About This Lesson
Use Checking a room to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
La salle est prête ?
lah SAHL eh PREHT Is the room ready?
B
Les chaises sont en place.
lay SHEHZ sohn tahn PLAHS The chairs are in place.
A
L'écran fonctionne ?
lay KRAHN fohnk-SYOHN Is the screen working?
B
L'image est nette.
lee-MAHZH eh NEHT The picture looks clear.
A
Est-ce qu'on a des marqueurs ?
ess-kohn ah day mar-KUR Do we have markers?
B
Ils sont sur la table.
eel sohn syur lah TAHBL They're on the table.
A
Est-ce qu'il y a de la place pour bouger ?
ess-keel yah duh lah PLAHS poor boo-ZHAY Is there space to move around?
B
Il y a assez de place pour marcher.
eel yah ah-SAY duh PLAHS poor mar-SHAY There's enough room to walk around.Word by Word
La
“La” means “the” in “La salle est prête ?” and comes before the feminine singular noun “salle”. This is a definite article used to identify a specific room, such as a room being checked before use.
salle
“Salle” means “room” in “La salle est prête ?”. It refers here to the shared room where the chairs, screen, and markers are checked. Use it after an article when referring to a room, as in “La salle”.
est
“Est” means “is” in “La salle est prête ?” and is a form of “être”. It links “la salle” with its condition, “prête”; use it before a description of a person or thing.
prête
“Prête” means “ready” in “La salle est prête ?”. It is the form of “prêt” used with “la salle” here. Use it after “être” to ask or state whether something is ready.
Les
“Les” means “the” in “Les chaises sont en place.” and introduces the plural noun “chaises”. It identifies the chairs in the room; use it before a plural noun when referring to specific things.
chaises
“Chaises” means “chairs” in “Les chaises sont en place.”. It is the plural form of “chaise” and refers to the chairs in the room. Use it after a plural article such as “Les” when talking about specific chairs.
sont
“Sont” means “are” in “Les chaises sont en place.” and is a form of “être”. It links the plural subject “les chaises” with their location or condition; use it before a description of plural things.
en
“En” contributes to the meaning “in place” in “Les chaises sont en place.”. Together with “place”, it describes the chairs as correctly positioned. Use “en place” after “être” to say that something is positioned as needed.
place
“Place” contributes to the expression “en place”, meaning “in place” in “Les chaises sont en place.”. Here it refers to the correct position of the chairs, not to open space. Use the complete pattern “être en place” when checking whether things are positioned correctly.
L'écran
“L'écran” means “the screen” in “L'écran fonctionne ?”. It is “l'” before “écran”, with the article shortened before a vowel sound. Use it as the subject when asking whether a screen is working.
fonctionne
“Fonctionne” means “works” or “is working” in “L'écran fonctionne ?” and comes from “fonctionner”. It describes whether the screen operates correctly. Use it after a device or machine when checking its operation.
L'image
“L'image” means “the picture” or “the image” in “L'image est nette.”. It is “l'” before “image”, with the article shortened before a vowel sound. Use it as the subject when describing the picture shown on a screen.
nette
“Nette” means “clear” or “sharp” in “L'image est nette.”. It is the form of “net” used with “l'image” here. Use it after “être” to describe an image that can be seen clearly.
Est-ce que
“Est-ce que” is the question marker in “Est-ce qu'on a des marqueurs ?” and “Est-ce qu'il y a de la place pour bouger ?”. The whole expression turns the following statement into a yes-or-no question; “Est-ce” and “que” work together, with the following subject and verb in their usual order. Use it before a statement when asking a straightforward question.
qu'on
“Qu'on” connects the question marker to the subject and verb in “Est-ce qu'on a des marqueurs ?”. It is “que” plus “on”, where “on” refers to “we” in this dialogue. Use it before a verb when asking whether “we” have or do something.
a
“A” means “has” in “Est-ce qu'on a des marqueurs ?” and is a form of “avoir”. With “on”, it asks whether the group has markers available. Use “avoir” with an object when asking whether someone has something.
des
“Des” introduces the plural noun “marqueurs” in “Est-ce qu'on a des marqueurs ?”. It means “some” or marks an unspecified plural quantity. Use it before plural things when asking whether some are available.
marqueurs
“Marqueurs” means “markers” in “Est-ce qu'on a des marqueurs ?”. It is the plural form of “marqueur” and refers to writing markers for the room. Use it after “des” when asking whether markers are available.
Ils
“Ils” means “they” in “Ils sont sur la table.” and refers to the markers. It is the subject of the sentence, while “sont sur la table” gives their location. Use it to refer back to a group of people or things.
sur
“Sur” means “on” in “Ils sont sur la table.” and introduces the surface where the markers are located. Use “sur” before a surface or object when saying that something is on it.
table
“Table” means “table” in “Ils sont sur la table.”. It is the object after “sur” and identifies the surface holding the markers. Use it with an article when referring to a particular table, as in “la table”.
qu'il
“Qu'il” connects the question marker to “il y a” in “Est-ce qu'il y a de la place pour bouger ?”. It is “que” plus “il”; here it introduces the fixed existence expression “il y a”, which asks whether space exists. Use “Est-ce qu'il y a” before a noun phrase when asking whether something is available or present.
y
“Y” is part of the fixed expression “il y a” in “Est-ce qu'il y a de la place pour bouger ?”. Together, “il y a” means that there is or are something; “y” does not carry the whole meaning alone. Use “il y a” before the thing whose presence or availability you are asking about.
de
“De” is part of “de la place” in “Est-ce qu'il y a de la place pour bouger ?”, which means “space” or “room” here. It appears with “la” in this expression for available space. Use the complete pattern “il y a de la place” when saying that there is room.
pour
“Pour” means “for” or “to” in “pour bouger” and introduces the purpose of the available space. Here it is followed by the infinitive “bouger”. Use “pour” before an infinitive to express what the space or another thing is intended for.
bouger
“Bouger” means “move” in “de la place pour bouger”. It is an infinitive after “pour” and describes moving around in the room. Use “pour + infinitive” when explaining what available space allows someone to do.
Il
“Il” is part of the fixed expression “Il y a assez de place pour marcher.”, which means that there is enough room to walk. In this expression, it introduces the statement that something exists or is available; it does not mean “he” here. Use “Il y a” before the thing that is present or available.
assez
“Assez” means “enough” in “Il y a assez de place pour marcher.”. It indicates that the available space is sufficient for walking. Use it before “de” and a noun in the pattern “assez de + noun”, as in “assez de place”.
marcher
“Marcher” means “walk” in “pour marcher”. It is an infinitive after “pour” and describes the activity the room has enough space for. Use “pour + infinitive” to state what the available room is sufficient for.
Grammar Points
Il y a + nom
Il y a assez de place.
eel yah ah-SAY duh PLAHSThere is enough space.
French uses the fixed expression « il y a » for both “there is” and “there are”; it does not change for number.
Nom féminin + adjectif accordé
La salle est prête.
lah SAHL eh PREHTThe room is ready.
A feminine adjective agrees with a feminine noun: « prêt » becomes « prête ».
French Vocabulary
chaise
noun
SHEHZ
chair
chaises
Les chaises sont en place.
écran
noun
ay-KRAHN
screen
l'écran
L'écran fonctionne ?
en place
phrase
ahn PLAHS
in place
Les chaises sont en place.
fonctionner
verb
fohnk-syoh-NAY
to work
fonctionne
L'écran fonctionne ?
image
noun
ee-MAHZH
picture; image
L'image
L'image est nette.
marqueur
noun
mar-KUR
marker
marqueurs
Est-ce qu'on a des marqueurs ?
net
adj
NEH
clear
nette
L'image est nette.
place
noun
PLAHS
space; room
Est-ce qu'il y a de la place pour bouger ?
prête
adj
PREHT
ready
La salle est prête ?
salle
noun
SAHL
room
La salle est prête ?
sur
prep
SYUR
on; on top of
Ils sont sur la table.
table
noun
TAHBL
table
la table
Ils sont sur la table.
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Is the room ready?
Show Answer
La salle est prête ?The chairs are in place.
Show Answer
Les chaises sont en place.Is the screen working?
Show Answer
L'écran fonctionne ?Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
chair
Show Answer
chaisesclear
Show Answer
netteroom
Show Answer
salleto work