Mission: plan a train trip across Europe
En, au, aux with countries; à with cities; transport words; and buying a ticket at the station.
FrenchA2 · Plans and favoursAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Say "in / to" a country with en (feminine), au (masculine), aux (plural) and a city with à
- Say where you come from with de, du, des
- Say how you travel with en train, en avion, à pied, à vélo
- Buy a train ticket and understand the answers
Plans and favours: lesson 4 of 5
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Level Level A2 (around the DELF A2 exam). Real French: at the station ticket office and talking about trips.
What it is
Your mission: you're planning a trip from Paris to Brussels and then to the Netherlands. At the ticket office, buy a ticket from Agnès, then tell your friend Paul which countries and cities you'll visit and how you'll travel.
Countries. Most countries ending in -e are feminine; most others are masculine; a few are plural.
| Country type | to / in | from |
|---|---|---|
| feminine | en | de (d') |
| masculine | au | du |
| plural | aux | des |
| masculine starting with a vowel | en | d' |
Examples: en France, en Italie, en Espagne; au Portugal, au Japon, au Canada; aux États-Unis, aux Pays-Bas; en Iran; de France, du Japon, des États-Unis.
Watch out: le Mexique and le Cambodge end in -e but are masculine: au Mexique.
Cities: à (to / in) and de (from): à Bruxelles, de Paris.
Transport: en for vehicles you get inside: en train, en avion, en voiture, en bus. À for what you sit on or for walking: à vélo, à moto, à pied.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"I'm going to Portugal."
- le Portugal is masculine: au
- à is for cities, not countries
Show answer
Je vais au Portugal.. masculine country → au.
Why it matters
Travel is one of the most common topics of conversation and of the A2 exam: where you've been, where you're going, how you'll get there. The en / au / aux choice is something French speakers notice immediately, and the station vocabulary gets you a ticket and onto the right platform.
Worked example
At the ticket office:
- You: Bonjour, je voudrais un billet pour Bruxelles, s'il vous plaît.
- Agnès: Un aller simple ou un aller-retour ?
- You: Un aller simple, pour samedi matin.
- Agnès: Il y a un train à 8 h 25, direct. En seconde classe, c'est 49 euros.
- You: Parfait. Il part de quel quai ?
- Agnès: Le quai sera affiché vingt minutes avant le départ.
Later, to Paul:
- Samedi, je vais à Bruxelles en train. Après, j'irai aux Pays-Bas, à Amsterdam. Je reviendrai en France en avion.
Real French: un aller-retour is a return ticket and un aller simple a single. People often say je prends le train (I'm taking the train) instead.
Common mistake
Using à with countries: wrong: à France, wrong: à Japon. Countries take en / au / aux; cities take à.
And en vélo / à vélo: you'll hear both in speech, but à vélo is the standard form (you sit on it).
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"We're coming back from the United States."
- Plural country: des
- aux means to / in, not from
Show answer
Nous revenons des États-Unis.. from a plural country → des.
Key terms
- en / au / aux
- to, in (feminine / masculine / plural country)
- de / du / des
- from (feminine / masculine / plural country)
- à + city
- to, in a city
- un aller simple / un aller-retour
- a single / a return ticket
- le quai, la voie
- the platform, the track
- en train, en avion / à pied, à vélo
- by train, by plane / on foot, by bike
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| en / au / aux | to, in (feminine / masculine / plural country) |
| de / du / des | from (feminine / masculine / plural country) |
| à + city | to, in a city |
| un aller simple / un aller-retour | a single / a return ticket |
| le quai, la voie | the platform, the track |
| en train, en avion / à pied, à vélo | by train, by plane / on foot, by bike |
Practice
Sort it
en, au or aux?
… Italie
feminineShow answer
en. feminine
… Canada
masculineShow answer
au. masculine
… Pays-Bas
pluralShow answer
aux. plural
… Allemagne
feminineShow answer
en. feminine
… Mexique
masculine, despite the -eShow answer
au. masculine, despite the -e
… Japon
masculineShow answer
au. masculine
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
"She goes to work on foot."
- On foot is à pied
- On foot is à pied
Show answer
Elle va au travail à pied.. walking → à pied.
The agent asks « Un aller simple ou un aller-retour ? ». You want to come back too.
- A single is one way only
- Not a ticket type
Show answer
Un aller-retour, s'il vous plaît.. aller-retour = return ticket.
Build the sentence
Build "I'm going to Spain by plane."
Show answer
Je vais en Espagne en avion.. feminine country → en; plane → en avion.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. Play two characters at level A2, speaking naturally but clearly: first Agnès, a ticket agent at Paris Gare du Nord (vous), who asks single or return, day, time, class and gives the price and platform information; then Paul, my friend (tu), who asks which countries and cities I'll visit and how I'll travel. Ask one question at a time. After each of my answers, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch en / au / aux, à + city, and en train / à pied. When I have bought a ticket and named two countries and two cities with the right prepositions, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Countries: en (feminine), au (masculine), aux (plural); from: de, du, des.
- Le Mexique and le Cambodge are masculine: au Mexique.
- Cities: à (to, in), de (from).
- en train, en avion, en voiture; à pied, à vélo.
- Tickets: aller simple, aller-retour; quai, voie.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
"I live in Canada."
Show answer
J'habite au Canada.
"They're coming from Italy."
Show answer
Ils viennent d'Italie.
How do you ask for a return ticket to Lyon?
Show answer
Je voudrais un aller-retour pour Lyon, s'il vous plaît.
Further reading
- RFI, Journal en français facile: world news is full of en France, au Brésil, aux États-Unis.
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: A2 exercises on travel and transport.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.