French Phrase
À la gare, on vend des cartes de transport.
Meaning
The sentence tells a listener that at the train station, transport cards (such as tickets or travel passes) are sold. It’s a handy piece of information for anyone navigating public transport in a French‑speaking city.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re giving directions, answering a travel‑related question, or describing the services you can find at a railway station.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Àlagare,onvenddescartesdetransport.
À + location
The preposition à followed by a definite article (la) indicates a location, similar to “at” in English.
Impersonal "on"
"On" is an impersonal pronoun meaning “people” or “they”; it is conjugated like the third‑person singular.
Present tense of "vendre"
"Vend" is the present‑tense form of the verb "vendre" (to sell) for the third‑person singular.
Partitive article "des"
"Des" is the plural partitive article used before an indefinite quantity of countable nouns.
"de" linking nouns
The preposition "de" links two nouns to show a relationship, here “cartes de transport” = “transport cards”.
🗨In Conversation
Excusez‑moi, où puis‑je acheter une carte de transport ?
Excuse me, where can I buy a transport card?
À la gare, on vend des cartes de transport.
At the station, they sell transport cards.
✕Common Mistakes
À le gare, on vend des cartes de transport.
“Gare” is feminine; the correct article is “la”.
À la gare, nous vend des cartes de transport.
The subject is impersonal “on”, so the verb must be third‑person singular, not first‑person plural.
À la gare, on vend des carte de transport.
Plural nouns need the plural article “des”.
↔Alternatives
À la gare, on peut acheter des cartes de transport.
At the station, you can buy transport cards.
Des cartes de transport sont vendues à la gare.
Transport cards are sold at the station.
Vous trouverez des cartes de transport à la gare.
You will find transport cards at the station.
Cultural Tip
In France, the most common transport cards are the Navigo (for Paris region) and the T‑ticket. They are sold at ticket windows, automatic machines, and sometimes at newsstands inside the station. Remember that “gare” is feminine, so you say “la gare” and never “le gare”.