escale
/ɛs.kal/feminine
In French, the word for layover is escale.
The term escale refers to a break between stages of a journey. To express the action of having a layover or stopping over, French speakers typically use the phrase faire escale.
Meaning: break between stages of a journey (noun)
Which one should you use?
While escale refers to the stop itself, you might use une correspondance when specifically referring to the connecting flight or the transit process.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is feminine, so you use the indefinite article une to say une escale.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛs.kal/
Did you know?
- The word escale is a doublet of échelle, which means 'ladder'. One was borrowed from Italian while the other was inherited directly from Latin.
- The term faire escale can be used metaphorically in French to describe a brief pause in a career or a life path before moving on to a final destination.
- The term escale is deeply rooted in maritime history, originally describing a ship docking to take on supplies or seek shelter from a storm.
Examples in context
- Combien de temps dure l'escale?How long does the layover last?
- On a une pause de deux heures avant de reprendre l'avion.We have a two-hour layover before catching the next flight.
- J'ai une escale de deux heures à Paris.I have a two-hour layover in Paris.
- L'escale est trop courte pour sortir de l'aéroport.The layover is too short to leave the airport.
- Nous avons fait une escale à Dubaï.We had a layover in Dubai.
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are discussing their flight itinerary at home.
- EmmaCombien de temps dure l'escale à Londres ?How long is the layover in London?
- LucasElle dure seulement quatre heures, Emma.It only lasts four hours, Emma.
- EmmaC'est suffisant pour prendre un café ?Is that enough time to grab a coffee?
- LucasOui, c'est parfait pour une petite escale.Yes, it's perfect for a little layover.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “layover” translations and entries escale, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries escale, CC BY-SA 4.0.
