Checking the Platform Before Boarding | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Sur quel quai devons-nous aller ?

   Which platform should we go to?

   Sur

   to / on

   quel

   which

   quai

   platform

   devons-nous

   should we

   aller

   go

   More detail

   Sur is the preposition used here with aller to indicate the destination: “to” a platform. Its meaning is different from the location sense “on” in a sentence such as Le train est sur le quai (“The train is on the platform”). quel means “which” and agrees with the noun it describes. Here it is masculine singular because quai is masculine singular. Useful forms include quel (masculine singular), quelle (feminine singular), quels (masculine plural), and quelles (feminine plural). For example: Quelle voie devons-nous prendre ? — “Which track should we take?” quai means “platform” in this travel context. It is a masculine noun: un quai, le quai; its plural is quais. The following context confirms the same intended meaning in le quai deux, “platform two.” devons-nous combines the present-tense form devons of devoir (“must” or “should”) with the subject pronoun nous (“we”). Devons is the first-person plural form: nous devons. In this question, placing the verb before the pronoun and joining them with a hyphen creates the formal inversion pattern devons-nous. The form expresses what we should or must do; it is not the verb “go” itself. aller is the infinitive “to go.” After devons-nous, the infinitive names the action that is required or advisable. The useful pattern is devoir + infinitive, as in Nous devons attendre — “We must wait.” Together, sur quel quai asks for the destination platform, while devons-nous aller asks which platform we should go to. The whole utterance therefore means “Which platform should we go to?” The inversion makes it a formal, direct question.

2. Le panneau indique le quai deux.

   The sign points to platform two.

   panneau

   sign

   indique

   points to

   quai

   platform

   deux

   two

   More detail

   panneau means “sign” here. It is a masculine noun; its plural is panneaux. The article in le panneau is therefore the masculine singular definite article. Example: Le panneau est clair. — “The sign is clear.” indique comes from indiquer, “to indicate” or “point to.” Here it is the present-tense form for a third-person singular subject: il/elle indique. The ending reflects the subject le panneau, not quai. Example: Le panneau indique la sortie. — “The sign points to the exit.” quai means “platform” in this travel context. It is a masculine noun, so the phrase uses le quai. Its plural is quais; the final letters are not pronounced in the same way as a separate added syllable. Example: Nous attendons sur le quai. — “We are waiting on the platform.” deux is the number word “two.” In this utterance, it identifies the platform by its number: le quai deux, “platform two.” This is a number label in the phrase, not an assertion that two platforms are involved. Example: Le train part du quai deux. — “The train leaves from platform two.” Together, Le panneau indique means “The sign points to” or “The sign indicates,” and le quai deux names the destination identified by the sign. The complete utterance is: “The sign points to platform two.”

3. Je ne peux pas lire les petits caractères d'ici.

   I can't read the small letters from here.

   Je ne peux pas

   I can't

   lire

   read

   petits

   small

   caractères

   letters

   d'ici

   from here

   More detail

   Je ne peux pas means “I can’t.” It is the first-person singular present form of pouvoir (“to be able to, can”) with French negation around the verb: ne ... pas. The useful pattern is je ne peux pas + infinitive, meaning “I can’t + verb.” In less formal speech, ne is often omitted, but it is present in this sentence. lire is the infinitive “to read.” After pouvoir, the following verb stays in the infinitive: Je peux lire means “I can read,” while Je ne peux pas lire means “I can’t read.” petits means “small” here. Its base form is petit; petits is the masculine plural form, agreeing with the plural noun caractères. For comparison, plus petit means “smaller,” but that comparative meaning is not present here. caractères means “letters” in this context, referring to the written symbols being read. Its singular form is caractère, and the plural is caractères. The same French noun can have other context-dependent meanings, such as “characters” or “traits,” so the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning here. d'ici means “from here.” It is the contraction of de (“from/of”) and ici (“here”). This phrase specifies the point from which the reading is difficult: the speaker cannot read the small letters while at this location. Together, Je ne peux pas lire expresses inability, les petits caractères identifies what cannot be read, and d'ici gives the viewpoint or location. The complete meaning is: “I can’t read the small letters from here.”

4. Il dit que le train part dans dix minutes.

   It says the train leaves in ten minutes.

   Il

   it

   dit

   says

   que

   that

   train

   train

   part

   leaves

   dans dix minutes

   in ten minutes

   More detail

   Il is the third-person singular subject pronoun. Here, following the fixed translation, it refers to the source that is giving the information; French il itself marks masculine singular, but does not by itself show whether the referent is a person or a thing. The same form can mean “he” in another context. dit comes from dire, “to say/tell.” dit is the present-tense form for il/elle/on: il dit = “he/it says.” Compare je dis (“I say”) and ils disent (“they say”). que introduces the content of what is said: dire que + clause means “to say that + clause.” Example: Elle dit que le magasin est fermé. — “She says that the shop is closed.” train means “train.” In le train, le agrees with this masculine singular noun and also marks it as definite, giving “the train.” Gender explains why the article is masculine rather than feminine, while number and definiteness also matter. Example: Le train arrive. — “The train arrives.” part comes from partir, “to leave.” It is the present-tense form for il/elle/on: il part = “he/it leaves.” In this sentence, the present describes an upcoming departure; it does not necessarily mean the train is leaving at this exact moment. The useful contrast is arriver (“to arrive”) versus partir (“to leave”). dans dix minutes means “in ten minutes.” dans places a future event after a stated amount of time: Je pars dans cinq minutes. — “I’m leaving in five minutes.” dix is the number ten, and minutes is the plural of minute. Together, Il dit que introduces the information, le train part states that the train leaves, and dans dix minutes gives the time until it happens. The complete meaning is: “It says the train leaves in ten minutes.”

5. Je vais aux toilettes avant de monter dans le train.

   I'm going to use the restroom before we board.

   Je vais

   I am going

   toilettes

   restroom

   avant de

   before

   monter

   board

   train

   train

   More detail

   Je vais means “I’m going” here. vais is the first-person singular present form of aller (“to go”): je vais, tu vas, il/elle va. In this sentence it describes movement toward a place, because it is followed by aux toilettes. The same form can also help form the near future when followed by an infinitive, as in Je vais partir (“I’m going to leave”), but that is not its function here. toilettes means “restroom” in this context. It is a plural noun in form, and the usual expression is aller aux toilettes (“to go to the restroom”). aux combines à (“to”) with plural les; the expression therefore uses the plural form even when referring to one restroom visit. avant de introduces an action that happens earlier than another action. It is followed by an infinitive: avant de partir means “before leaving.” Here, avant de monter means “before boarding.” The infinitive after de does not show a separate subject; its understood subject is supplied by the sentence and context. The fixed translation presents that boarding action as “we board.” monter means “to get on” or “to board” here. The verb is in the infinitive after avant de. With a vehicle, monter dans commonly means “to get on/in”: monter dans le train means “to board the train.” In another context, monter can mean “to go up,” so dans le train specifies the vehicle-related meaning here. train means “train.” It is a masculine noun, as shown by le train (“the train”). The noun is not pluralized here: les trains means “the trains.” Together, Je vais aux toilettes says “I’m going to the restroom,” and avant de monter dans le train adds the earlier action “before boarding the train.” The whole utterance means: “I’m going to use the restroom before we board.”

6. Je vais garder les sacs avec moi.

   I'll keep the bags with me.

   Je vais

   I am going

   garder

   keep

   sacs

   bags

   avec moi

   with me

   More detail

   Je vais contains the first-person singular present form vais of aller, whose base form is aller. With an infinitive, je vais + infinitive forms the French near future, meaning “I am going to …” or “I’ll …”. Here, the following infinitive is garder. Vais is the form used with je; other subjects use other forms. Example: Je vais partir. — “I’m going to leave.” garder is the infinitive meaning “to keep” here: to retain the bags with oneself. Its meaning depends on context; for example, garder un enfant can mean “to look after a child,” but that is not the meaning here. After je vais, the verb stays in the infinitive: je vais garder. sacs is the plural of sac, “bag.” The written final -s marks the plural, although it is normally silent in French. In les sacs, the noun phrase means “the bags,” matching the fixed translation. avec moi means “with me.” avec is the preposition “with,” and moi is the stressed first-person pronoun used after a preposition. This contrasts with the subject form je in Je vais. Here, “with me” presents the bags as staying in the speaker’s possession or alongside the speaker. Example: Viens avec moi. — “Come with me.” Together, Je vais garder les sacs avec moi means “I’ll keep the bags with me.” The reusable pattern is je vais + infinitive for the near future, followed by the object les sacs and avec moi, which specifies that the bags stay with the speaker.

7. Reste près de ce panneau, s'il te plaît.

   Please stay near this sign.

   Reste

   stay

   près de

   near

   ce

   this

   panneau

   sign

   s'il te plaît

   please

   More detail

   Reste comes from rester, “to stay/remain.” Here it is the imperative addressed to one person: reste = “stay.” The subject tu is understood rather than stated. For a polite command to several people or to one person addressed formally, French uses restez. près de is a reusable preposition meaning “near/close to” and is followed by the thing or person whose location is being described. Example: Le café est près de la gare. — “The café is near the station.” ce is the masculine singular demonstrative determiner, used before a masculine singular noun. In ce panneau, it agrees with panneau, which is masculine singular; this form does not by itself specify how physically near the sign is. Compare cette porte — “this door” — with a feminine singular noun, and ces panneaux — “these signs” — with a plural noun. panneau means “sign” here. Its plural is panneaux, with the spelling change from singular -eau to plural -eaux. Example: Je vois un panneau. — “I see a sign.” S'il te plaît is the familiar form of “please.” It is used when addressing someone with tu; the formal or plural form is s'il vous plaît. This expression is written with the contraction s'il, from si + il. Together, Reste près de ce panneau means “Stay near this sign”: the imperative tells one person to remain, près de gives the location, and ce panneau identifies the sign. S'il te plaît softens the command as a request, yielding “Please stay near this sign.”

8. Je vais regarder le tableau pour voir si le quai change.

   I'll watch the board in case the platform changes.

   Je vais

   I’m going to

   regarder

   watch; look at

   le tableau

   the board

   pour voir

   to see

   si

   whether; if

   le quai

   the platform

   change

   changes

   More detail

   Je vais uses the first-person singular present form of aller, followed by an infinitive. This is the common French near-future pattern aller + infinitive: Je vais regarder means “I’m going to watch/look at,” rather than simply “I go.” Example: Je vais attendre. — “I’m going to wait.” regarder is the infinitive meaning “to look at” or “to watch.” It is the action planned after vais; the infinitive does not show a separate subject here. Example: Elle va regarder le panneau. — “She is going to look at the sign.” le tableau means “the board.” Tableau is a masculine singular noun, so it takes the masculine singular article le. The article is grammatical agreement, not a statement about quantity. Example: Le tableau est visible. — “The board is visible.” pour voir expresses purpose: pour + infinitive means “in order to” or simply “to” do something. Voir is the infinitive “to see”; its present forms are irregular, including je vois and il/elle voit. Example: Je viens pour voir. — “I’m coming to see.” si introduces the yes-or-no issue being checked here: “whether” or “if.” In the reusable pattern voir si + clause, it means “see whether ...,” not the hypothetical condition in a sentence such as Si le quai change, je partirai (“If the platform changes, I will leave”). le quai means “the platform.” Quai is a masculine singular noun, which accounts for le. Here, the fixed translation identifies this platform as the relevant thing that may change. change is the third-person singular present form of changer, “to change.” The subject is le quai, so the verb is singular. The infinitive is changer; present forms include je change and il/elle change, so the written form change can represent both the first-person and third-person singular present depending on the subject. Example: Le quai change. — “The platform changes.” Together, Je vais regarder le tableau states a planned action, pour voir gives its purpose, and si le quai change supplies the yes-or-no matter being checked. The whole utterance means: “I’m going to watch the board to see whether the platform changes.”