top of page
Search

To arrive early

English: To arrive early

French: Arriver en avance


Drawing more from Module 5 of Canadian French for Flight Attendants, we can learn some very relevant aviation expressions dealing with time. As our world revolves around time, we need to know the vocabulary to tell our passengers the status of our flight. Our pilots will often announce if our flight is early, late, or on time, and as the designated French-speaking flight attendant, we’ll need to translate.

The expression for “early” in French in “en avance”, literally “in advance”.


Arriver en avance=To arrive early

Partir en avance=To depart early

 

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. United Arab Emirates, February 2020. Émirats Arabes Unis, février 2020. After sand bashing, I went on an ATV ride across the dunes. Here’s a quick video of me following the guide.



Life vest

English: Life vest

French: Gilet de sauvetage


Airplanes are equipped with life vests or at the very least, flotation devices, in the event the plane has to make an emergency landing on water. If need be, their usage is explained to passengers during the safety demonstration before each flight, just like oxygen masks. Therefore the expression for “life vest” probably isn’t one that you’ll personally have to use very often, despite them being an integral part of aviation safety.


One situation in which you might have to use this expression in French is when you give baby briefings to passengers and have to tell them where the infant life vests are located in the aircraft.


Gilet (m)=Vest

De=Of

Sauvetage (m)=Saving, Rescue

Gilet de sauvetage=Life vest

 

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. United Arab Emirates, February 2020. Émirats Arabes Unis, février 2020. Sandbashing footage.



Bag for diapers

English: Bag for diapers

French: Sac pour les couches


Yet another baby-related term that flight attendants will encounter. After changing their baby in the lavatory, the guardian will hopefully dispose of the diaper in the garbage receptacle, and not throw it down the toilet, which will likely clog the toilet. Many of them, before the flight, will ask if you have a bag in which they can put the diaper before they throw it in the garbage, to help contain the smell for passengers who use the lavatory after. If your plane carries them, you yourself can offer a bag to the passenger as well.


Sac (m)=Bag

Pour=For

Couche (f)=Diaper

Sac pour les couches=Bag for [the] diapers

 

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. United Arab Emirates, February 2020. Émirats Arabes Unis, février 2020. Sand bashing and camels in the desert. From Abu Dhabi, I went on a day trip that started off with a sand bashing ride in an SUV over the dunes of the desert. The SUV was reinforced in case it tipped and rolled over. I don’t get airsick easily but funny enough I get slightly carsick when the car’s jolting over sand dunes. We stopped by a camel compound afterward.



bottom of page