Resting a sore leg | Learn French in English

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Use Resting a sore leg to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ma jambe me fait un peu mal.

mah ZHAHMB muh feh uhn puh MAHL My leg hurts a little.

Assieds-toi sur cette chaise pendant un moment.

ah-SYAY twah SYUR set SHEHZ pahn-DAHN uhn moh-MAHN Sit on this chair for a moment.

J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui.

zhay troh mar-SHAY oh-zhoor-DWEE I walked too much today.

Pose ta jambe ici et repose-toi.

pohz tah ZHAHMB ee-SEE ay ruh-POHZ twah Put your leg up here and rest.

Est-ce que je peux marcher un peu plus tard ?

ess-kuh zhuh PUH mar-SHAY uhn puh ploo TAR Can I walk around a little later?

Marche seulement si ça va.

marsh seul-MAHN see sah VAH Walk only if it feels all right.

Le canapé est plus confortable que cette chaise.

luh kah-nah-PAY eh ploo kohn-for-TAHBL kuh set SHEHZ The sofa feels better than this chair.

Alors, assieds-toi là et ne bouge pas ta jambe.

ah-LOR ah-SYAY twah LAH ay nuh BOOZH pah tah ZHAHMB Then sit there and keep your leg still.

Word by Word

Ma “Ma” means “my” before “jambe” in “Ma jambe me fait un peu mal.” It shows that the leg belongs to the speaker. A common reuse pattern is “ma” + a noun for a feminine noun.

jambe “Jambe” means “leg” in “Ma jambe me fait un peu mal.” It is the body part being described as painful. You can reuse it with a possessive such as “ma jambe” when talking about your leg.

me In “Ma jambe me fait un peu mal,” “me” refers to the speaker who experiences the pain. It is part of the expression “me fait ... mal,” rather than meaning the whole expression by itself. A common reuse pattern is a person marker before “fait mal,” such as “me fait mal.”

fait In “Ma jambe me fait un peu mal,” “fait” is the form of “faire” used in the expression “me fait ... mal,” meaning that the leg hurts the speaker. The meaning comes from the full expression, not from “fait” alone. A common reuse pattern is “faire mal” for causing pain.

un In “un peu,” “un” contributes to the expression meaning “a little.” It helps express a small amount here, rather than referring to a separate object. A common reuse pattern is “un peu de” + a noun.

peu In “Ma jambe me fait un peu mal,” “peu” helps express that the pain is small in degree. Together, “un peu” means “a little.” You can reuse “un peu” before an adjective or another expression to indicate a small degree.

mal In “Ma jambe me fait un peu mal,” “mal” is part of the expression meaning “hurts” or “causes pain.” The full expression “faire mal” describes pain, so “mal” should not be understood as the whole sentence alone. A common reuse pattern is “ça fait mal” when something hurts.

Assieds-toi “Assieds-toi” means “sit down” in the instruction “Assieds-toi sur cette chaise.” It is a direct instruction addressed to one person, and “toi” refers to that person. A common reuse pattern is “Assieds-toi” followed by a place or object.

sur “Sur” means “on” in “sur cette chaise,” showing where the person should sit. It introduces the chair as the surface or place involved. A common reuse pattern is “sur” + a place or object.

cette “Cette” means “this” in “cette chaise,” identifying the particular chair being indicated. It comes directly before the noun it describes. A common reuse pattern is “cette” + a noun when pointing out one specific thing.

chaise “Chaise” means “chair” in “cette chaise.” It is the seat that the listener is told to use. You can reuse it with a demonstrative or possessive, such as “cette chaise” or “ma chaise.”

pendant “Pendant” means “for” in “pendant un moment,” giving the duration of the sitting. It introduces a period of time. A common reuse pattern is “pendant” + a time period.

moment “Moment” means “moment” in “pendant un moment,” referring to a short period of time. The full expression asks the listener to sit for a while. A common reuse pattern is “un moment” after “pendant.”

J'ai “J'ai” means “I have” and is the form of “avoir” used with “je” in “J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui.” Together with “marché,” it helps express what the speaker has done today. A common reuse pattern is “J'ai” followed by a past participle.

trop “Trop” means “too much” in “J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui,” showing that the amount of walking was excessive. It comes before “marché” here. A common reuse pattern is “trop” before a verb or adjective to express excess.

marché “Marché” means “walked” in “J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui.” It is the form of “marcher” used with “J'ai” to describe the walking the speaker did. A common reuse pattern is “avoir” with “marché” when referring to having walked.

aujourd'hui “Aujourd'hui” means “today” in “J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui,” identifying the day when the walking happened. It can be placed at the end of a sentence as here. A common reuse pattern is using “aujourd'hui” to locate an action in the current day.

Pose “Pose” means “put” or “place” in the instruction “Pose ta jambe ici.” It tells one person to place the leg in a particular position. This is the form of “poser” used in the instruction; a common pattern is “Pose” + an object + a place.

ta “Ta” means “your” in “ta jambe,” referring to the listener’s leg. It comes directly before the noun it identifies. A common reuse pattern is “ta” + a noun when addressing one person about something belonging to them.

ici “Ici” means “here” in “Pose ta jambe ici,” indicating the place where the leg should be put. It identifies the speaker’s or listener’s current location. A common reuse pattern is placing “ici” after an instruction about moving or putting something.

et “Et” means “and” in “Pose ta jambe ici et repose-toi,” linking two instructions. It shows that the listener should do both actions. A common reuse pattern is “et” between two verbs or instructions.

repose-toi “Repose-toi” means “rest” in “repose-toi.” It is a direct instruction telling one person to rest, and “toi” refers to that person. This form comes from “se reposer”; a common reuse pattern is using it as an instruction after telling someone to sit or lie down.

Est-ce “Est-ce” begins the question expression “Est-ce que” in “Est-ce que je peux marcher...?” The full expression introduces a yes-or-no question, so “Est-ce” does not carry the whole question meaning alone. A common reuse pattern is “Est-ce que” + subject + verb.

que In “Est-ce que je peux marcher...?”, “que” completes the question expression “Est-ce que.” Together, these words introduce the question about whether the speaker can walk. A common reuse pattern is placing “Est-ce que” before a normal subject-and-verb question.

je “Je” means “I” in “je peux marcher,” identifying the person who wants to walk. It appears before the verb here. A common reuse pattern is “je” + a verb when speaking about your own action or ability.

peux “Peux” expresses “can” in “je peux marcher,” referring to the speaker’s ability or permission to walk. It is the form of “pouvoir” used with “je.” A common reuse pattern is “je peux” + an infinitive.

marcher “Marcher” means “to walk” in “je peux marcher.” It remains in this form after “peux.” A common reuse pattern is “pouvoir” + “marcher” when asking or stating whether someone can walk.

plus In “plus tard,” “plus” contributes to the meaning “later,” referring to a time after now. It does not mean “more” in this expression. A common reuse pattern is the fixed time expression “plus tard.”

tard “Tard” means “late” in “plus tard,” and the full expression means “later.” It places the possible walking at a later time. A common reuse pattern is using “plus tard” to postpone an action or event.

Marche “Marche” means “walk” in the instruction “Marche seulement si ça va.” It tells one person to walk under the stated condition. This is the form of “marcher” used in the instruction; a common pattern is “Marche” followed by a condition.

seulement “Seulement” means “only” in “Marche seulement si ça va,” limiting walking to the situation described after it. It marks a restriction on when the action is allowed. A common reuse pattern is “seulement si” + a condition.

si “Si” means “if” in “si ça va,” introducing the condition for walking. It connects the action “Marche” with the condition that things feel all right. A common reuse pattern is “si” + a condition.

ça In “ça va,” “ça” refers generally to the situation or condition, and the full expression means that things are all right. The meaning comes from “ça va” as a whole, not from “ça” alone. A common reuse pattern is “ça va” when checking or describing how someone or something is doing.

va In “ça va,” “va” is the form of “aller” used in the expression meaning “is all right” or “is going okay.” The full phrase is used to describe the situation. A common reuse pattern is “ça va” in a brief check about someone’s condition.

Le “Le” means “the” in “Le canapé,” identifying the specific sofa being discussed. It comes directly before the noun. A common reuse pattern is “le” + a noun when referring to a particular masculine noun.

canapé “Canapé” means “sofa” in “Le canapé est plus confortable que cette chaise.” It is the piece of furniture being compared with the chair. You can reuse it with an article such as “le canapé” when referring to the sofa.

est “Est” means “is” in “Le canapé est plus confortable,” linking the sofa with its description. It is the form of “être” used with “le canapé.” A common reuse pattern is a subject + “est” + a description.

confortable “Confortable” describes the sofa as comfortable in “Le canapé est plus confortable que cette chaise.” With “plus ... que,” the full phrase says that the sofa is more comfortable than the chair. A common reuse pattern is “plus” + an adjective + “que” for a comparison.

Alors “Alors” means “then” in “Alors, assieds-toi là,” showing the next action that follows from the comparison. It introduces a conclusion or response. A common reuse pattern is “Alors,” followed by a suggestion or instruction.

là “Là” means “there” in “assieds-toi là,” indicating the place where the listener should sit. It points to a location distinct from the speaker’s immediate “here.” A common reuse pattern is placing “là” after an instruction about where someone should go or sit.

ne “Ne” begins the negative expression “ne bouge pas” in “ne bouge pas ta jambe.” It works together with “pas” to tell the listener not to move the leg. A common reuse pattern is “ne” + a verb + “pas” for negation.

bouge “Bouge” is the verb form used in “ne bouge pas ta jambe,” referring to moving the leg. With “ne” and “pas,” the full expression means “do not move.” This form comes from “bouger”; a common reuse pattern is “ne bouge pas” when telling someone to remain still.

pas “Pas” completes the negative expression “ne bouge pas,” making the instruction mean “do not move your leg.” It works with “ne” rather than carrying the full negative meaning alone. A common reuse pattern is “ne” + a verb + “pas.”

Grammar Points

L’impératif avec un pronom réfléchi : verbe + -toi

Assieds-toi sur cette chaise.

ah-SYAY twah SYUR set SHEHZ

Sit down on this chair.

For an affirmative command with a reflexive verb, the pronoun follows the verb and connects with a hyphen.

Est-ce que + phrase

Est-ce que ça va ?

ess-kuh sah VAH

Is everything all right?

Est-ce que introduces a yes/no question without changing the normal word order.

French Vocabulary

aujourd'hui adv

oh-zhoor-DWEE today

J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui.

cette det

set this

cette chaise

chaise noun

SHEHZ chair

cette chaise

faire mal phrase

fehr MAHL to hurt fait mal

Ma jambe me fait un peu mal.

jambe noun

ZHAHMB leg

Ma jambe me fait un peu mal.

marcher verb

mar-SHAY to walk marché

J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui.

moment noun

moh-MAHN moment

pendant un moment

pendant prep

pahn-DAHN for

pendant un moment

s'asseoir verb

ah-SWAHR to sit down Assieds-toi

Assieds-toi sur cette chaise pendant un moment.

sur prep

SYUR on

Assieds-toi sur cette chaise pendant un moment.

trop adv

troh too much

J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui.

un peu adv

uhn PUH a little

Ma jambe me fait un peu mal.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I walked too much today.

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J'ai trop marché aujourd'hui.

Put your leg up here and rest.

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Pose ta jambe ici et repose-toi.

Walk only if it feels all right.

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Marche seulement si ça va.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

moment

Show Answer

moment

for

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pendant

this

Show Answer

cette

leg

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jambe