English: We expect to depart from the gate soon.
French: Nous prévoyons partir de la porte bientôt.
Pilots often like to make a greeting announcement during boarding, or towards the end of boarding, before the plane has left the gate. They might say that we’re expecting to close the main cabin door and push back from the gate in the next 5 to 10 minutes. Remembering that our goal is to translate the main idea of the announcement in a simple way, for now we can just translate the message as “we expect to depart from the gate in about 5 to 10 minutes.”
Nous prévoyons=We expect
Partir=To depart
De la porte=From the gate
Dans environ cinq à dix minutes=In about five to ten minutes
Bientôt=Soon
Nous prévoyons partir (de la porte) dans environ cinq à dix minutes.
If you’re making the announcement while the plane is still at the gate, then “de la porte” becomes rather unnecessary. While the plane is still at the gate, if you say “nous prévoyons partir dans 5 minutes”, it’s clear you mean “partir de la porte”.
When appropriate, instead of specifying how many minutes, you can just say “soon” “bientôt”.
Nous prévoyons partir bientôt.
As a side note, in English, we say that the plane “pushes back” from the gate as a technical term for when the plane departs from the gate, usually pushed back by a tow truck. French has a technical verb for this as well “refouler” and a corresponding noun “pushback” “refoulement” (m). We recommend just using “partir (de la porte)” for the sake of simplicity. “Refouler” is a very technical term that you’ll likely never use in other contexts, whereas “partir” is a very common verb in French and you can use it in many other contexts as well. Furthermore, “refouler” is not a word that your francophone passengers will likely use.
Want to learn to speak the French you need to work as a flight attendant? Learn even more with Canadian French for Flight Attendants.
Dinner in Barcelona. Le souper à Barcelone. Enjoying vegan fare in Barcelona. This was at a restaurant called Teresa Carles close to Plaça de Catalunya. Tacos. Lasagna. Chocolate cake. Millefeuille.
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