Keeping a Place in Line | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: In a line, one adult asks another to hold a place while they go back for a wallet..

EN → FR / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Keeping a Place in Line to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Tu peux garder ma place une minute ?

tew puh gar-DAY mah PLAHS ewn mee-NEWT Can you save my place for a minute?
B

Je peux garder ta place pendant que tu n'es pas là.

zhuh puh gar-DAY tah PLAHS pahn-DAHN kuh tew neh pah LAH I can hold your spot while you are away.
A

J'ai oublié mon portefeuille.

zhay oo-blee-AY mohn por-tuh-FUHY I left my wallet behind.
B

Essaie de revenir vite.

eh-SAY duh ruh-vuh-NEER VEET Try to come back soon.
A

Je vais le prendre maintenant.

zhuh veh luh PRAHN-druh mahnt-uh-NAHN I will grab it now.
B

Je vais rester ici dans la file.

zhuh veh reh-STAY ee-SEE dahn lah FEEL I will stay here in line.
A

Je l'ai trouvé et je suis revenu tout de suite.

zhuh lay troo-VAY ay zhuh swee ruh-vuh-NEW too duh SWEET I found it and came right back.
B

Tu peux reprendre ta place ici.

tew puh ruh-PRAHN-druh tah PLAHS ee-SEE You can step back in here.

Word by Word

Tu Tu means “you” when speaking to one person. In “Tu peux garder ma place”, it identifies the person being asked to help. This form is used in a direct, familiar conversation.
peux peux means “can” here and is used to ask whether someone is able or willing to help. It is a form of pouvoir and comes before the infinitive in “Tu peux garder”. This pattern is useful for asking someone to do something.
garder garder means to keep or hold someone’s place in “garder ma place”. It is an infinitive after peux. Use it when asking someone to maintain a place or position while you are away.
ma ma means “my” before the feminine singular noun “place”. In “ma place”, it shows that the place belongs to the speaker. This possessive is useful when identifying something as your own.
place place means the speaker’s position or spot in the line in “ma place”. Together with garder, it refers to keeping that position available. Use it when talking about a place that someone occupies or wants to keep.
une une means “a” or “one” before the feminine singular noun “minute”. In “une minute”, it gives the short amount of time for which the place should be kept. This form is used with a feminine singular noun.
minute minute means “minute” in “une minute”. Here it specifies a short period of time. Use it to state how long someone should wait or keep something.
Je Je means “I” when the speaker talks about themself. It begins “Je peux garder ta place” and “Je vais le prendre”. This form is used as the subject when describing the speaker’s ability or intention.
ta ta means “your” before the feminine singular noun “place”. In “ta place”, it identifies the other person’s position in the line. This possessive is used when speaking directly to one person with tu.
pendant pendant marks the time during which something happens in “pendant que tu n'es pas là”. It works with que to introduce the period when the other person is away. Use “pendant que” to connect an action with another ongoing situation.
que que helps introduce the time clause in “pendant que tu n'es pas là”. Together, “pendant que” means “while”; pendant marks the time period and que introduces what happens during it. This construction is useful for linking two situations in time.
n'es n'es is the contracted form of ne and es in the negative expression “n'es pas là”. It begins the negation of being present or there. Use it together with pas, not alone, in this expression.
pas pas is the second part of the negation in “n'es pas là”, giving the meaning “not”. The two parts n'es and pas work together to say that the person is not present. This is useful when explaining that someone is away.
là là means “there” or “present” in “tu n'es pas là”. In this dialogue, the whole expression says that the person is away from the line. Use it to refer to a place or to someone’s presence there.
J'ai J'ai means “I have” and begins “J'ai oublié mon portefeuille”. It combines je with ai, a form of avoir, and works with oublié to describe something the speaker has already forgotten or left behind. Use this construction when reporting a forgotten item.
oublié oublié means “forgot” or “left behind” in “J'ai oublié mon portefeuille”. It is the completed action that follows J'ai. Use “J'ai oublié” before the object that was forgotten.
mon mon means “my” before the masculine singular noun “portefeuille”. In “mon portefeuille”, it shows that the wallet belongs to the speaker. This possessive is used to identify a personal item.
portefeuille portefeuille means “wallet” in “mon portefeuille”. It is the item the speaker forgot and needs to retrieve. Use it when talking about a wallet in a situation involving payment or personal belongings.
Essaie Essaie means “try” as a direct request or piece of advice in “Essaie de revenir vite”. It is a form of essayer and is followed here by de revenir. Use it when encouraging someone to make an effort to do something.
de de links Essaie with the following infinitive in “Essaie de revenir”. In this construction, it is part of the pattern meaning “try to come back”. Use it before an infinitive after this form of request.
revenir revenir means “to come back” in “de revenir vite”. It describes returning to the line after going away. Use it after de when telling someone to try to return.
vite vite means “quickly” or “soon” in “revenir vite”. It tells the person to come back without much delay. Use it after an action to specify that it should happen quickly.
vais vais means “am going to” in “Je vais le prendre” and “Je vais rester”. It is a form of aller used with an infinitive to announce an intended action. This construction is useful for stating what you plan to do next.
le le means “it” in “Je vais le prendre”, referring here to the wallet. It is placed before prendre as the object of that action. Use this object pronoun when the thing being taken is already clear from the conversation.
prendre prendre means “to take” or “grab” in “Je vais le prendre”. Here it describes retrieving the wallet. It follows vais and receives le as its object.
maintenant maintenant means “now” in “Je vais le prendre maintenant”. It emphasizes that the speaker intends to retrieve the wallet immediately. Use it to specify that an action is happening at the present time.
rester rester means “to stay” in “Je vais rester ici dans la file”. It describes remaining in the current place instead of leaving. It follows vais in a statement about the speaker’s immediate plan.
ici ici means “here” in “Je vais rester ici dans la file”. It points to the speaker’s current location, the line. Use it when indicating the place where someone is or will remain.
dans dans means “in” in “dans la file”. It introduces the location where the speaker will stay. Use it to connect rester with a place or area.
la la means “the” before the feminine singular noun “file”. In “la file”, it identifies the particular line the speakers are waiting in. This article is used with the noun file here.
file file means “line” or “queue” in “dans la file”. It refers to the group of people waiting in order. Use it when talking about waiting in a line.
l'ai l'ai means “it” plus a form of “have” in “Je l'ai trouvé”. Here l' refers to the wallet, and ai helps form the statement that the speaker found it. Use this object-pronoun position before trouvé when the item is already known.
trouvé trouvé means “found” in “Je l'ai trouvé”. It describes locating the wallet after it had been left behind. It is the form of trouver used with l'ai in this completed action.
et et means “and” in “Je l'ai trouvé et je suis revenu”. It joins the two actions of finding the wallet and coming back. Use it to connect actions or statements in sequence.
suis suis is a form of être used with revenu in “je suis revenu”. In this expression, it helps describe the speaker’s return rather than simply meaning “am”. Use it with revenu when stating that the speaker has come back.
revenu revenu means “came back” in “je suis revenu”. It describes the speaker’s return to the line after finding the wallet. It is used with suis in this expression.
tout de suite Together, tout de suite means “right away” or “immediately” in “je suis revenu tout de suite”. The expression is fixed: tout contributes the idea of the whole or complete sequence, de links the expression, and suite contributes the idea of sequence. Use it when saying that an action happened without delay.
reprendre reprendre means “to take back” or “resume” in “reprendre ta place”. Here it means returning to and taking the same place in the line again. It follows peux and is useful when inviting someone to resume a position or activity.

Grammar Points

pendant que + phrase

pendant que tu n'es pas là

pahn-DAHN kuh tew neh pah LAH

while you are away

pendant que introduces an action or situation happening at the same time as another one.

reprendre ta place

reprendre ta place

ruh-PRAHN-druh tah PLAHS

to take your place again

The possessive ta comes before the noun place; reprendre expresses taking or having something again.

French Vocabulary

essaie verb
eh-SAY try

Essaie de revenir vite.

garder verb
gar-DAY to keep; to save

Tu peux garder ma place une minute ?

minute noun
mee-NEWT minute

une minute

n'es pas là phrase
neh pah LAH are not there; are away

pendant que tu n'es pas là

oublié verb
oo-blee-AY forgotten; left behind

J'ai oublié mon portefeuille.

pendant que conj
pahn-DAHN kuh while

pendant que tu n'es pas là

peux verb
puh can

Tu peux garder ma place une minute ?

place noun
PLAHS place; spot

Tu peux garder ma place une minute ?

portefeuille noun
por-tuh-FUHY wallet

mon portefeuille

revenir verb
ruh-vuh-NEER to come back

Essaie de revenir vite.

ta det
TAH your

ta place

une det
ewn a; one

une minute

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I left my wallet behind.

Show AnswerJ'ai oublié mon portefeuille.

Try to come back soon.

Show AnswerEssaie de revenir vite.

I will grab it now.

Show AnswerJe vais le prendre maintenant.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

place; spot

Show Answerplace

to keep; to save

Show Answergarder

minute

Show Answerminute

can

Show Answerpeux