'est souvent plus rapide à cette heure-ci.
Hello, it’s often faster at this time of day.
Ah bon ? Je pensais que l'autre chemin était plus direct.
Really? I thought the other way was more direct.
Oui, mais il y a souvent des bouchons là-bas.
Yes, but there are often traffic jams there.
Je comprends, mais le compteur monte vite.
I understand, but the meter is going up quickly.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Pourquoi
poor-kwah
Why
Prenez-vous
pruh-nay voo
Do you take
💬 With a hyphen and subject after the verb, [prenez-vous] is the question pattern for polite or formal French: [Vous prenez cette route ?] and [Prenez-vous cette route ?] both mean the same thing.
See breakdown →Cette route
set root
This road / route
Pourquoi prenez-vous cette route ?
poor-kwah pruh-nay voo set root
Why are you taking this road?
C'est
say ay
It is / It's
💬 [C'] is the shortened form of [ce] before a vowel sound, so [c'est] must stay joined together. You do not say [ce est].
See breakdown →Souvent
soo-vahn
Often
Plus rapide
ploo ra-peed
Faster
💬 [Plus] changes sound a lot in French. In [plus rapide], you usually hear the final [s] because the next word starts with a consonant: (plu rah-peed).
See breakdown →C'est souvent plus rapide.
say ay soo-vahn ploo ra-peed
It's often faster.
À cette heure-ci.
ah set ur see
At this time of day.
💬 [Ci] gets added to time words to mean 'this one' or 'around now': [à cette heure-ci], [ce matin-ci]. It makes the time reference more specific.
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