aller simple
The French phrase for "one way ticket" is aller simple.
This phrase refers to a travel ticket that allows a person to travel to a destination without returning. You can use the shorter form un aller simple in spoken French, or the more complete noun phrase un billet aller simple, which explicitly includes the word for "ticket" (billet).
Which one should you use?
Use aller simple for a one-way ticket, whereas aller-retour is used for a round-trip ticket.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a noun meaning "a one-way ticket", the phrase is masculine and takes the indefinite article un.
Did you know?
- The term aller simple is frequently used in French films and books as a metaphor for a life choice or a path with no possibility of return.
- In French, the word billet is used for both a travel ticket and a banknote.
- The word simple in this context is not used to mean 'easy' or 'uncomplicated', but rather to indicate that the journey consists of a single leg of a trip.
Examples in context
- Un aller simple pour Birmingham, s'il vous plait.A one-way ticket to Birmingham, please.This sentence shows how to request a one-way ticket to a specific destination using aller simple.Tatoeba #13062 by sacredceltic, translation #2967037 by _undertoad
- Je voudrais un aller simple pour Lyon.I would like a one way ticket to Lyon.
- Est-ce un aller simple ou un aller-retour ?Is it a one way ticket or a round trip?
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are at a train station ticket counter.
- ManonEst-ce que vous voulez un aller-retour ?Do you want a round trip ticket?
- HugoNon, un aller simple sera suffisant.No, a one way ticket will be enough.
- ManonD'accord, Hugo. C'est pour quel trajet ?Okay, Hugo. What is the route for?
- HugoUn aller simple pour Lyon, s'il vous plaît.A one way ticket to Lyon, please.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
