This workshop gives you active speaking practice with a small set of French transport phrases. You will ask what time a bus or train arrives, say when it arrives, and talk about how long a journey takes. Each native example comes from a short recording, and the English meaning is explained before you try it. Work through the three tasks in order: first a guided exchange, then a listening choice, then a recall task where you take the other role. Speak out loud each time, and use the self-check notes to compare your answer with the recording.
Asking what time something arrives
When the vehicle is already clear from the conversation, you can ask the time with a short question. The recording «Il arrive à quelle heure ?» means "What time does it arrive?" Here il refers to the bus, train or plane that was already mentioned. If the vehicle is not clear yet, or you want to be extra clear, use the full noun instead. The recording «Le train arrive à quelle heure ?» means "What time does the train arrive?" Notice that the question word comes at the end, and the voice rises on heure. Practise both versions slowly, then a little faster. Keep the liaison in il arrive smooth: the sounds join together rather than stopping between words.
Saying an arrival time and a duration
To state an arrival time, use the same pattern with a time at the end. The recording «Le bus arrive à huit heures et demie.» means "The bus arrives at half past eight." In real schedules, French often uses the 24-hour clock, so half past eight in the evening would be written 20 h 30. To talk about how long a journey takes, use the verb prendre. The recording «Le trajet prend deux heures.» means "The journey takes two hours." Here trajet means journey or ride, and prend means takes. You can also ask about duration with a fixed question, as in the recording «D'accord. Le trajet prend combien de temps ?», which means "How long does the journey take?" The answer can add environ, meaning about, as in the recording «Il prend trois heures et demie environ.», which means "It takes about three and a half hours."
A full exchange at the station
Now put the pieces together in a longer exchange. In the recording «Bonjour, le bus pour Lyon part à quelle heure ?», a traveller asks "Hello, what time does the bus to Lyon leave?" The answer in the recording «Il part à quatorze heures. Il arrive à dix-sept heures trente.» gives both times: "It leaves at 2 p.m. It arrives at 5:30 p.m." These are 24-hour clock times: quatorze heures is 14:00, and dix-sept heures trente is 17:30. The traveller then asks about the length of the trip in the recording «D'accord. Le trajet prend combien de temps ?», and the answer in the recording «Il prend trois heures et demie environ.» gives the duration. When you speak, link the number and the word heures smoothly, and keep the final t in trente light. You can play both roles with the audio, but there is no automatic check, so use the self-check notes after each task.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
Il arrive à quelle heure ?
What time does it arrive?
eel a-REEV ah kel UHR
Le train arrive à quelle heure ?
What time does the train arrive?
luh tran a-REEV ah kel UHR
Le bus arrive à huit heures et demie.
The bus arrives at half past eight.
luh booss a-REEV ah wee-tUHR ay duh-MEE
Le trajet prend deux heures.
The journey takes two hours.
luh tra-ZHAY pran duh-ZUHR
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
Bonjour, le bus pour Lyon part à quelle heure ?
Hello, what time does the bus to Lyon leave?Il part à quatorze heures. Il arrive à dix-sept heures trente.
It leaves at 2 p.m. It arrives at 5:30 p.m.D'accord. Le trajet prend combien de temps ?
OK. How long does the journey take?Il prend trois heures et demie environ.
It takes about three and a half hours.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided exchange: ask and answer
Imagine you are at a station. A bus has already been mentioned in the conversation. You will ask what time it arrives, then answer as if you were the staff member.
Your task: First, say the short question from the recording «Il arrive à quelle heure ?» out loud. Then answer with the arrival time from the recording «Le bus arrive à huit heures et demie.». Repeat the pair three times, changing only your speaking speed.
Reply comprehension: choose the right time
You will hear or read a short answer about a bus to Lyon, and you must pick out the departure time, the arrival time, and the duration.
Your task: Read the recording «Il part à quatorze heures. Il arrive à dix-sept heures trente.» and the recording «Il prend trois heures et demie environ.». Say out loud which time is the departure, which is the arrival, and how long the journey takes. Then say the full answer from the recording «Il part à quatorze heures. Il arrive à dix-sept heures trente.» yourself.
Recall with correct roles
Now you will replay the station exchange, but this time you take the staff role and give the information.
Your task: A traveller asks you the question from the recording «Bonjour, le bus pour Lyon part à quelle heure ?». Answer with the departure and arrival times from the recording «Il part à quatorze heures. Il arrive à dix-sept heures trente.». Then the traveller asks the duration question from the recording «D'accord. Le trajet prend combien de temps ?», and you answer with the recording «Il prend trois heures et demie environ.».
Common questions
When should I use the short question and when should I use the full-noun question?
Use the short question from the recording «Il arrive à quelle heure ?» when the bus, train or plane is already clear from the conversation. Use the full-noun question from the recording «Le train arrive à quelle heure ?» when you mention the vehicle for the first time, or when you want to avoid any confusion. Both are polite and normal in everyday speech.
How do I talk about how long a journey takes?
Use the verb prendre with the journey as the subject. The recording «Le trajet prend deux heures.» shows the pattern with a journey of two hours, and the recording «Il prend trois heures et demie environ.» shows a longer answer with environ, meaning about. You can also ask the duration question from the recording «D'accord. Le trajet prend combien de temps ?» when you want to know the length of the trip.
Sources and further reading
- french: ask about arrival timeChecked September 2026
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