Pack a Bag for an Outing | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: Before an outing, two adults check a packed bag for a charger, a snack, a raincoat, and water..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Pack a Bag for an Outing to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Je prépare mon sac pour la sortie.

zhuh pray-PAHR mohn sahk poor lah sor-TEE. I'm packing my bag for the outing.
B

Qu'est-ce que tu dois encore apporter ?

kess-kuh tew dwah ahn-KOR ah-pawr-TAY? What do you still need to bring?
A

J'ai un chargeur, un goûter et un imperméable.

zhay uhn shar-ZHUR, uhn goo-TAY ay uhn an-pair-may-AHBL. I have a charger, a snack, and a raincoat.
B

Ça devrait suffire si le temps change.

sah duh-VRAY syoo-FEER see luh tahn SHAHNZH. That should cover you if the weather changes.
A

Est-ce que je dois apporter une bouteille d'eau en plus ?

ess-kuh zhuh dwah ah-pawr-TAY ewn boo-TAY doh ahn PLEW? Should I bring an extra bottle of water?
B

Apporte-en une au cas où la promenade durerait plus longtemps que prévu.

ah-PAWRT ahn ewn oh kah ZOO lah prohm-NAHD dyoo-RR EH plew lohn-TAHN kuh pray-VYOO. Bring one in case the walk takes longer than expected.
A

Mon sac est plein.

mohn sahk eh PLEHN. My bag is full.
A

Il n'est pas trop lourd.

eel neh pah troh LOOR. It isn't too heavy.
B

Alors, tu es prêt à partir.

ah-LOR, tew ay preh ah par-TEER. Then you're ready to head out.

Word by Word

Je “Je” means “I” and is the speaker in “Je prépare mon sac”. It is used before the verb when talking about your own action, such as when you are getting a bag ready.
prépare “prépare” means “am packing” or “am preparing” here. It describes the action in “Je prépare mon sac” and is followed by the thing being prepared. This form is useful when saying what you are getting ready.
mon “mon” means “my” before “sac”, so “mon sac” means “my bag”. It is placed before the thing that belongs to or is associated with the speaker.
sac “sac” means “bag” in “mon sac”. It names the container being prepared for the outing. You can reuse it when talking about what is inside or carried in a bag.
pour “pour” means “for” in “pour la sortie”, showing the purpose of preparing the bag. It commonly comes before a noun to say what an action or object is intended for.
la “la” means “the” before “sortie” in “la sortie”. It comes directly before the noun it identifies, as in this phrase for a specific outing.
sortie “sortie” means “outing” in “pour la sortie”. Here it names the event for which the bag is being prepared. It can be used after “pour” when explaining the purpose of an outing-related action.
Qu'est-ce que “Qu'est-ce que” is the question frame asking “what” in “Qu'est-ce que tu dois encore apporter ?”. Together, “Qu'est-ce” opens the question and “que” completes the frame before the rest of the question. A reusable pattern is “Qu'est-ce que” followed by the person and the action being asked about.
tu “tu” means “you” when speaking to one person in a familiar or informal relationship. In “tu dois encore apporter”, it is the person who needs to bring something. It is placed before the verb in this kind of statement or question.
dois “dois” means “must” or “need to” in “tu dois encore apporter”. It is followed by the action “apporter”, forming the idea of needing to bring something. This is useful when asking or saying what someone still needs to do.
encore “encore” means “still” in “tu dois encore apporter”, showing that the action remains to be done. It is placed with the action to indicate something has not yet been completed.
apporter “apporter” means “to bring” in “tu dois encore apporter”. It follows “dois” as the action that still needs to happen. It is useful for talking about bringing an item to a place or activity.
J'ai “J'ai” means “I have” and introduces the items in “J'ai un chargeur, un goûter et un imperméable”. It is followed by the things the speaker has available. This is useful when listing what you already have with you.
un “un” means “a” before “chargeur” in “un chargeur”. It introduces one item in the list. The same pattern is useful when mentioning one singular object.
chargeur “chargeur” means “charger” in “un chargeur”. It names one of the items available for the outing. It can be used after “un” when listing a charger as something you have or need.
goûter “goûter” means “snack” in “un goûter”. It refers to food being carried for the outing. It is useful when listing a snack among the things you have packed or brought.
et “et” means “and” and connects the listed items in “un chargeur, un goûter et un imperméable”. It joins nouns or other items that belong in the same list.
imperméable “imperméable” means “raincoat” in “un imperméable”. It names clothing that may be useful if the weather changes. It can be listed after an article when saying what you have for an outing.
Ça “Ça” means “that” or “it” here and refers to the items just mentioned in “Ça devrait suffire”. It is the subject of the statement about whether those items will be enough. It is useful for referring back to a situation or group of things.
devrait “devrait” means “should” in “Ça devrait suffire”, expressing the expectation that something will be enough. It is used before “suffire” to form this prediction or assessment. This pattern is useful when saying that something is probably adequate.
suffire “suffire” means “to be enough” in “Ça devrait suffire”. It follows “devrait” and describes whether the listed supplies meet the need. It is useful when evaluating whether an amount or set of items is adequate.
si “si” means “if” and introduces the condition in “si le temps change”. It links a possible situation to its consequence. It is useful when explaining what will happen under a certain condition.
le “le” means “the” before “temps” in “le temps change”. It identifies the weather being discussed. It is placed directly before the noun in this expression.
temps “temps” means “weather” in “si le temps change”. In this dialogue, it describes outdoor conditions that may affect the outing. It is useful in expressions about changing or checking the weather.
change “change” means “changes” in “si le temps change”. It describes a possible change in the weather. It is useful after a subject when talking about something becoming different.
Est-ce que “Est-ce que” marks the yes-or-no question in “Est-ce que je dois apporter une bouteille d'eau en plus ?”. Together, “Est-ce” opens the question and “que” completes the question marker before the subject and verb. A reusable pattern is “Est-ce que” followed by a statement word order.
une “une” means “a” or “one” before “bouteille” in “une bouteille d'eau”. It introduces one bottle. It is useful when mentioning one singular item before its noun.
bouteille “bouteille” means “bottle” in “une bouteille d'eau”. It names the container the speaker is considering bringing. It is useful in the pattern “une bouteille d'eau” when talking about a bottle of water.
d'eau “d'eau” means “of water” and specifies the contents of “une bouteille” in “une bouteille d'eau”. Together, the phrase identifies a water bottle. This pattern is useful when naming a bottle by what it contains.
en “en” refers back to the bottle in “Apporte-en une”, so the meaning is “bring one”. It avoids repeating “bouteille” while keeping the quantity with “une”. This is useful when answering a request by referring to an item already mentioned.
plus “plus” has two related uses in this dialogue: “en plus” means “extra”, while “plus longtemps que prévu” means “longer than expected”. In “en plus”, it adds another item; with “plus longtemps”, it increases the duration being compared. Use the surrounding expression to determine which meaning applies.
Apporte “Apporte” means “bring” as a direct request in “Apporte-en une”. It tells the other person what action to take and is followed here by “en une”, referring to one bottle. This form is useful when asking someone to bring an item.
au cas où “au cas où” means “in case” and introduces the possible situation in “au cas où la promenade durerait plus longtemps que prévu”. Together, “au” and “cas” form the expression for a possible case, while “où” introduces the situation connected to it. It is useful before a condition that explains why someone should prepare.
promenade “promenade” means “walk” in “la promenade durerait”. It names the activity whose possible duration is being considered. It can be used with a duration expression when discussing how long a walk may last.
durerait “durerait” means “would last” in “la promenade durerait plus longtemps que prévu”. It describes the possible duration of the walk in the situation introduced by “au cas où”. It is useful when discussing how long an activity might continue.
longtemps “longtemps” refers to a long duration in “plus longtemps que prévu”. Together with “durerait”, it describes how long the walk may last. It is useful when talking about an activity continuing for a long time.
que “que” means “than” in the comparison “plus longtemps que prévu”. It connects the longer possible duration with the expected duration. This use appears after “plus” in a comparison.
prévu “prévu” means “expected” or “planned” in “plus longtemps que prévu”. The phrase compares the possible length of the walk with the length that had been expected. It is useful in the pattern “plus longtemps que prévu” when something takes longer than anticipated.
est “est” means “is” in “Mon sac est plein”. It links “Mon sac” with the state “plein”. This is useful in the pattern of saying that a thing is in a particular state.
plein “plein” means “full” in “Mon sac est plein”. It describes the amount of space left in the bag. It is useful after “est” when saying that a container has no or little space remaining.
Il “Il” means “it” here and refers back to “mon sac” in “Il n'est pas trop lourd”. It lets the speaker avoid repeating the noun while continuing to describe the bag. It is useful when referring to a previously mentioned thing.
n'est “n'est” is the verb form in the negative expression “n'est pas”, meaning that something is not a certain way. Here it contributes the verb “is”, while “pas” completes the negation. The expression is used before an adjective such as “trop lourd”.
pas “pas” means “not” in “Il n'est pas trop lourd”. It completes the negative expression with “n'est” and negates the description that follows. This pattern is useful for saying that something does not have a stated quality.
trop “trop” means “too” in “trop lourd”. It shows that the weight would be excessive, and “pas trop lourd” says it is not excessively heavy. It is commonly placed before the adjective it modifies.
lourd “lourd” means “heavy” in “Il n'est pas trop lourd”. It describes the weight of the bag. It is useful after “être” when saying how heavy or light something is.
Alors “Alors” means “then” in “Alors, tu es prêt à partir”. It introduces the conclusion that follows from the bag being prepared and not too heavy. It is useful at the beginning of a sentence when drawing a practical conclusion.
es “es” means “are” in “tu es prêt”. It links “tu” with the state “prêt”. This is useful in the pattern of saying that someone is ready or in another state.
prêt “prêt” means “ready” in “tu es prêt à partir”. It describes the person’s readiness to leave. It is useful in the pattern “prêt à” followed by an action.
à “à” means “to” in “prêt à partir”. It connects the state of being ready with the action that is about to happen. The reusable pattern here is “prêt à” followed by an action.
partir “partir” means “to leave” or “to head out” in “prêt à partir”. It follows “à” and names the action the person is ready to do. It is useful when talking about leaving for an outing or another destination.

Grammar Points

au cas où + conditionnel

Au cas où la promenade durerait encore, un imperméable suffirait.

oh kah ZOO lah prohm-NAHD dyoo-RR EH ahn-KOR, uhn an-pair-may-AHBL syoo-fee-REH.

In case the walk lasted longer, a raincoat would be enough.

After « au cas où », French commonly uses the conditional to express a possible situation.

French Vocabulary

apporter verb
ah-pawr-TAY to bring

Qu'est-ce que tu dois encore apporter ?

bouteille noun
boo-TAY bottle

Est-ce que je dois apporter une bouteille d'eau en plus ?

changer verb
shahn-ZHAY to change change

Ça devrait suffire si le temps change.

chargeur noun
shar-ZHUR charger

J'ai un chargeur, un goûter et un imperméable.

encore adv
ahn-KOR still

Qu'est-ce que tu dois encore apporter ?

goûter noun
goo-TAY snack

J'ai un chargeur, un goûter et un imperméable.

imperméable noun
an-pair-may-AHBL raincoat

J'ai un chargeur, un goûter et un imperméable.

préparer verb
pray-pah-RAY to pack; to prepare prépare

Je prépare mon sac pour la sortie.

sac noun
sahk bag

Je prépare mon sac pour la sortie.

sortie noun
sor-TEE outing

Je prépare mon sac pour la sortie.

suffire verb
syoo-FEER to be enough

Ça devrait suffire si le temps change.

temps noun
tahn weather

Ça devrait suffire si le temps change.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

My bag is full.

Show AnswerMon sac est plein.

It isn't too heavy.

Show AnswerIl n'est pas trop lourd.

Then you're ready to head out.

Show AnswerAlors, tu es prêt à partir.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to be enough

Show Answersuffire

charger

Show Answerchargeur

still

Show Answerencore

outing

Show Answersortie