Preparing for a Walking Event | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At an event registration desk, two adults ask what to bring and where to leave a bag before a walking event..

EN → FR / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Preparing for a Walking Event to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

J'ai fini le formulaire.

zhay fee-NEE luh for-mew-LAIR I finished the form.
B

Pouvons-nous participer à la prochaine marche ?

poo-VOHN-noo par-tee-see-PAY ah lah proh-SHEN MARSH Can we join the next walking event?
C

Oui, vous pouvez participer à la prochaine marche.

wee, voo poo-VAY par-tee-see-PAY ah lah proh-SHEN MARSH Yes, you can join the next walking event.
A

Devons-nous apporter quelque chose ?

duh-VOHN-nooz ah-por-TAY kel-kuh SHOZ Should we bring anything?
C

Apportez une bouteille d'eau, s'il vous plaît.

ah-por-TAY ewn boo-TAY doh, seel voo PLAY Please bring a water bottle.
C

Vous pouvez laisser un grand sac au comptoir.

voo poo-VAY lay-SAY uhn GRAHN sak oh kohn-TWAR You can leave a large bag at the desk.
B

J'ai une petite bouteille d'eau avec moi.

zhay ewn puh-TEET boo-TAY doh ah-VEK MWAH I have a small water bottle with me.
A

Je vais laisser mon sac ici avant de commencer.

zhuh vay lay-SAY mohn sak ee-SEE ah-VAHN duh koh-mahn-SAY I will leave my bag here before we start.
B

J'ai hâte.

zhay AHT I am looking forward to it.

Word by Word

J'ai J'ai means “I have” in J'ai une petite bouteille d'eau avec moi, and it also begins the completed statement J'ai fini le formulaire. In J'ai fini, it works with fini to say that the form was completed; a reusable pattern is J'ai + an object, as in J'ai une bouteille.
fini In J'ai fini le formulaire, fini means “finished” and says that the form has been completed. It is the form of finir used with J'ai; a reusable pattern is J'ai fini + object.
le In le formulaire, le marks the specific form being discussed. It is used before a noun in a pattern such as le + noun.
formulaire Formulaire means “form” in le formulaire, referring to the event registration form that has been completed. It is commonly used with an article, as in le formulaire.
Pouvons In Pouvons-nous participer à la prochaine marche ?, Pouvons asks whether the speakers can join the event. It is the nous form of pouvoir; a reusable question pattern is Pouvons-nous + infinitive.
nous In Pouvons-nous and Devons-nous, nous means “we” and identifies the group that includes the speaker. It comes after the verb in these questions.
participer In participer à la prochaine marche, participer means “join” or “take part in” the walking event. It is used with à before the event or activity being joined, as in participer à + event.
à In participer à la prochaine marche, à introduces the event that the speakers want to join. The reusable pattern is participer à + an event or activity.
la In la prochaine marche, la marks the specific walking event being discussed. It is used before the noun phrase la prochaine marche.
prochaine In la prochaine marche, prochaine means “next” and identifies the upcoming event in the sequence. It is the form of prochain used with marche; a reusable pattern is la prochaine + event.
marche In la prochaine marche, marche means the walking event that the speakers want to join. It can be used with an article to name a walk or walking event, as in une marche.
Oui Oui means “yes” and confirms that the people asking may join the event. It can begin an affirmative reply, as in Oui, vous pouvez participer.
vous In vous pouvez participer and vous pouvez laisser, vous means “you” for the person or people being addressed. In s'il vous plaît, it is part of the fixed polite expression; a reusable pattern is vous pouvez + infinitive.
pouvez In vous pouvez participer and vous pouvez laisser, pouvez means “can” or “are allowed to.” It is the form of pouvoir used with vous and is followed here by an infinitive: pouvez + participer or pouvez + laisser.
Devons In Devons-nous apporter quelque chose ?, Devons asks whether the speakers should or must bring something. It is the nous form of devoir; a reusable question pattern is Devons-nous + infinitive.
apporter In Devons-nous apporter quelque chose ?, apporter means “bring” something to the event. It is an infinitive after Devons-nous and can be reused with an object, as in apporter quelque chose.
quelque chose The whole expression quelque chose means “something” or, in the question Devons-nous apporter quelque chose ?, “anything.” quelque contributes the idea of “some” or an unspecified amount, while chose means “thing”; together they refer to an unspecified thing. The reusable pattern is apporter quelque chose.
Apportez Apportez is a direct request to bring something in Apportez une bouteille d'eau, s'il vous plaît. It is the request form of apporter used with the object une bouteille d'eau; a reusable pattern is Apportez + object.
une In une bouteille d'eau, une means “a” and introduces one non-specific bottle. It is used before the noun phrase une bouteille d'eau.
bouteille Bouteille means “bottle” in une bouteille d'eau, specifically the bottle to bring to the walking event. A reusable expression from the dialogue is bouteille d'eau.
d'eau In bouteille d'eau, d'eau means “of water” and specifies the type of bottle. It follows the noun in the pattern bouteille d'eau.
s'il vous plaît The whole expression s'il vous plaît means “please” and makes Apportez une bouteille d'eau a polite request. s'il contains si and il, vous refers to the person addressed, and plaît is the verb form used in this expression; the components work together as one polite formula. It can be used with a request such as Apportez une bouteille d'eau, s'il vous plaît.
laisser In laisser mon sac ici and laisser un grand sac au comptoir, laisser means “leave” or place something somewhere. A reusable pattern is laisser + object + place, as in laisser mon sac ici.
un In un grand sac, un means “a” and introduces one non-specific bag. It is used before the adjective and noun in the pattern un grand sac.
grand In un grand sac, grand describes the bag as large. It appears with the noun in the reusable phrase un grand sac.
sac Sac means “bag” in un grand sac and mon sac. The dialogue uses it for a bag left at the desk; reusable patterns are un grand sac and mon sac.
au In au comptoir, au means “at the” and identifies the desk or counter as the place where the bag may be left. It is used before a place in the pattern au + place.
comptoir Comptoir means “desk” or “counter” in au comptoir, referring to the event registration desk. A reusable location expression is au comptoir.
petite In une petite bouteille d'eau, petite describes the bottle as small. It is used before the noun in the pattern une petite + noun.
avec In avec moi, avec means “with” and shows who the bottle is carried with. It is followed here by the pronoun moi; a reusable pattern is avec + person.
moi In avec moi, moi means “me” and identifies the speaker as the person carrying the bottle. The reusable expression is avec moi, meaning “with me.”
Je Je means “I” and is the subject of Je vais laisser mon sac ici avant de commencer. It can be followed by a verb in a pattern such as Je vais + infinitive.
vais In Je vais laisser mon sac ici, vais means “am going to” or “will” and presents the speaker's planned action. It is the Je form of aller used with the infinitive laisser; a reusable pattern is Je vais + infinitive.
mon In mon sac, mon means “my” and shows that the bag belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It is placed before the noun in the pattern mon + noun.
ici In laisser mon sac ici, ici means “here” and identifies the place where the speaker will leave the bag. It can follow a verb to specify location, as in laisser ... ici.
avant In avant de commencer, avant means “before” and places the bag-leaving action earlier than the start of the event. The reusable time pattern is avant de + infinitive.
de In avant de commencer, de links avant to the infinitive commencer and completes the expression meaning “before starting.” The reusable pattern is avant de + infinitive.
commencer In avant de commencer, commencer means “start,” referring to the beginning of the walking event. It is an infinitive after avant de; the reusable pattern is avant de commencer.
hâte In J'ai hâte, hâte is part of the expression meaning that the speaker is looking forward to the event. A common reusable pattern is J'ai hâte de + infinitive when saying that one is eager for a future action.

Grammar Points

avant de + infinitif

avant de commencer

ah-VAHN duh koh-mahn-SAY

before starting

Use avant de before an infinitive to express that one action happens earlier than another.

French Vocabulary

apporter verb
ah-por-TAY to bring Apportez

Apportez une bouteille d'eau, s'il vous plaît.

bouteille noun
boo-TAY bottle

une bouteille d'eau

eau noun
OH water

une bouteille d'eau

finir verb
fee-NEER to finish fini

J'ai fini le formulaire.

formulaire noun
for-mew-LAIR form

le formulaire

grand adj
GRAHN large; big

un grand sac

laisser verb
lay-SAY to leave

Vous pouvez laisser un grand sac au comptoir.

marche noun
MARSH walk; walking event

la prochaine marche

participer verb
par-tee-see-PAY to participate; to join

participer à la prochaine marche

prochain adj
proh-SHAN next prochaine

la prochaine marche

quelque chose pron
kel-kuh SHOZ something; anything

Devons-nous apporter quelque chose ?

s'il vous plaît phrase
seel voo PLAY please

Apportez une bouteille d'eau, s'il vous plaît.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I finished the form.

Show AnswerJ'ai fini le formulaire.

Should we bring anything?

Show AnswerDevons-nous apporter quelque chose ?

I am looking forward to it.

Show AnswerJ'ai hâte.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

walk; walking event

Show Answermarche

form

Show Answerformulaire

to bring

Show AnswerApportez

to participate; to join

Show Answerparticiper