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Talking About Transportation Strikes｜French Conversation Phrases
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In France, strikes (grèves) in public transportation such as trains, subways, and buses occur frequently.
During travel, it is not uncommon for your planned transportation to be disrupted. In such situations, being able to ask about the situation in French or confirm alternative options can give you peace of mind.
Here, I will introduce French expressions related to strikes, along with their grammatical points.
Contents
Dialogue
Excusez-moi, est-ce que les trains fonctionnent aujourd’hui ?
(Excuse me, are the trains running today?)
Non, il y a une grève.
(No, there is a strike.)
Ah, je comprends. Est-ce qu’il y a un bus pour aller à l’aéroport ?
(Oh, I see. Is there a bus to go to the airport?)
Oui, il y a un bus spécial toutes les trente minutes.
(Yes, there is a special bus every 30 minutes.)
Merci beaucoup pour l’information.
(Thank you very much for the information.)
Grammar and Expression Points
1. Expressing “There is a strike”
The French word for “strike” is une grève.
- Il y a une grève.
(There is a strike.)
Here, “Il y a …” is a very useful structure meaning “there is/there are.”
On news reports or station signs, you may often see:
- grève nationale (national strike)
- grève des transports (transportation strike)
2. Asking If Transportation Is Running
To ask whether trains or buses are running, use the verb fonctionner (to function, to operate).
- Est-ce que les trains fonctionnent aujourd’hui ?
(Are the trains running today?)
Note:
- With plural subjects (les trains, les bus) → fonctionnent
- With singular subjects (le métro) → fonctionne
3. Asking About Alternative Transportation
During strikes, “special buses” or “temporary trains” may run. To ask about alternatives, the structure “Est-ce qu’il y a … pour aller à … ?” is useful.
- Est-ce qu’il y a un bus pour aller à l’aéroport ?
(Is there a bus to go to the airport?)
Other examples:
- Est-ce qu’il y a un bus spécial pour aller au centre-ville ?
(Is there a special bus to go to the city center?) - Est-ce qu’il y a un train direct pour Paris malgré la grève ?
(Is there a direct train to Paris despite the strike?)
4. Asking About Frequency and Schedules
Since services are often reduced during strikes, it is useful to ask about frequency.
- toutes les trente minutes (every 30 minutes)
- toutes les heures (every hour)
- à partir de 8 heures (starting from 8 o’clock)
On station or bus stop signs, you may also encounter:
- Trafic perturbé (service disrupted)
- Service minimum (minimum service)
- Annulé (canceled)
Memorizing these phrases helps you quickly understand posted notices.
Summary
- une grève → “a strike”
- Il y a une grève. → “There is a strike.”
- fonctionner → “to operate/run” (used for trains, buses, etc.)
- Est-ce qu’il y a … pour aller à … ?
→ asking about alternatives (“Is there … to go to …?”) - toutes les … / à partir de …
→ expressions for frequency and starting time - Trafic perturbé / Service minimum / Annulé
→ useful signboard expressions
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