Finding the Correct Platform After a Change | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At a train station, two adults respond to a platform change and keep their tickets ready before boarding..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Finding the Correct Platform After a Change to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Tu as entendu l'annonce à l'instant ?

tew-AH ahn-tahn-DEW lah-NOHNSS ah lehN-STAHN Did you hear the announcement just now?
B

Le train part d'un autre quai.

luh TREHN pahr DUHN OH-truh KEH The train is leaving from a different platform.
A

Le panneau indique qu'on doit aller sur l'autre quai à la place.

luh pah-NOH ehn-DEEK kohn DWAH ah-LAY sewr LOHTR KEH ah lah PLAHSS The board says we should use the other platform instead.
B

Alors, on doit suivre les panneaux maintenant.

ah-LOR, OHN DWAH SWEE-vr luh pah-NOH mehN-tuh-NAHN Then we should follow the signs now.
A

Est-ce qu'on a assez de temps pour y aller ?

ess kohn-AH ah-SAY duh TAHN poor EE ah-LAY Do we have enough time to get there?
B

Oui, si on part maintenant.

WEE, see OHN pahr mehN-tuh-NAHN We do if we leave now.
A

Je vais garder mon billet prêt.

zhuh VEH gahr-DAY mohn bee-YEH PREH I'll keep my ticket ready.
B

Garde-le à portée de main ; le personnel peut le vérifier avant qu'on monte dans le train.

gahrd-luh ah por-TAY duh MEHN; luh pehr-soh-NELL puh luh veh-ree-FYAY ah-VAHN kohn MOHNT duhN luh TREHN Keep it handy; staff may check it before we board.

Word by Word

Tu “Tu” refers to the person being addressed in “Tu as entendu l'annonce”. It is used for the informal singular “you” in this conversation. A common pattern is “Tu as” followed by something the person has done or experienced, such as hearing an announcement.
as In “Tu as entendu l'annonce”, “as” helps express that the person heard the announcement. It is the form of “avoir” used with “tu” in this construction. The reusable pattern is “Tu as” followed by a past participle, especially when asking about a recent experience.
entendu In “Tu as entendu l'annonce”, “entendu” means heard. It is the form of “entendre” used with “as” to describe hearing something. The common pattern is “entendre” followed by what was heard, as in “entendre l'annonce”.
l'annonce “L'annonce” is the announcement that the speaker asks about in “Tu as entendu l'annonce”. The form combines “l'” with “annonce” before a vowel. At a station, “entendre l'annonce” is a useful way to refer to hearing an announcement.
à In “à l'instant”, “à” places the action at a particular time, giving the meaning “just now”. It also appears in “à portée de main”, where it marks a position or state. These patterns are useful when locating an event in time or describing where something is kept.
l'instant In “à l'instant”, “l'instant” refers to the immediate moment, so the whole expression means “just now”. The expression is used when asking about or reporting something that happened very recently. It commonly follows a verb referring to a recent action, as in “Tu as entendu l'annonce à l'instant”.
Le “Le” appears as the article in “Le train” and as the pronoun “le” in “Garde-le” and “le vérifier”. In “Le train”, it means “the” before the noun; in “le vérifier”, it refers back to the ticket. The exact form is therefore used both before a noun and before or attached to a verb when referring to something already mentioned.
train “Train” is the train in “Le train part d'un autre quai” and “dans le train”. It identifies the vehicle the travelers are waiting to board. Useful patterns here are “partir d'un quai” for a train leaving from a platform and “monter dans le train” for boarding it.
part In “Le train part d'un autre quai”, “part” says that the train leaves or departs. It is used with “Le train” as the subject and “d'un autre quai” to give the departure platform. The reusable pattern is “partir de” followed by a place or point of departure.
d'un In “d'un autre quai”, “d'un” means “from a” and connects the train's departure with a platform. It is the contracted form of “de” and “un”. The pattern “partir d'un” is useful when saying that something leaves from a particular place.
autre In “d'un autre quai”, “autre” means a different or another platform, and in “l'autre quai” it identifies the other platform. It comes before the noun it describes in both expressions. It is useful when distinguishing one option or place from another.
quai “Quai” means platform in the station expressions “d'un autre quai” and “l'autre quai”. It identifies the place where the train leaves or where the travelers must go. A useful travel pattern is to combine “quai” with a phrase saying where a train leaves from or where someone should go.
panneau In “Le panneau indique”, “panneau” means the board or sign displaying information at the station. It is the subject of the verb “indique”. The pattern “Le panneau indique que...” is useful when a sign gives directions or instructions.
indique In “Le panneau indique qu'on doit aller...”, “indique” means indicates or says. It presents the information communicated by the station board. A reusable pattern is “indiquer que” followed by the action or information shown.
qu'on In “qu'on doit aller”, “qu'on” introduces what the board says the travelers must do, with “on” referring to the people in the conversation. It combines “que” and “on” in the exact dialogue form. The pattern “indique qu'on doit...” is useful for reporting an instruction that applies to the group.
doit In “qu'on doit aller” and “on doit suivre”, “doit” expresses that the group must or should do the following action. It is used with an infinitive, such as “aller” or “suivre”. This pattern is useful for giving or reporting a necessary action.
aller In “doit aller sur l'autre quai”, “aller” means to go to the other platform. It follows “doit” in the expression describing the required movement. The reusable pattern is “aller sur” followed by the destination in this station context.
sur In “aller sur l'autre quai”, “sur” introduces the platform the travelers need to go to. Here it gives the destination connected with the platform. The pattern “aller sur + destination” is useful when directing someone toward a platform or similar place.
l'autre In “l'autre quai”, “l'autre” means the other platform, distinguishing it from the one originally expected. The form combines “l'” with “autre” before the vowel. It is useful when choosing the remaining option between two platforms or places.
la In “à la place”, “la” is the definite article before “place”. The whole expression “à la place” means “instead”, but that meaning belongs to the complete expression rather than to “la” alone. The pattern “à la place” is useful when saying that one option should be used instead of another.
place In “à la place”, “place” contributes the idea of a place or position, while the whole expression means “instead”. It appears after the article “la” in this fixed expression. “À la place” is useful when replacing one choice or location with another, as in the platform change here.
Alors At the start of “Alors, on doit suivre les panneaux”, “Alors” means then and marks the consequence of the platform change. It links the new information to the next action. It is useful at the beginning of a response when deciding what to do next.
on In “on doit”, “on a”, and “on part”, “on” refers to the speakers together, meaning “we” in this dialogue. It acts as the subject of the following verb. The pattern “on + verb” is common when a group describes a shared plan or action.
suivre In “on doit suivre les panneaux”, “suivre” means to follow the signs. It appears after “doit” as the action the group needs to take. The reusable pattern is “suivre” followed by the signs, directions, or route being followed.
les In “les panneaux”, “les” means “the” before a plural noun. It identifies the station signs that the travelers should follow. The pattern “les + plural noun” is useful when referring to several specific objects.
panneaux In “suivre les panneaux”, “panneaux” means signs and refers to the station directions. This is the plural form used for the several signs the travelers follow. The phrase “suivre les panneaux” is useful when navigating through a station or another place with posted directions.
maintenant In “suivre les panneaux maintenant”, “maintenant” means now and emphasizes that the action should happen immediately. It places the instruction in the present moment. It is useful when telling someone to act without waiting, especially after a change or new instruction.
Est-ce At the beginning of “Est-ce qu'on a assez de temps”, “Est-ce” marks a question. It introduces a question about whether the group has enough time. The reusable pattern is “Est-ce que” followed by the subject and verb of a yes-or-no question.
a In “on a assez de temps”, “a” means has and describes whether the group possesses or has available enough time. It is the form of “avoir” used with “on”. The pattern “avoir assez de” is useful when checking whether there is a sufficient amount of something.
assez In “assez de temps”, “assez” means enough and shows that the available time may be sufficient. It comes before “de” and the thing being measured. The reusable pattern is “assez de + noun”, useful when checking whether a quantity is sufficient.
de In “assez de temps”, “de” links the quantity “assez” to what is available, namely time. It also links “portée” to “main” in “à portée de main”. These patterns are useful after a quantity word and in expressions that specify the relation between two nouns.
temps In “assez de temps”, “temps” means time available for reaching the other platform. It is the thing whose quantity the speakers are checking. The phrase “avoir assez de temps pour...” is useful when deciding whether an action can be completed before a deadline.
pour In “pour y aller”, “pour” introduces the action that the available time is sufficient for, namely going there. It is followed here by the infinitive “aller”. The pattern “assez de temps pour + infinitive” is useful when checking whether there is time to do something.
y In “pour y aller”, “y” means there and refers to the other platform or destination already discussed. It prevents repeating that location. The pattern “y aller” is useful when telling someone to go to a place that is clear from the context.
Oui “Oui” gives a positive answer to the question about having enough time. In “Oui, si on part maintenant”, it confirms that there is enough time under the stated condition. It is useful at the beginning of a direct answer to a yes-or-no question.
si In “si on part maintenant”, “si” means if and introduces the condition for having enough time. The condition is that the group leaves now. The reusable pattern is “si + clause” when one result depends on a particular action or situation.
Je In “Je vais garder mon billet prêt”, “Je” means I and identifies the speaker as the person making the plan. It is the subject of the following verb phrase. The pattern “Je vais” is useful when announcing an action the speaker intends to do soon.
vais In “Je vais garder”, “vais” helps express an upcoming planned action. It is the form of “aller” used with “je” before the infinitive “garder”. The reusable pattern is “Je vais + infinitive” for stating what the speaker is about to do or plans to do.
garder In “Je vais garder mon billet prêt”, “garder” means to keep the ticket in a ready state. It follows “vais” as the infinitive naming the planned action. The pattern “garder” followed by an object is useful when deciding to retain or keep something available.
mon In “mon billet”, “mon” shows that the ticket belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It comes directly before “billet”. The pattern “mon + noun” is useful when identifying something as the speaker's own item.
billet In “mon billet”, “billet” means ticket, the document the traveler needs before boarding. It is the object that the speaker plans to keep ready and that staff may check. The phrase “garder mon billet prêt” is useful when preparing a ticket for inspection.
prêt In “garder mon billet prêt”, “prêt” means ready and describes the state in which the ticket should be kept. It follows the noun “billet” in this expression. The pattern “garder quelque chose prêt” is useful when preparing an item for immediate use or inspection.
Garde-le “Garde-le” means keep it and gives the other speaker a direct instruction about the ticket. “Le” refers back to the ticket, while “garde” names the action of keeping it. The full pattern “Garde-le à portée de main” is useful when telling someone to keep a needed item easily accessible.
à portée de main The whole expression “à portée de main” means handy or within reach. In it, “à” marks a position or state, “portée” expresses reach, “de” connects that reach with “main”, and “main” means hand. The pattern “garder quelque chose à portée de main” is useful when an item may be needed quickly, such as a ticket before boarding.
personnel In “le personnel”, “personnel” refers to the staff working at the station. It is the group that may inspect the ticket before boarding. The phrase “le personnel peut...” is useful when describing an action that station staff may take.
peut In “le personnel peut le vérifier”, “peut” expresses possibility: the staff may check the ticket. It is used with the infinitive “vérifier”. The reusable pattern is “peut + infinitive” when saying that someone can or may perform an action.
vérifier In “le vérifier”, “vérifier” means to check the ticket. It follows “peut” as the infinitive describing what the staff may do. The pattern “vérifier” followed by an object is useful when inspecting whether a document or detail is valid.
avant In “avant qu'on monte dans le train”, “avant” means before and places the staff's possible check earlier than boarding. It introduces the event that follows. The pattern “avant que + clause” is useful when describing an action that must happen before another event.
monte In “qu'on monte dans le train”, “monte” refers to the group boarding or getting on the train. It follows “qu'on” in the clause introduced by “avant”. The pattern “monter dans le train” is useful when talking about entering a train before departure.
dans In “monte dans le train”, “dans” introduces the train that the travelers get into. It gives the destination or interior entered by the action. The pattern “monter dans + vehicle” is useful when describing boarding a train or another vehicle.

Grammar Points

si + présent, alors + conséquence

Si le personnel vérifie le billet, alors le train peut partir.

SEE luh pehr-soh-NELL veh-ree-FYAY luh bee-YEH, ah-LOR luh TREHN puh pahr-TEER

If the staff checks the ticket, then the train can leave.

En français, si introduit une condition. Alors présente le résultat ou la conséquence.

French Vocabulary

à l'instant phrase
ah lehN-STAHN just now

Tu as entendu l'annonce à l'instant ?

à la place phrase
ah lah PLAHSS instead

Le panneau indique qu'on doit aller sur l'autre quai à la place.

aller verb
ah-LAY to go

Le panneau indique qu'on doit aller sur l'autre quai à la place.

alors adv
ah-LOR then

Alors, on doit suivre les panneaux maintenant.

annonce noun
ah-NOHNSS announcement

Tu as entendu l'annonce à l'instant ?

autre det
OH-truh other

Le train part d'un autre quai.

entendre verb
ahn-TAHN-druh to hear entendu

Tu as entendu l'annonce à l'instant ?

indiquer verb
ehn-dee-KAY to indicate; to show indique

Le panneau indique qu'on doit aller sur l'autre quai à la place.

panneau noun
pah-NOH sign; board

Le panneau indique qu'on doit aller sur l'autre quai à la place.

partir verb
pahr-TEER to leave part

Le train part d'un autre quai.

quai noun
KEH platform

Le train part d'un autre quai.

train noun
TREHN train

Le train part d'un autre quai.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

The train is leaving from a different platform.

Show AnswerLe train part d'un autre quai.

We do if we leave now.

Show AnswerOui, si on part maintenant.

I'll keep my ticket ready.

Show AnswerJe vais garder mon billet prêt.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

other

Show Answerautre

to indicate; to show

Show Answerindique

train

Show Answertrain

sign; board

Show Answerpanneau