#280 Asking a Taxi Driver to Take a Shortcut｜French Daily Life Phrases

When you take a taxi, there may be times when you want to avoid traffic or save time by asking the driver to take a faster route.

When making such a request, it is important to phrase it politely and considerately.

In this section, I will explain useful French expressions for asking a taxi driver to take a shortcut, following a realistic conversation example.

Dialogue

A

Bonjour. Pourriez-vous m’emmener à la gare, s’il vous plaît ?
（Hello. Could you take me to the station, please ?）

B

Bien sûr. Montez, s’il vous plaît.
（Of course. Please get in.）

A

Si possible, pourriez-vous prendre le chemin le plus rapide ?
（If possible, could you take the fastest route ?）

B

Oui, je vais éviter les rues les plus encombrées.
（Yes, I will avoid the busiest streets.）

A

Merci beaucoup. Pensez-vous qu’on arrivera dans moins de vingt minutes ?
（Thank you very much. Do you think we will arrive within twenty minutes ?）

B

Oui, s’il n’y a pas trop de circulation, ça devrait aller.
（Yes, as long as there is not too much traffic, it should be fine.）

1. Stating Your Destination First

Once you get into the taxi, the first thing you should do is tell the driver your destination.

The expression “Pourriez-vous ～ ?” uses the conditional form of the verb “pouvoir” (to be able to). It is commonly used to make polite requests and means “Could you … ?”

By using the conditional, the request sounds softer and less direct than a command.

Next, “m’emmener” is a contracted form of “me emmener,” shortened because it comes before a vowel sound. Here, “me” means “me” and “emmener” means “to take someone somewhere.” Together, “m’emmener” means “to take me.”

The phrase “à la gare” means “to the station.” In this case, the preposition “à” indicates direction or destination.

2. Asking for a Faster Route

If you are in a hurry or short on time, you can politely ask the driver to take a quicker route.

The phrase “si possible” means “if possible” and works as a softening expression, making your request sound more polite.

To express the idea of a shortcut, this example uses “le chemin le plus rapide,” literally meaning “the fastest route.” This is a superlative expression used to describe the route that allows you to arrive in the shortest amount of time.

In French, comparative and superlative forms are expressed as follows:

Another common word is “raccourci,” which means “shortcut.” The phrase “prendre un raccourci” means “to take a shortcut.”

3. Confirming the Estimated Arrival Time

If you are in a hurry, it is also helpful to check the estimated arrival time in addition to asking for a shortcut.

The expression “Pensez-vous que ～ ?” is used to ask for the other person’s opinion, expectation, or judgment.

The form “qu’on” is a contraction of “que + on.” In this context, “on” refers to “we” (including both the passenger and the driver). However, grammatically, “on” is treated as a third-person singular subject.

The verb “arrivera” is the simple future form of “arriver” (to arrive), third-person singular.

In French, the simple future tense is commonly used to express realistic expectations or predictions about future events. In this sentence, it conveys the idea of asking whether arriving within twenty minutes seems realistically possible.

The expression “dans moins de ～” is useful when talking about arrival within a certain amount of time.

Summary