Identifying a lost bag | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Identifying a lost bag to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Je cherche mon sac aux objets trouvés.

zhuh SHARESH mohn SAK oh-zhoh-BZHAY troo-VAY I'm looking for my bag at lost property.

Pouvez-vous me le décrire ?

poo-VAY VOO muh luh day-KREER Can you describe it for me?

Il a une bandoulière rouge et une fermeture éclair cassée.

eel ah ewn bahn-doo-YAIR roozh ay ewn fair-muh-TOOR ay-KLAIR ka-SAY It has a red strap and a broken zipper.

Est-ce qu'il y a un motif sur le devant ?

ess-keel ee-YAH uhn moh-TEEF sewr luh duh-VAHN Is there any pattern on the front?

Il y a un petit motif de fleur.

eel ee-YAH uhn puh-TEE moh-TEEF duh FLUR There's a small flower pattern.

C'est peut-être le vôtre.

say puh-TETR luh VOHTR This might be yours.

C'est bien mon sac.

say BYEHN mohn SAK That's definitely my bag.

Veuillez signer ce formulaire avant de le prendre.

vuh-YAY see-NYAY suh for-mew-LAIR ah-VAHN duh luh PRAHNDR Please sign this form before you take it.

Word by Word

Je «Je» means “I” and identifies the speaker in «Je cherche mon sac». It is commonly placed before the verb in a statement such as «Je» + verb.

cherche «cherche» means “am looking for” in «Je cherche mon sac». It is used with the thing being sought, as in «Je cherche» + an object.

mon «mon» means “my” and shows that the bag belongs to the speaker in «mon sac». It is placed directly before the noun it describes.

sac «sac» means “bag” in «mon sac». It can be used with a possessive form or another description to identify a particular bag.

aux «aux» means “at the” in «aux objets trouvés», referring here to the lost-property office or collection. It is the contracted form of à and les and is used before a plural noun phrase.

objets trouvés «objets trouvés» means “lost property” in «aux objets trouvés». «objets» means “objects” and «trouvés» means “found”; together, the expression refers to objects that have been found and are held for their owners. A useful pattern is «aux objets trouvés» when saying that something is at lost property.

Pouvez «Pouvez» expresses “can” in the polite question «Pouvez-vous me le décrire ?». With «vous» and an infinitive, «Pouvez-vous» is a useful way to make a polite request.

vous «vous» means “you” in «Pouvez-vous me le décrire ?», addressing one person politely or more than one person. In this question it follows the verb, as in «Pouvez-vous» + infinitive.

me «me» means “to me” in «me le décrire», marking the person who should receive the description. The pattern «me le» places “to me” before “it” when both pronouns come before the infinitive.

le In «me le décrire» and «le prendre», «le» means “it” and refers to the bag. In «le vôtre», «le» is the article used with «vôtre» to identify the bag as “yours”; its function depends on the surrounding construction.

décrire «décrire» means “describe” in «me le décrire». It is an infinitive after «pouvez» and is used with the thing being described, here «le».

Il At the start of «Il a une bandoulière rouge», «Il» means “it” and refers to the bag. In «qu'il y a», the same pronoun form is part of the expression «il y a», meaning “there is”; it does not refer to a person there.

a In «Il a une bandoulière rouge», «a» means “has” and expresses what the bag possesses. In «il y a un motif», the same form belongs to the whole expression «il y a», meaning “there is”; a common reuse pattern is «il y a» + noun.

une «une» means “a” before «bandoulière» in «une bandoulière rouge». It introduces one non-specific item before a noun.

bandoulière «bandoulière» means “strap” in «une bandoulière rouge», specifically the bag’s shoulder strap. It can be combined with a color or another description after the noun.

rouge «rouge» means “red” and describes the strap in «une bandoulière rouge». It follows the noun here, giving the pattern noun + color.

et «et» means “and” and joins the two bag features in «une bandoulière rouge et une fermeture éclair cassée». It is used to connect items or descriptions in a list.

fermeture éclair «fermeture éclair» means “zipper” in «une fermeture éclair cassée». «fermeture» identifies a closure, while «éclair» is part of the established expression that names this type of closure. A useful reuse pattern is «fermeture éclair» + a description such as «cassée».

cassée «cassée» means “broken” and describes the zipper in «une fermeture éclair cassée». It is placed after the noun here to identify the zipper’s condition.

Est-ce «Est-ce» is part of the fixed question marker in «Est-ce qu'il y a un motif sur le devant ?». The components «Est» and «ce» work together with the following clause to form a yes-or-no question, rather than carrying the full question meaning separately.

qu'il «qu'il» connects «Est-ce» to the following clause in «Est-ce qu'il y a un motif». It is que written before il, and together with «y a» it forms the question expression «Est-ce qu'il y a», meaning “is there”; a reusable pattern is «Est-ce qu'il y a» + noun.

y «y» contributes “there” in the existence expression «il y a un motif». The whole expression «il y a» means “there is”, and it can be reused before the thing whose presence is being asked about or stated.

un «un» means “a” in «un motif» and introduces one non-specific pattern. It also appears in «un petit motif», before the noun and its description.

motif «motif» means “pattern” in «un motif sur le devant». It identifies the decorative design being discussed and can be followed by a location or description.

sur «sur» means “on” and marks the location of the pattern in «sur le devant». It is commonly followed by the surface or place where something is located.

devant «devant» means “front” in «sur le devant», referring to the front-facing part of the bag. The phrase «sur le devant» is useful for describing something located on a front surface.

petit «petit» means “small” in «un petit motif de fleur». It appears before «motif» to describe the size of the pattern.

de In «motif de fleur», «de» links the pattern to the flower and helps identify it as a flower pattern. In «avant de le prendre», «de» introduces the infinitive after «avant»; these are two common patterns: noun + «de» + noun and «avant de» + infinitive.

fleur «fleur» means “flower” in «un petit motif de fleur». It identifies the subject of the pattern and follows «motif de» in this noun phrase.

C'est «C'est» means “this is” or “that is” when identifying the bag in «C'est peut-être le vôtre» and «C'est bien mon sac». A useful pattern is «C'est» + a noun or pronoun to identify something.

peut-être «peut-être» means “might” or “perhaps” in «C'est peut-être le vôtre». The components «peut» and «être» work together as one expression showing possibility. It can be placed before the part that is uncertain.

vôtre «vôtre» means “yours” in «le vôtre», referring to the bag as belonging to the person addressed. With the article «le», it replaces the noun phrase for the item being identified; «C'est le vôtre» is a reusable pattern.

bien «bien» reinforces the confirmation in «C'est bien mon sac», giving the sense “indeed” or “definitely” here. The pattern «C'est bien» can emphasize that an identification or statement is correct.

Veuillez «Veuillez» is a formal way to say “please” in the request «Veuillez signer ce formulaire». It is commonly followed by an infinitive to make a polite instruction, as in «Veuillez» + infinitive.

signer «signer» means “sign” in «Veuillez signer ce formulaire». It is used with the document or form that receives the signature.

ce «ce» means “this” in «ce formulaire», identifying a particular form. It is placed before the noun it specifies.

formulaire «formulaire» means “form” in «signer ce formulaire». It is the document that the person is asked to sign before taking the bag.

avant «avant» means “before” in «avant de le prendre» and places the action of signing earlier than taking the bag. The reusable pattern is «avant de» + infinitive.

prendre «prendre» means “take” in «le prendre», referring to taking the bag. It remains in the infinitive after «avant de», and the object pronoun «le» comes before it; a common pattern is «prendre» + an object.

Grammar Points

avant de + infinitif

avant de signer

ah-VAHN duh see-NYAY

before signing

Use avant de followed by an infinitive to express an action that happens earlier.

le vôtre

Le vôtre

luh VOHTR

yours

Le vôtre is a possessive pronoun used instead of a masculine singular noun already understood.

French Vocabulary

bandoulière noun

bahn-doo-YAIR strap

une bandoulière rouge

cassé adj

ka-SAY broken cassée

une fermeture éclair cassée

chercher verb

SHARESH to look for cherche

Je cherche mon sac.

décrire verb

day-KREER to describe

me le décrire

devant noun

duh-VAHN front

sur le devant

fermeture éclair phrase

fair-muh-TOOR ay-KLAIR zipper

une fermeture éclair cassée

fleur noun

FLUR flower

un motif de fleur

motif noun

moh-TEEF pattern

un motif

objets trouvés phrase

oh-zhoh-BZHAY troo-VAY lost property; lost and found

aux objets trouvés

petit adj

puh-TEE small

un petit motif

peut-être adv

puh-TETR perhaps; maybe

C'est peut-être le vôtre.

sac noun

SAK bag

mon sac

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can you describe it for me?

Show Answer

Pouvez-vous me le décrire ?

This might be yours.

Show Answer

C'est peut-être le vôtre.

That's definitely my bag.

Show Answer

C'est bien mon sac.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

pattern

Show Answer

motif

strap

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bandoulière

broken

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cassée

to describe

Show Answer

décrire