French word

gare

Pronunciation

IPA/gaʁ/

Meaning

  • feminine nounstation

Example

Je vais à la gare.

I am going to the station.

Illustration for gare (station)

More examples

Il m'attend devant la gare.

He is waiting for me in front of the station.

Core concept

A railway place where trains arrive and depart, with passengers moving between platforms and carriages.

Common phrases

  • à la gare

    at the station

  • devant la gare

    in front of the station

  • la gare routière

    bus terminal

Similar words

station: A metro or tram station where vehicles arrive and depart and passengers board or disembark.
arrêt: A bus or tram stop where passengers board or disembark.
quai: A platform where trains stop for passengers to board or disembark.
terminus: The end of a route where trains or buses turn back.

Definition in French

Lieu où les trains s'arrêtent et où les passagers montent et descendent.

Word origin

French gare comes from Old French garer, linked to a Germanic root meaning to protect or keep safe, and gained its railway sense with nineteenth-century rail travel.

Usage tips

  • Gare is feminine, so standard expressions include une gare and à la gare, not un gare or au gare.

Word lists with this word