French Conversation · Level 33
90 words
French word
automate
Pronunciation
IPA/otomat/
Meaning
- masculine nounvending machine
Example
Nous avons acheté un billet à l'automate.
We bought a ticket at the vending machine.
More examples
Il y a souvent une file devant l'automate.
There is often a line in front of the ticket vending machine.
Core concept
An unattended machine that carries out a transaction, such as issuing a ticket or accepting payment.
Common phrases
un automate de billets
a ticket vending machine
à l'automate
at the ticket vending machine
Similar words
distributeur: A vending machine for drinks or food.
borne: An interactive kiosk for information access and ticketing.
guichet: A service counter where staff handle tickets and procedures.
Definition in French
Appareil automatique qui permet d'acheter des titres ou d'effectuer une opération sans intervention humaine.
Word origin
French automate comes from Greek automatos, meaning "self-moving," through learned Latin-based vocabulary and later acquired modern machine senses.
Usage tips
- Automate is masculine in French, so the usual article is "un automate," despite its final -e.
Other meanings
- automated devicenoun
Opposites
- guichetticket counternoun
Related words
- automatiqueautomaticadjective
- automatiserautomateverb
- automatisationautomationnoun