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Dialogue

Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?

kuh duh-vree-ohn-NOO fehr meh-neh-NAHN What should we do now?

Commençons par la liste courte.

kuh-mahn-SOHN par lah LEEST KOORT Let's start with the short list.

Devrait-on finir la liste avant de revoir le fichier ?

duh-vreh-TOHN fee-NEER lah LEEST ah-VAHN duh ruh-VWAHR luh fee-SHYAY Should we finish it before reviewing the file?

On peut finir rapidement si on se partage le travail.

ohn puh fee-NEER rah-peed-MAHN see ohn suh par-TAHZH luh trah-VY We can get through it quickly if we split the work.

Alors, je prends la première partie.

ah-LOR zhuh prahn lah pruh-MYAIR par-TEE Then I'll take the first part.

Je m'occupe du reste.

zhuh moh-KEWP dew REST I'll handle the rest.

Après ça, on peut revoir ce qui n'est pas clair.

ah-PREH sah, ohn puh ruh-VWAHR suh kee neh pah KLAIR After that, we can review anything unclear.

J'ouvrirai le fichier quand la liste sera terminée.

zhoo-vruh-AY luh fee-SHYAY kahn lah LEEST suh-RAH tair-mee-NAY I'll open the file when the list is done.

Word by Word

Que In “Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?”, “Que” asks what action is being discussed. It is used at the beginning of a question before the subject and verb. New example: “Que veux-tu ?” asks what someone wants.

devrions-nous “devrions-nous” means “should we” and presents a suggestion or question about what to do. It is the conditional form of devoir with “nous” placed after the verb in the question. New example: “DevThat? devrions-nous attendre ?” asks whether we should wait.

faire “faire” means “to do” in “Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?”. It stays in this basic form after “devrions-nous”. A common pattern is “faire + activity” when asking or saying what to do.

maintenant “maintenant” means “now” and places the proposed action in the present moment. It can be added to a question or statement to specify when something should happen. New example: “Je commence maintenant” means that I am starting now.

Commençons “Commençons” means “let’s start” and invites the other person to begin together. This exact form is used at the start of “Commençons par la liste courte.” New example: “Commençons par le début” means “Let’s start with the beginning.”

par In “Commençons par la liste courte”, “par” means “with” and identifies the first thing to do. The reusable pattern is “commencer par + noun”. New example: “Je commence par le rapport” means “I start with the report.”

la “la” means “the” before the feminine noun “liste” in “la liste courte”. It is used directly before the noun and its adjective. A common pattern is “la + feminine noun”, as in “la tâche” for “the task”.

liste “liste” means “list” in “la liste courte”. It names the short set of items the two people will work through. New example: “J’ai une liste” means “I have a list.”

courte “courte” means “short” and describes “liste” in “la liste courte”. Its form matches the feminine noun “liste”. New example: “une réunion courte” means “a short meeting.”

Devrait-on “Devrait-on” asks whether something should be done, with “on” meaning “we” in this work discussion. It is the conditional form of devoir followed by the subject in an inverted question. New example: “Devrait-on commencer ?” asks whether we should start.

finir “finir” means “to finish” in “Devrait-on finir la liste”. It is the basic verb form used after “devrait-on”. A common pattern is “finir + object”, as in “finir le travail” for “finish the work.”

avant “avant” means “before” and introduces the action that must happen first in “avant de revoir le fichier”. The reusable pattern is “avant de + infinitive”. New example: “avant de partir” means “before leaving.”

de In “avant de revoir le fichier”, “de” links “avant” to the following infinitive “revoir”. Together, “avant de + infinitive” means “before doing something”. New example: “avant de commencer” means “before starting.”

revoir “revoir” means “to review” in “revoir le fichier”. It is the infinitive after “avant de”. A common pattern is “revoir + object”, such as “revoir le document” for “review the document.”

le “le” means “the” before the masculine noun “fichier” in “le fichier”. It identifies the specific file being reviewed. A common pattern is “le + masculine noun”, as in “le travail” for “the work.”

fichier “fichier” means “file” in “revoir le fichier” and “J’ouvrirai le fichier”. It refers to the work file the speakers plan to review. New example: “J’ouvre le fichier” means “I open the file.”

On “On” means “we” in “On peut finir rapidement”, referring to the two people working together. It is the subject placed before “peut”. In everyday work conversation, “on” commonly introduces an action done by a group.

peut “peut” means “can” in “On peut finir rapidement”. It expresses that completing the task is possible. It is followed here by the infinitive “finir”; the reusable pattern is “on peut + infinitive”.

rapidement “rapidement” means “quickly” and describes how the work can be finished in “finir rapidement”. It is placed after the verb phrase it modifies. New example: “Réponds rapidement” means “Answer quickly.”

si “si” means “if” and introduces the condition “si on se partage le travail”. It connects a condition with the possible result “On peut finir rapidement”. A common pattern is “si + clause” to state what must happen for something else to be possible.

se In “on se partage le travail”, “se” shows that the people share the work between themselves. It is part of the reciprocal construction with “partage”. The reusable pattern is “se partager + object” when people divide something among themselves.

partage “partage” means “shares” in “on se partage le travail”. With “se”, the expression describes the two people dividing the work between them. New example: “On se partage les tâches” means “We divide the tasks between us.”

travail “travail” means “work” in “se partage le travail”. It is the object that the two people divide between themselves. New example: “Le travail commence” means “The work starts.”

Alors “Alors” means “then” in “Alors, je prends la première partie.” It introduces the speaker’s decision after the previous suggestion. In conversation, “Alors” can also introduce the next step after reaching a decision.

je “je” means “I” and identifies the speaker who will take the first part in “je prends la première partie”. It comes before the verb in this statement. A common pattern is “je + verb” for describing one’s own action.

prends “prends” means “take” in “je prends la première partie”. Here it describes accepting responsibility for that part of the work. New example: “Je prends ce dossier” means “I’ll take this file.”

première “première” means “first” and identifies which part the speaker will take in “la première partie”. Its form agrees with the feminine noun “partie”. New example: “la première tâche” means “the first task.”

partie “partie” means “part” in “la première partie”. It refers to one section of the work being divided. New example: “Je fais cette partie” means “I do this part.”

m'occupe “m’occupe” means “take care of” or “handle” in “Je m’occupe du reste”. It is part of the construction “s’occuper de”, used here to say that the speaker will handle the remaining work. New example: “Je m’occupe du fichier” means “I’ll handle the file.”

du In “Je m’occupe du reste”, “du” means “of the” and follows “s’occupe” in the construction “s’occuper de”. It is the contracted form used before the masculine noun “reste”. New example: “Je m’occupe du travail” means “I’ll take care of the work.”

reste “reste” means “the rest” or “the remainder” in “du reste”. It refers to what is left after the first part has been taken. New example: “Je prends le reste” means “I’ll take the rest.”

Après “Après” means “after” in “Après ça”. It places the next action after the work just discussed. A common pattern is “après + noun or pronoun”, as in “après le travail” for “after work.”

ça “ça” means “that” in “Après ça”, referring to the preceding division of the work. Together, “Après ça” means “after that”. New example: “On parlera après ça” means “We’ll talk after that.”

ce In “ce qui n’est pas clair”, “ce” helps refer to whatever is not clear. It does not point to one named object; the whole expression means “what is unclear”. A common pattern is “ce qui + clause” when referring to something described by the following clause.

qui In “ce qui n’est pas clair”, “qui” introduces the part that describes what is unclear. Together with “ce”, it refers to whatever has that quality. New example: “Je comprends ce qui est important” means “I understand what is important.”

n'est “n’est” means “is not” in “ce qui n’est pas clair”. It is the contracted form of “ne” and “est” inside the negative expression “n’est pas”. New example: “Ce n’est pas prêt” means “It is not ready.”

pas “pas” completes the negation in “n’est pas clair”, making the meaning “is not clear”. In this expression, it follows the verb form “n’est”. The common pattern is “ne + verb + pas”, with “ne” shortened to “n’” before a vowel.

clair “clair” means “clear” in “ce qui n’est pas clair”. It describes information that still needs review or explanation. New example: “Le message est clair” means “The message is clear.”

J'ouvrirai “J’ouvrirai” means “I will open” in “J’ouvrirai le fichier”. It expresses the speaker’s planned future action, and the apostrophe joins “je” to the vowel-initial verb form. The reusable pattern is “J’ouvrirai + object”, as in “J’ouvrirai le document.”

quand “quand” means “when” and introduces the time condition in “quand la liste sera terminée”. It links the future opening of the file to completion of the list. New example: “Je viendrai quand tu seras prêt” means “I will come when you are ready.”

sera “sera” means “will be” in “la liste sera terminée”. It states the future condition that must be reached before the file is opened. A common pattern is “sera + adjective or participle” to describe a future state.

terminée “terminée” means “finished” in “la liste sera terminée”. Its form matches the feminine noun “liste” and describes the list’s completed state. New example: “La tâche sera terminée” means “The task will be finished.”

Grammar Points

Que + devrions-nous + infinitif ?

Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?

kuh duh-vree-ohn-NOO fehr meh-neh-NAHN

What should we do now?

In French, a formal question can use inversion: the verb comes before the subject pronoun, as in devrions-nous.

French Vocabulary

avant prep

ah-VAHN before

Devrait-on finir la liste avant de revoir le fichier ?

Commençons verb

kuh-mahn-SOHN let's start

Commençons par la liste courte.

courte adj

KOORT short

Commençons par la liste courte.

devrions-nous verb

duh-vree-OHN NOO should we

Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?

faire verb

fehr to do

Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?

fichier noun

fee-SHYAY file

Devrait-on finir la liste avant de revoir le fichier ?

finir verb

fee-NEER to finish

Devrait-on finir la liste avant de revoir le fichier ?

liste noun

LEEST list

Commençons par la liste courte.

maintenant adv

meh-neh-NAHN now

Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?

Que pron

kuh what

Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?

rapidement adv

rah-peed-MAHN quickly

On peut finir rapidement si on se partage le travail.

revoir verb

ruh-VWAHR to review

Devrait-on finir la liste avant de revoir le fichier ?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

What should we do now?

Show Answer

Que devrions-nous faire maintenant ?

Let's start with the short list.

Show Answer

Commençons par la liste courte.

Then I'll take the first part.

Show Answer

Alors, je prends la première partie.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

let's start

Show Answer

Commençons

short

Show Answer

courte

to do

Show Answer

faire

before

Show Answer

avant