How to Ask a French Bus or Taxi Driver to Tell You When to Get Off
Learn to say 'Pouvez-vous me dire quand je dois descendre ?' and understand the driver's short confirmations, so you can get off at the right stop.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
On a French bus, tram or taxi, the driver will not always announce your stop, and the stop request button may be out of reach. The reliable solution is to ask the driver directly, before you sit down or as you board. This lesson gives you one clear sentence for that request, plus the short replies you will hear back. You will practise polite forms with 'vous', the verb 'descendre' (to get off), and the difference between asking a question and understanding a confirmation.
By the end, you can…
- politely ask a French driver to tell me when to get off.
- understand short confirmations such as 'Oui, je vous préviens' or 'C'est le prochain arrêt'.
- name my stop and check that the driver has understood.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Pouvez-vous me dire quand je dois descendre ?
Can you tell me when I have to get off?
poo-vay VOO muh deer kahn zhuh dwah day-sahndr
The standard polite request. Use 'vous' with any driver you do not know. 'Descendre' is the normal verb for leaving a bus, tram, train or taxi.
Pouvez-vous me prévenir avant mon arrêt ?
Can you warn me before my stop?
poo-vay VOO muh pray-vuh-neer ah-vahn mohn ah-reh
'Prévenir' means to warn or let someone know in advance. This version is very natural in a taxi or on a bus with no screen.
Je descends à la gare, s'il vous plaît.
I'm getting off at the station, please.
zhuh day-sahn ah lah gar, seel voo pleh
Give your destination first, then make the request. 'S'il vous plaît' softens the whole sentence.
C'est bien le bus pour le centre-ville ?
Is this the bus to the city centre?
say byan luh boos poor luh sahn-truh veel
Check the route before you ask the driver to alert you. 'C'est bien...' is a common way to confirm something you believe is true.
Merci, c'est très gentil.
Thank you, that's very kind.
mair-see, say tray zhahn-tee
A short, warm thank-you when the driver agrees to help. Use it as you get off as well.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 'Pouvez-vous me dire quand...' plus a clause: 'Pouvez-vous me dire quand je dois descendre ?' (Can you tell me when I have to get off?). You can reuse it for other needs: 'Pouvez-vous me dire quand on arrive ?' (Can you tell me when we arrive?) or 'Pouvez-vous me dire où est l'arrêt ?' (Can you tell me where the stop is?). The verb after 'quand' stays in the normal present or 'devoir' form, not a special tense. In everyday speech many people also say 'Vous pouvez me dire quand je dois descendre ?' with the same polite meaning, just with rising intonation.
When to use it
Ask as you board, pay, or sit near the driver, not when the bus is already moving fast. In a taxi, say it after giving the address: 'À la gare, s'il vous plaît. Pouvez-vous me prévenir avant ?' On buses with a screen or recorded announcements, you may not need to ask, but it is still useful at night or on an unfamiliar route. If the driver answers 'Oui' or 'Pas de problème', that is a real confirmation, not a vague reply. If you hear 'Je vous préviens', it means 'I'll let you know'. If you hear 'C'est le prochain arrêt', get ready immediately: your stop is next.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Bonjour, c'est bien le bus pour le centre-ville ?
Hello, is this the bus to the city centre?bohn-zhoor, say byan luh boos poor luh sahn-truh veelOui, c'est celui-là. Montez.
Yes, it's this one. Get on.wee, say suh-loo-lah. mohn-tayJe descends à la gare. Pouvez-vous me dire quand je dois descendre ?
I'm getting off at the station. Can you tell me when I have to get off?zhuh day-sahn ah lah gar. poo-vay VOO muh deer kahn zhuh dwah day-sahndrPas de problème, je vous préviens avant.
No problem, I'll let you know beforehand.pah duh proh-blem, zhuh voo pray-vyan ah-vahnA little context goes a long way
In France, 'vous' is the safe default with a driver you do not know; 'tu' would sound too familiar. Politeness is usually carried by 'Pouvez-vous...' and 's'il vous plaît' rather than by long sentences. In Quebec, drivers often say 'Je vous avise' or 'Je vous avertis' for 'I'll let you know', and 'le prochain arrêt' is standard there too. In Belgium and Switzerland the same request works, though local stop names and route words may differ.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Pouvez-vous me dire quand je descends ?' and expecting it to mean 'when I get off' in a future sense.
Try this instead: The present 'je descends' can describe a fixed plan, but for a request about a future stop it is clearer to use 'quand je dois descendre' (when I have to get off) or 'avant mon arrêt' (before my stop). Example: 'Pouvez-vous me prévenir avant mon arrêt ?' This removes any doubt about which stop you mean.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask a bus driver to tell you when to get off?
Show a sample answer
Pouvez-vous me dire quand je dois descendre ?
This uses the polite 'vous' form, the request verb 'dire', and 'descendre' for getting off. 'Pouvez-vous me prévenir avant mon arrêt ?' is also correct and very natural.
2The driver says 'C'est le prochain arrêt.' What should you do?
Show a sample answer
Get ready to get off now, because the next stop is yours.
'Prochain' means next, and 'arrêt' means stop. The driver is confirming that your stop is the one coming up, so you should move toward the door.
3Change 'Je descends à la gare' to say you are getting off at the market.
Show a sample answer
Je descends au marché.
'À la' becomes 'au' before a masculine noun like 'marché'. 'À la gare' stays 'à la' because 'gare' is feminine. Both are correct; the choice depends on the noun's gender.
Learn one sentence: 'Pouvez-vous me dire quand je dois descendre ?' Add your stop, listen for 'Oui', 'Je vous préviens' or 'C'est le prochain arrêt', and thank the driver as you leave.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s French into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr