About This Lesson
Use A Study Break to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
J'étudie depuis longtemps.
zhuh ay-tew-DYAY duh-PWEE lon-TON I've been studying for a long time.
B
Mets ton travail de côté.
meh ton trah-VAI duh koh-TAY Put your work aside.
B
Repose-toi un moment.
ruh-POHZ-twah uhn moh-MON Rest for a moment.
A
J'ai du mal à me concentrer maintenant.
zhay dew MAL ah muh kohn-sahn-TRAY man-tuh-NAHN It's hard to concentrate now.
B
Ça veut généralement dire que ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause.
sah vuh zhay-nay-rah-luh-MAHN deer kuh ton sehr-VOH ah buh-ZWAN dew-n PAUZ That usually means your brain needs a break.
A
Est-ce que je devrais revoir le vocabulaire plus tard ?
ess-kuh zhuh duh-VRAY ruh-VWAR luh voh-kah-bew-LAIR ploo TAR Should I review vocabulary later?
B
Commence par les mots plus faciles quand tu reviendras.
koh-MAHNSS par lay moh ploo fah-SEEL kahn tew ruh-vee-ahn-DRAS Start with the easier words when you come back.
A
Je fermerai le cahier pendant que je me repose.
zhuh fehr-muh-RAY luh kah-YAY pahn-DAHN kuh zhuh muh ruh-POHZ I'll close the notebook while I rest.
B
Ensuite, nous pourrons continuer plus calmement.
ahn-SWEET noo poor-RON kohn-tee-new-AY ploo kalm-MAHN Then we can continue more calmly.Word by Word
J'étudie
J'étudie means “I am studying” in J'étudie depuis longtemps. Its citation form is étudier; this form presents the speaker’s ongoing activity. Use this kind of subject-plus-verb form to say what you are doing, especially with a study activity.
depuis
Depuis shows that the studying began earlier and continues for the stated duration in J'étudie depuis longtemps. It is used with a starting point or a period of time. Use depuis when describing an activity that continues up to now.
longtemps
Longtemps means “a long time” in J'étudie depuis longtemps. With depuis, it gives the length of the ongoing activity. Use it after a verb to describe something lasting for a long period.
Mets
Mets means “put” as an instruction in Mets ton travail de côté. Its citation form is mettre, and this is the informal singular imperative form. Use this instruction pattern when telling one person to place something somewhere.
ton
Ton means “your” in ton travail and refers to one person addressed informally. It comes directly before the noun it describes. Use ton with a masculine singular noun when speaking informally to one person.
travail
Travail means “work” in ton travail. It is the thing being put aside in Mets ton travail de côté. Use travail for work or study tasks that someone is doing.
de
De is part of the placement expression de côté in Mets ton travail de côté; together with côté, it gives the meaning “aside.” The thing being set aside comes before this expression. Use the same structure when telling someone to put an activity or object aside.
côté
Côté means “side,” and in de côté it contributes to the meaning “aside” in Mets ton travail de côté. The expression identifies where the work should be placed figuratively. Use de côté after the object that someone is setting aside.
Repose
Repose means “rest” as an instruction in Repose-toi un moment. Its citation form is se reposer, and this is the informal singular imperative form used with toi. Use it when telling one person to take a short rest.
toi
Toi refers to the person being told to rest in Repose-toi un moment. It is placed after the imperative and is linked to Repose with a hyphen. This form is useful in an informal instruction directed at one person.
un
Un means “a” in un moment. It introduces one short, unspecified period of time. Use un before a masculine singular noun when referring to one such period or object.
moment
Moment means “moment” in Repose-toi un moment, referring to a short period of rest. It follows un in this time expression. Use un moment when asking someone to wait or rest briefly.
J'ai
J'ai means “I have” in J'ai du mal à me concentrer maintenant. Its citation form is avoir; here it begins the expression for having difficulty doing something. Use J'ai with a noun phrase to describe a condition or situation you are experiencing.
du
Du is part of du mal in J'ai du mal à me concentrer maintenant. It is the contraction of de and le, while the full expression du mal à means having difficulty with an action. Keep du before mal in this expression.
mal
Mal means “difficulty” in du mal à me concentrer. The full expression J'ai du mal à me concentrer means that concentrating is difficult for the speaker. Use mal after avoir du in this pattern to describe difficulty with an action.
à
À introduces the action that is difficult in J'ai du mal à me concentrer maintenant. The structure du mal à is followed by an infinitive. Use à before the action when explaining what someone has difficulty doing.
me
Me refers back to the speaker in me concentrer and shows that the speaker is the person performing the action. It comes directly before the infinitive in this expression. Use this subject-linked pronoun when describing an action the speaker does to or for themself.
concentrer
Concentrer means “concentrate” in me concentrer. It is the infinitive after à and identifies the action that is difficult. Use it after à in the pattern du mal à me concentrer when talking about difficulty concentrating.
maintenant
Maintenant means “now” in J'ai du mal à me concentrer maintenant. It places the difficulty at the present moment. Use it to specify that a situation is happening at the time of speaking.
Ça
Ça means “that” or “it” in Ça veut généralement dire que ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause, referring to the difficulty just mentioned. It allows the speaker to refer to the whole preceding situation. Use ça as the subject when commenting on something that has just happened or been described.
veut
Veut is part of veut dire in Ça veut généralement dire que ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause. Its citation form is vouloir; in this expression, veut contributes to the meaning “means.” Use veut dire to explain what a situation or sign indicates.
généralement
Généralement means “usually” or “generally” in Ça veut généralement dire que ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause. It shows that the statement is a common tendency rather than an exceptionless rule. Use it with a verb when describing what normally happens.
dire
Dire is the infinitive in veut dire, which means “to mean” in Ça veut généralement dire que ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause. It follows veut in this fixed expression. Use veut dire before a clause that explains the meaning of a situation.
que
Que introduces the clause explaining what the situation means in Ça veut généralement dire que ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause. The clause after que gives the content of the explanation. Use que to connect an expression such as veut dire with a complete statement.
cerveau
Cerveau means “brain” in ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause. It is the thing described as needing a break. Use it with a possessive such as ton when talking about someone’s brain or mental effort.
a
A means “has” in ton cerveau a besoin d'une pause. Its citation form is avoir; here it begins the expression a besoin de, meaning that something needs something. Use a besoin de before the thing that is needed.
besoin
Besoin means “need” in a besoin d'une pause. The full expression a besoin d'une pause says that the brain needs a break. Use besoin after avoir and before de plus the needed thing.
d'une
D'une means “of a” in a besoin d'une pause. It is the contraction of de and une and introduces the thing that is needed. Use d'une before a feminine singular noun after a besoin de.
pause
Pause means “break” in d'une pause. It is the thing the brain needs after the study effort. Use pause in a besoin d'une pause when suggesting a short interruption for rest.
Est
Est is part of the question opener Est-ce que in Est-ce que je devrais revoir le vocabulaire plus tard ? Its citation form is être, but here the full opener makes a yes-or-no question. Use Est-ce que before a statement when asking for information or advice.
ce
Ce is part of the fixed question structure Est-ce que in Est-ce que je devrais revoir le vocabulaire plus tard ? It helps form the question opener rather than carrying the main meaning alone. Use it together with Est and que at the start of a yes-or-no question.
je
Je means “I” in Est-ce que je devrais revoir le vocabulaire plus tard ? and Je fermerai le cahier pendant que je me repose. It marks the speaker as the subject of the verb. Use je before a verb when talking about your own action, plan, or question.
devrais
Devrais means “should” in je devrais revoir le vocabulaire. Its citation form is devoir, and this form asks whether the speaker ought to do something. Use devrais before an infinitive when asking for advice about your own action.
revoir
Revoir means “review” or “see again” in revoir le vocabulaire. It is the infinitive after devrais and identifies the action being considered. Use revoir before the object that will be reviewed again.
le
Le means “the” in le vocabulaire. It introduces the singular noun being discussed as a known study topic. Use le before a masculine singular noun when referring to a specific item or subject.
vocabulaire
Vocabulaire means “vocabulary” in revoir le vocabulaire. It is the material the speaker may review later. Use it after revoir when talking about reviewing vocabulary.
plus
Plus has two uses in the dialogue: in plus faciles it helps mean “easier,” and in plus tard the full expression means “later.” Its meaning depends on the expression it forms with the following word. Keep plus directly before the adjective or time word in these patterns.
tard
Tard means “late,” and plus tard means “later” in revoir le vocabulaire plus tard. It places the review after the current moment. Use plus tard when postponing an action to a later time.
Commence
Commence means “start” as an instruction in Commence par les mots plus faciles. Its citation form is commencer, and this is the informal singular imperative form. Use it when telling one person how to begin an activity.
par
Par means “with” in Commence par les mots plus faciles. It introduces the first items chosen in the sequence. Use commencer par plus a noun when saying what someone should start with.
les
Les means “the” before the plural noun mots in les mots plus faciles. It marks the words as a specific plural group. Use les before a plural noun when referring to a known group of things.
mots
Mots means “words” in les mots plus faciles. Its citation form is mot; here the plural group is the first material to review. Use mots when discussing individual vocabulary items or words.
faciles
Faciles means “easy” in plus faciles, where plus faciles means “easier.” It describes the words that should be reviewed first. Use plus before an adjective when comparing items by that quality.
quand
Quand means “when” in quand tu reviendras. It introduces the time condition for starting with the easier words. Use quand before a clause that says when an action will happen.
tu
Tu means “you” as the informal singular subject in tu reviendras. It identifies the person who will come back. Use tu before a verb when speaking informally to one person.
reviendras
Reviendras means “will come back” in quand tu reviendras. Its citation form is revenir, and this form refers to the person addressed informally returning later. Use it after quand to state when someone will return.
fermerai
Fermerai means “will close” in Je fermerai le cahier pendant que je me repose. Its citation form is fermer, and this form presents the speaker’s future action. Use a future verb with a direct object when stating what you will close or do later.
cahier
Cahier means “notebook” in le cahier. It is the object that the speaker will close while resting. Use cahier for a notebook used for writing or studying.
pendant
Pendant means “while” in pendant que je me repose. Together with que, it introduces the activity happening during the closing action. Use pendant que before a clause to connect two actions occurring at the same time.
Ensuite
Ensuite means “then” or “next” in Ensuite, nous pourrons continuer plus calmement. It marks the next step after the rest. Use it at the beginning of a sentence to organize actions in sequence.
nous
Nous means “we” in nous pourrons continuer plus calmement. It marks the group that will continue studying together. Use nous before a verb when speaking about an action done by the speaker and at least one other person.
pourrons
Pourrons means “will be able to” in nous pourrons continuer plus calmement. Its citation form is pouvoir, and this future form expresses the group’s ability or possibility to continue. Use pouvoir plus an infinitive to say what someone can or will be able to do.
continuer
Continuer means “continue” in pourrons continuer plus calmement. It is the infinitive after pourrons and refers to resuming the study activity. Use it after a verb of ability or possibility when naming the activity that can continue.
calmement
Calmement means “calmly” in continuer plus calmement. It describes how the group will continue after the break. Use it after an action verb when describing a calm manner of doing something.
Grammar Points
présent + depuis longtemps
J'étudie depuis longtemps.
zhuh ay-tew-DYAY duh-PWEE lon-TONI have been studying for a long time.
En français, on utilise le présent avec « depuis » pour une action commencée dans le passé et qui continue maintenant.
avoir du mal à + infinitif
J'ai du mal à me concentrer maintenant.
zhay dew MAL ah muh kohn-sahn-TRAY man-tuh-NAHNI am having difficulty concentrating now.
Après « avoir du mal à », le verbe suivant reste à l'infinitif. Le pronom réfléchi s'accorde avec le sujet.
French Vocabulary
avoir du mal à
phrase
ah-VWAR dew MAL ah
to have difficulty
J'ai du mal à
J'ai du mal à me concentrer maintenant.
de côté
phrase
duh koh-TAY
aside
Mets ton travail de côté.
depuis longtemps
phrase
duh-PWEE lon-TON
for a long time
J'étudie depuis longtemps.
étudier
verb
ay-tew-DYAY
to study
J'étudie
J'étudie depuis longtemps.
généralement
adv
zhay-nay-rah-luh-MAHN
usually
veut généralement dire
maintenant
adv
man-tuh-NAHN
now
me concentrer maintenant
mettre
verb
MEHTR
to put
Mets
Mets ton travail de côté.
moment
noun
moh-MON
moment
un moment
se concentrer
verb
suh kohn-sahn-TRAY
to concentrate
me concentrer
à me concentrer
se reposer
verb
suh ruh-poh-ZAY
to rest
Repose-toi
Repose-toi un moment.
travail
noun
trah-VAI
work
ton travail
vouloir dire
phrase
voo-LWAR deer
to mean
veut dire
Ça veut généralement dire que...
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
I've been studying for a long time.
Show Answer
J'étudie depuis longtemps.Put your work aside.
Show Answer
Mets ton travail de côté.Rest for a moment.
Show Answer
Repose-toi un moment.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
work
Show Answer
travailmoment
Show Answer
momentto put
Show Answer
Metsusually