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How to Say ‘There's construction work’ in French

Il y a des travaux

eel ee ah day trah-VOH

[eel ee ah day trah-VOH]

💬 Usage Tip: Travaux means roadworks or building works, not "travels". Il y a "there is/there are" works with any noun: il y a du monde "there's a crowd".

Phrase Breakdown

Il y a

eel ee ah

There is / there are

A key expression for saying something exists. In speech it often sounds like 'ee-lee-A' or 'ya'.

Example

Il y a du monde.

There are a lot of people.

Words in this phrase

[eel]

Impersonal subject used for weather expressions.

Example

Aujourd'hui, il fait beau.

Today, the weather is nice.

[ee]

there

In or at that place.

Example

Y a-t-il une solution?

Is there a solution?

[ah]

has

Used with a past participle to form the present perfect tense.

Example

Elle a visité Paris.

She has visited Paris.

des travaux

day trah-VOH

roadworks / construction work

'Travaux' is the plural of 'travail'. Here it means construction work. The final 'x' is silent: 'tra-VO'.

Example

Des travaux bloquent la rue.

Roadworks are blocking the street.

Words in this phrase

des

[day]

some

Indicating a portion or number of something.

Example

Des livres sont sur la table.

Some books are on the table.

travaux

[trah-VOH]

roadworks / construction

Plural of 'travail'; here means building or road works.

Example

Il y a des travaux dans la rue.

There are roadworks in the street.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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