French · Travel & Getting Around

"Ticket" in French: billet

le billet

Say it: bee-YAYmasculine · le billetnoun/bi.jɛ/

Note: metro and bus: le ticket

Ticket in French is often le billet, masculine, said bee-YAY. Un billet de train is a train ticket. For metro and bus, people also say un ticket. Keep billet as the main headword from the dictionary entry.

At the station machine

Je n'arrive pas à imprimer mon billet.
I can't print my ticket.
Practice French out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce billet

Say it

bee-YAY

/bi.jɛ/

Bee-YAY. The ll sounds like y in yes. Final t is silent. Stress the second syllable.

"Ticket" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le billetthe ticket

Train, plane, show, and many paper tickets.

un billet de train / d'aviona train / plane ticket

Travel bookings.

un ticketa metro or bus ticket

Common for city transport punches and apps.

réserver un billetto book a ticket

Online or at a counter.

How to use billet in real life

  1. 1At the station machine

    Je n'arrive pas à imprimer mon billet.

    I can't print my ticket.

    Mon billet for travel tickets is standard.

  2. 2Concert plans

    Tu as déjà acheté ton billet pour le concert ?

    Have you already bought your ticket for the concert?

    Billet covers show tickets too.

  3. 3Airport check

    Garde le billet électronique sur ton téléphone.

    Keep the electronic ticket on your phone.

    Billet électronique is widely understood.

Mistakes English speakers make with billet

Incorrect: La billet est cher.

Correct: Le billet est cher.

Billet is masculine: le billet, un billet.

Incorrect: J'ai besoin d'un ticket de train.

Correct: J'ai besoin d'un billet de train.

For trains, billet is the usual word. Ticket is more metro/bus.

Good to know

SNCF and airlines send un billet with a booking reference. In the metro, ticket survives in speech and on machines, which is why learners hear both words on the same trip.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Buying seats for a weekend train

  1. ChatPal

    On prend le billet maintenant ou plus tard ?

    Shall we get the ticket now or later?

  2. You

    Maintenant. Le billet sera moins cher.

    Now. The ticket will be cheaper.

  3. ChatPal

    Ok. Je réserve deux billets aller-retour.

    Okay. I'll book two return tickets.

  4. You

    Parfait, envoie-moi le mien par mail.

    Perfect, email me mine.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Ticket" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Ticket" in French

Is it billet or ticket?

Billet for trains, planes, and shows. Ticket is still common for metro and bus.

How do I say train ticket?

Un billet de train.

Is billet masculine?

Yes: le billet.

How do you pronounce billet?

Bee-YAY, silent t, ll like y.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in French. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.