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Leave your walker in the bridge

English: Leave your walker in the bridge

French: Laisser votre marchette dans la passerelle


Walkers and passengers’ own wheelchairs are larger and probably won’t fit anywhere in the cabin of the airplane. Usually, as the passenger boards the plane down the bridge, as they enter the plane, they leave their wheelchairs and walkers at the door of the airplane, inside the bridge. The walker or wheelchair is then taken down by the ramp agents and put into the cargo for the flight. Upon arrival, the walker or wheelchair is brought up again to the door of the airplane and the passenger can use it as soon as they exit the plane.


Sometimes, passengers are unsure where to leave their mobility device. For wheelchairs and walkers, you can tell them to leave them inside the bridge, beside the plane.


Vous pouvez=You can

Laisser=To leave (to allow something to remain)

La chaise (f) roulante=The wheelchair

La marchette (f)=The walker

Dans=In

La passerelle (f)=The bridge (terminal boarding bridge)

Vous pouvez laisser la chaise roulante dans la passerelle.

You can also point to the place in the bridge where they can leave the walker and say:

Vous pouvez laisser la marchette là-bas.

Là-bas=Over there, there

Note that “to leave” can be translated as “partir” or “laisser”. “Partir” means “to leave” in the sense of “to depart”. “Laisser” means “to leave” in the sense of “allowing something to remain”.


Also note the "bridge" that connects the terminal to the airplane is called "passerelle" in French. A generic bridge, over a river for example, is a "pont" (m).

 

Now available! Module 4 of Canadian French for Flight Attendants. Learn the French for:

-Less common food/drinks/special meals.

-Bag issues (bag won't fit/no more space).

-Announcements for mechanical problems, cancellations, airplane changes, diverting, etc.

-Delays because of fuel, catering, connection passengers, weather, etc.

-Tight/missed connections.

-And much, much more!


 

Flight Attendant Souvenirs. Souvenirs d’un agent de bord. Morocco, December 2019. Maroc, décembre 2019. Rabat part 2. Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The Mausoleum grounds are where the remains of the king and of his two sons are kept. Named after Mohammed V, the late sultan of Morocco, its construction was completed in 1971.


Walker, crutches, cane

English: Walker, crutches, cane

French: Marchette, béquilles, canne


People of all different levels of mobility fly. Often, they’ll have their mobility aids with them. We’ve already talked about wheelchairs (chaise roulante), but people also travel with walkers, crutches, and canes. As helpful flight attendants, we’re always lending a hand to people and we also need to make sure their mobility aids are properly taken care of for the flight. First, we should learn what the French words for each of these mobility aids are.


Walker=Marchette (f)

Crutch=Béquille (f)

Cane=Canne (f)


You may notice that the word for walker “marchette” comes from the French verb “marcher” meaning “to walk” or “to march”. “Marchette” is also the Canadian French word for “walker” and is what your French Canadian passengers will say. In European French, a walker is called a “déambulateur” (m).

 

Now available! Module 4 of Canadian French for Flight Attendants. Learn the French for:

-Less common food/drinks/special meals.

-Bag issues (bag won't fit/no more space).

-Announcements for mechanical problems, cancellations, airplane changes, diverting, etc.

-Delays because of fuel, catering, connection passengers, weather, etc.

-Tight/missed connections.

-And much, much more!


 

Flight Attendant Souvenirs. Souvenirs d’un agent de bord. Morocco, December 2019. Maroc, décembre 2019. Rabat part 1. Rabat is the capital city of Morocco, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline, a bit north of Casablanca. The walk along the shore is nice, where you can see Lighthouse Rabat, the Rabat Beach, and the Chouhada Cemetery.


The seat belt sign is off

English: The seat belt sign is off

French: La consigne des ceintures est éteinte


While we’re at it, the opposite of “illuminated” “allumé(e)” is “extinguished” “éteint(e)”.


French does not have an easy way to say “on” or “off”. When referring to the seat belt sign, which is a light, we can literally say in French “illuminated” and “extinguished”.


Allumer=To illuminate, to light

Allumé(e)=Illuminated

Éteindre=To extinguish, to put out

Éteint(e)=Extinguished

La consigne des ceintures est éteinte=The seat belt sign is off


In impromptu flight attendant announcements, it’s more common to remind passengers that the seat belt sign is still on. It’s not as common to tell passengers that the seat belt sign is off. However, after each landing, this is something the flight attendant is required to read in the standard regulatory “taxi-in announcement”. The exact wording of standard announcements varies from airline to airline, but the taxi-in announcement usually reminds passengers to stay seated with their seat belts fastened and baggage stowed until “the seat belt sign is switched off”.


Incidentally, when talking about “putting out a fire”, the French verb is also “éteindre”.

 

Now available! Module 4 of Canadian French for Flight Attendants. Learn the French for:

-Less common food/drinks/special meals.

-Bag issues (bag won't fit/no more space).

-Announcements for mechanical problems, cancellations, airplane changes, diverting, etc.

-Delays because of fuel, catering, connection passengers, weather, etc.

-Tight/missed connections.

-And much, much more!

 

Flight Attendant Souvenirs. Souvenirs d’un agent de bord. Morocco, December 2019. Maroc, décembre 2019. Finishing my stay in Fes, I headed to the Fes train station to take a train to Rabat, the capital city of Morocco. The trains have a first class and an economy class and the price difference is really minimal. Depending on the train, you might not get too much more except for a slightly wider seat, but it makes for a slightly more comfortable ride. You’ll notice the words “Gare de Fes” above the entrance to the Fes train station, and it teaches you what the French word for “(train) station” is: Gare (f).



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