Planning a Simple Outing | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Planning a Simple Outing to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Tu voudrais qu'on planifie une sortie simple ensemble ?

tyoo voo-DRAY kohn plah-nee-FEE oon sohr-TEE sah(n)-pluh ah(n)-SAH(n)bl? Would you like to plan a simple outing together?

Oui, tant qu'on garde les choses simples.

wee, tah(n) kohn gard lay SHOHZ sah(n)-pl. I would, as long as we keep it simple.

On peut choisir un endroit calme à l'intérieur.

ohn puh shwah-ZEER uhn ah(n)-DRWAH kahlm ah lah(n)-tay-ree-UR. We can choose a calm indoor place.

Ça me conviendrait.

sah muh koh(n)-vyah(n)-DRAY. That would be comfortable for me.

Est-ce qu'on apporte de la nourriture ou est-ce qu'on achète quelque chose là-bas ?

ess-kohn ah-PORT duh lah noo-ree-TOOR oo ess-kohn ah-SHET kel-kuh SHOHZ lah-BAH? Should we bring food or buy something there?

Je préférerais acheter quelque chose là-bas.

zhuh pray-fay-RAY ah-shuh-TAY kel-kuh SHOHZ lah-BAH. I'd rather buy something there.

Je vais noter les détails et te les envoyer.

zhuh veh noh-TAY lay day-TAHY ay tuh lay zah(n)-VWAH-YAY. I'll write down the details and share them with you.

J'ai hâte.

zhay AHT. I'm looking forward to it.

Word by Word

Tu Tu means “you” when speaking to one person, here the friend being invited. It is used as the subject before a verb, as in Tu voudrais. Use it when addressing someone directly in an informal conversation.

voudrais Voudrais expresses “would like” in Tu voudrais, making a polite suggestion or invitation. It is the form of vouloir used with tu in this expression. A common reuse pattern is Tu voudrais + an infinitive when asking about someone’s preference.

qu'on Qu'on means “that we” here and introduces the action being proposed in Tu voudrais qu'on planifie. It combines que with on before a vowel sound. Use it to connect a request or wish to an action involving on.

planifie Planifie means “plan” in Tu voudrais qu'on planifie une sortie simple. It is the form of planifier used after voudrais que. Use planifier with the activity or event being organized.

une Une introduces one feminine singular noun, here une sortie, meaning “an” or “a.” It is used directly before the noun it determines. Use it before a feminine singular noun when referring to one non-specific thing.

sortie Sortie means “outing” in une sortie simple, referring to an activity outside the home. Here it is the thing the two friends want to plan. Use it with a description such as simple when discussing an outing.

simple Simple means “simple” in une sortie simple, describing the outing as uncomplicated. It follows the noun it describes in this dialogue. Use it to describe a plan or activity that does not require much complexity.

ensemble Ensemble means “together” and shows that the two friends will plan the outing jointly. It comes after the main idea in Tu voudrais qu'on planifie une sortie simple ensemble. Use it to indicate shared action with another person.

Oui Oui means “yes” and accepts the invitation in this dialogue. It appears at the beginning of the reply before the condition tant qu'on garde les choses simples. Use it as a direct affirmative answer in conversation.

tant Tant helps form the condition “as long as” in tant qu'on garde les choses simples. Its meaning here comes from this expression with que, not from tant alone. Use tant que to state a condition that must remain true.

garde Garde means “keep” in tant qu'on garde les choses simples, meaning that the friends should keep things simple. It is the form of garder used with on in this dialogue. Use garder with an object and an adjective when saying that something should remain a certain way.

les Les introduces the plural noun choses in les choses simples, meaning “the.” It marks the noun phrase as plural and definite. Use it before a plural noun when referring to identified things.

choses Choses means “things” in les choses simples, referring broadly to the details of the outing. It is the object of garde in this sentence. Use choses when referring to items or matters without naming each one.

simples Simples means “simple” and describes the plural noun choses in les choses simples. The final s shows the form used with this plural noun. Use it after a plural noun when describing several things as uncomplicated.

On On means “we” in On peut choisir, referring to both friends. It is the subject of the suggestion about choosing a place. In everyday conversation, use on as the subject when proposing a shared action.

peut Peut means “can” in On peut choisir un endroit calme, expressing possibility or permission to choose a place. It is the form of pouvoir used with on. A common reuse pattern is On peut + an infinitive to suggest an action.

choisir Choisir means “choose” in On peut choisir un endroit calme. It is an infinitive following peut and names the proposed action. Use choisir with the person, place, or thing being selected.

un Un introduces one masculine singular noun, here un endroit, meaning “a.” It comes directly before the noun it determines. Use it before a masculine singular noun when referring to one non-specific thing.

endroit Endroit means “place” in un endroit calme, referring to the location for the outing. It is described by calme in this dialogue. Use endroit with an adjective or a location phrase when identifying a place.

calme Calme means “calm” in un endroit calme and describes the proposed place as peaceful. It follows the noun endroit here. Use it to describe a place or situation with little noise or activity.

à À means “at” or “in” in à l'intérieur and points to the inside location. Here it works with l'intérieur as part of the expression for being indoors. Use à before a location expression when indicating where something is.

l'intérieur L'intérieur means “inside” or “indoors” in à l'intérieur, specifying that the place is inside. Together with à, it describes the setting of the outing. Use à l'intérieur when contrasting an indoor location with being outside.

Ça Ça means “that” or “it” in Ça me conviendrait and refers to the suggested indoor place or plan. It is the subject of the response. Use ça to refer back to an idea, object, or situation already understood in the conversation.

me Me means “to me” in Ça me conviendrait, showing who the suggested plan would suit. It appears before the verb in this sentence. Use me when describing how something affects or suits the speaker.

conviendrait Conviendrait means “would suit” in Ça me conviendrait, saying that the suggested place would be suitable for the speaker. It is the form of convenir used in this expression. Use Ça me conviendrait to respond that a suggestion would work for you.

Est-ce Est-ce begins a yes-or-no question in Est-ce qu'on apporte de la nourriture. It works together with que to introduce the question about bringing or buying food. Use it at the start of a question when asking whether something is the case.

apporte Apporte means “bring” in Est-ce qu'on apporte de la nourriture, asking whether the friends will bring food. It is the form of apporter used with on. Use apporter with the item being brought to a place or event.

de De contributes to the partitive expression de la nourriture, meaning “some food” or food in an unspecified amount. Here it combines with la before the noun nourriture. Use de la before a feminine singular noun when referring to an unspecified amount of something.

la La is the feminine singular article in de la nourriture. Together with de, it helps express an unspecified amount of the food. Use la before a feminine singular noun when the noun is definite or when it forms a phrase such as de la nourriture.

nourriture Nourriture means “food” in de la nourriture, the item that might be brought to the outing. It is used with de la to refer to an unspecified amount. Use nourriture when discussing food generally rather than naming a particular dish.

ou Ou means “or” and links the two alternatives in the question: bringing food or buying something there. It separates the possible actions. Use ou to offer a choice between alternatives.

achète Achète means “buy” in est-ce qu'on achète quelque chose là-bas, asking whether something will be bought at that place. It is the form of acheter used with on. Use acheter with the item being purchased and, when useful, a location.

quelque Quelque contributes to the expression quelque chose, meaning “something” in this dialogue. It combines with chose rather than standing alone for the intended meaning here. Use quelque chose as an indefinite object when the specific thing is not named.

chose Chose means “thing” in quelque chose, forming the expression “something.” Here it is the object of acheter. Use quelque chose when referring to an unspecified object, item, or matter.

là-bas Là-bas means “there” or “over there” and identifies the place where the friends may buy something. It appears after the action in achète quelque chose là-bas. Use it to point to a location away from the speaker.

Je Je means “I” and identifies the speaker as the subject of the preference in Je préférerais acheter quelque chose là-bas. It appears before the conjugated verb. Use it when stating your own action, opinion, or preference.

préférerais Préférerais means “would rather” in Je préférerais acheter quelque chose là-bas, expressing the speaker’s preferred option. It is the form of préférer used with je in this expression. Use Je préférerais + an infinitive to state a polite preference.

acheter Acheter means “buy” in préférerais acheter quelque chose là-bas. It is an infinitive following préférerais and names the preferred action. Use it with the item you want to purchase.

vais Vais contributes “am going to” in Je vais noter les détails, indicating a planned action. It is the form of aller used with je in the near-future construction. Use je vais + an infinitive for an action the speaker intends to do.

noter Noter means “write down” or “note” in Je vais noter les détails. It is an infinitive after vais and takes les détails as its object. Use noter with information, names, or details that you want to record.

détails Détails means “details” in les détails, referring to the information about the outing. It is the object of noter. Its singular citation form is détail; détails is the plural form used here.

et Et means “and” and joins the two planned actions in Je vais noter les détails et te les envoyer. It shows that the speaker will both record the details and send them. Use et to connect related actions or ideas.

te Te means “to you” in te les envoyer and identifies the person who will receive the details. It appears before the infinitive phrase in this sentence. Use te when addressing one informal person as the recipient of an action.

envoyer Envoyer means “send” in te les envoyer, referring to sending the details to the friend. It is an infinitive coordinated with noter after vais. Use envoyer with the thing being sent and, when needed, the person receiving it.

J'ai J'ai means “I have” and contributes to the expression J'ai hâte, which means that the speaker is looking forward to the outing. It combines je with the form ai of avoir. Use J'ai hâte when expressing eager anticipation.

hâte Hâte expresses eagerness in J'ai hâte, meaning “I’m looking forward to it” in this dialogue. Its meaning here comes from the whole expression with J'ai. A common reuse pattern is J'ai hâte de + an action or event that the speaker is eagerly anticipating.

Grammar Points

voudrais / préférerais + infinitif

Je préférerais choisir un endroit calme.

zhuh pray-fay-RAY shwah-ZEER uhn ah(n)-DRWAH kahlm.

I would rather choose a calm place.

These conditional forms express a polite preference or wish. The following verb stays in the infinitive.

French Vocabulary

calme adj

kahlm calm

un endroit calme

choisir verb

shwah-ZEER choose

endroit noun

ah(n)-DRWAH place

ensemble adv

ah(n)-SAH(n)bl together

garde verb

gard keep

peut verb

puh can

planifie verb

plah-nee-FEE plan

simple adj

sah(n)-pl simple

une sortie simple

simples adj

sah(n)-pl simple

les choses simples

sortie noun

sohr-TEE outing

tant que conj

tah(n) kuh as long as

voudrais verb

voo-DRAY would like

Tu voudrais qu'on planifie...

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

That would be comfortable for me.

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Ça me conviendrait.

I'd rather buy something there.

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Je préférerais acheter quelque chose là-bas.

I'm looking forward to it.

Show Answer

J'ai hâte.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

simple

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simples

simple

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simple

would like

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voudrais

plan

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planifie