French Chat Mat: Transport
Talking about transportation is an essential part of everyday communication in French—from getting around town to planning a trip or giving directions. The French Chat Mat: Transport gives learners the vocabulary, sentence starters, and visual cues they need to confidently discuss how they travel, where they go, and the different ways to get there.
Perfect for novices and a helpful refresher for intermediates, this chat mat supports real-world language in a clear, accessible format.
Why Use a Transport-Themed Chat Mat?
A transportation theme helps students:
- Build useful, high-frequency vocabulary
- Describe how they get to school, activities, or destinations
- Compare different modes of transport
- Practice aller, prendre, marcher, and voyager
- Engage in interpersonal speaking about routines and travel habits
- Connect language learning to real-life situations
It also ties naturally into cultural discussions—subways, trains, buses, and transport systems in francophone regions.
What’s Included in the French Transport Chat Mat?
A well-designed transport chat mat might include:
Common Modes of Transport
- à pied
- à vélo
- en bus
- en voiture
- en métro
- en train
- en avion
- en taxi
- en bateau
- en trottinette
Useful Verbs & Phrases
- Je vais…
- Je prends…
- Je voyage en…
- J’arrive à…
- Je rentre…
- Je préfère… parce que…
High-Utility Sentence Starters
- Pour aller à l’école, je…
- Le weekend, je vais…
- Je prends souvent…
- Je n’aime pas…
- C’est rapide / lent / pratique / cher.
Extra Vocabulary
- les horaires
- un arrêt / une station
- les billets / les tarifs
- la circulation
- le trajet
- le covoiturage
Visual Icons
Images or icons representing each mode of transport help students understand and express ideas quickly.
Classroom Activities Using This Chat Mat
Here are a few engaging ways to bring the topic to life:
1. How Do You Get There?
Students ask each other how they travel to school, sports, or common places.
2. Map Navigation
Use a simple map and have students explain how to get from one place to another using à pied, en bus, etc.
3. Transport Preferences
Students explain which form of transportation they prefer and why.
4. Cultural Comparisons
Explore transportation systems in Paris, Montréal, Dakar, and other francophone cities.
5. Travel Stories
Students describe a real or imaginary trip using the modes of transport on the chat mat.
A Practical Tool for Real-World French
The French Chat Mat: Transport helps learners communicate about everyday routines and travel scenarios in clear, meaningful ways. With beginner-friendly vocabulary and sentence starters, it’s perfect for warm-ups, partner tasks, stations, or full thematic lessons.
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