Cars and Driving

Cars and driving - French vocabulary
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Les autos et la conduite

Driving comes with a whole mess of rules (that I can’t help you with) as well as some specialized French vocabulary (which I can). Learn how to drive in French with this vocab list.

car   une voiture, une auto
accelerator   un accélérateur
un champignon
 
(inf)
battery   un accumulateur
brake lights   les feux de stop (m)
brakes   les freins (m)
clutch   l’embrayage (m)
headlights   les phares (m)
high beams   les feux de route
license plate   la plaque d’immatriculation
steering wheel   le volant
stick shift   la boîte manuelle
tire
flat tire
  un pneu
un pneu crevé
turn signal   le clignotant
windshield   un pare-brise
windshield wipers   les essuie-glaces
     
fuel   le carburant
diesel   le gasoil
le gazole
gas, petrol
regular
premium
  de l’essence
de l’essence ordinaire

du super
(f)
 
 
gas station   une station-service
     
      Notes
broken-down en panne    
driver un conducteur   faux ami of "conductor"
driver’s license un permis de conduire   A on a car stands for apprenti conducteur – "newly qualified driver."
highway une autoroute  
hitchhiking l’auto-stop (m)   (masculine)
mechanic un garagiste    
motorbike une moto   apocope of motocyclette
on the way en route    
one-way street une rue à sens unique    
right of way la priorité    
rolling blockade une opération escargot    
roundabout un rond-point    
stop lights
red light
yellow/amber light
green light
les feux
le feu rouge
le feu orange
le feu vert
   
stop sign le panneau stop    
street la rue  
traffic jam un embouteillage  
trip une excursion    
toll un péage   une autoroute à péage – toll road
transportation le transport  
U-turn un demi-tour   lesson: faire (un) demi-tour
       
Verbs Verbes   (click for conjugations)
to brake freiner    
to break down être / tomber en panne
to cross traverser    
to drive conduire
rouler
  transitive
intransitive
to engage the clutch
to disengage the clutch
embrayer
débrayer
   
to fill it up faire le plein   lesson: faire le plein
to go, move circuler   in regard to cars and traffic
to go on trips excursionner    
to hitchhike faire de l’auto-stop    
to park stationner
se garer
 
to pass doubler  
to put in reverse enclencher la marche arrière
to shift gears changer de vitesse    
to turn tourner  

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French cars vocabulary

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