Reserving a Quiet Study Room | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: In a library, one person reserves a quiet study room and asks about the request form and key return..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Reserving a Quiet Study Room to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude.

zhuh voo-DRAY ray-zair-VAY oon SAHL day-TEWD. I would like to reserve a study room.
B

Je vais vérifier quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui.

zhuh vay veh-ree-fyay kel SAHL sohn LEEBR oh-zhoor-DWEE. Let me check which rooms are open today.
A

J'ai besoin d'un endroit calme pour étudier avec un camarade de classe.

zhay buh-ZWAN duh(n) ahn-DROO-ah KALM poor ay-tew-dee-AY ah-VEK uhn kah-mah-RAHD duh KLAHSS. I need a quiet place to study with a classmate.
B

Une petite salle est libre cet après-midi.

ewn puh-TEET SAHL eh LEEBR set ah-pray-mee-DEE. A small room is free this afternoon.
A

Est-ce que je peux la réserver au comptoir d'accueil ?

ess-kuh zhuh puh lah ray-zair-VAY oh kohn-TWAHR dah-KUY? Can I book it at the service desk?
B

Veuillez remplir le formulaire de demande ici.

vuh-YAY rahn-PLEER luh for-mew-LAIR duh duh-MAHND ee-SEE. Please fill in the request form here.
A

Est-ce que je dois rendre la clé à ce comptoir d'accueil ?

ess-kuh zhuh DWAH RAHNDR lah CLAY ah suh kohn-TWAHR dah-KUY? Do I return the key to this service desk?
B

Rapportez-la avant la fermeture.

rah-por-TAY-lah ah-VAHN lah fair-muh-TEWR. Bring it back before closing.

Word by Word

Je Je means “I” here and is the subject of the request Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude. The same subject pronoun appears in lowercase in Je vais vérifier; it is used before a verb when the speaker refers to themself.
voudrais Voudrais expresses “would like” in Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude, making the request polite. It is followed here by the infinitive réserver, and this pattern can introduce a polite request.
réserver Réserver means “to reserve” or “to book” in Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude. It follows voudrais and takes the thing being booked, here une salle d'étude; the same verb is used in la réserver.
une Une means “a” in une salle d'étude and introduces the feminine noun salle. It also appears at the beginning of Une petite salle, where it presents one available room.
salle Salle means “room” in salle d'étude and Une petite salle. It can be combined with a description or purpose, as in salle d'étude, and it is the room referred to by la in la réserver.
d'étude D'étude means “of study” in salle d'étude, identifying the room as a study room. It comes from de étude with the shortened form d' before étude; this phrase follows the noun it describes.
vais Vais helps express “am going to” in Je vais vérifier quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui. It is followed by the infinitive vérifier, forming a way to state an action the speaker is about to carry out.
vérifier Vérifier means “to check” in Je vais vérifier quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui. It follows vais and introduces the information being checked, here which rooms are available today.
quelles Quelles means “which” in quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui and asks which rooms meet the condition. It comes directly before the plural noun salles in this question-like clause.
salles Salles means “rooms” in quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui. The ending shows the plural form, and the word is described by quelles and libres in that clause.
sont Sont means “are” in quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui. It links the plural subject quelles salles with the description libres; this verb appears before the description in the clause.
libres Libres means “free” or “available” in quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui. It describes rooms that can be used and has a plural form matching salles; the singular form appears in Une petite salle est libre.
aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui means “today” and sets the time for the room availability in quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui. It is placed at the end of the clause to specify when the rooms are available.
J'ai J'ai means “I have” in J'ai besoin d'un endroit calme. It begins the expression J'ai besoin de..., which states that the speaker needs something; here the need is followed by d'un endroit calme.
besoin Besoin means “need” in J'ai besoin d'un endroit calme. It is used with J'ai in the fixed expression J'ai besoin de..., followed by the thing that is needed.
d'un D'un introduces “a” in besoin d'un endroit calme, so the phrase means that a quiet place is needed. It is the shortened form of de un before the following noun and is followed here by endroit.
endroit Endroit means “place” in J'ai besoin d'un endroit calme. It is the object of the need expression and is followed by calme to specify what kind of place is wanted.
calme Calme means “quiet” in un endroit calme and describes the place the speaker needs for studying. It follows the noun endroit and can describe a place by its quiet character.
pour Pour indicates purpose in pour étudier, meaning “in order to study” or “for studying.” It is followed here by the infinitive étudier and connects the needed place with its purpose.
étudier Étudier means “to study” in pour étudier. It follows pour as an infinitive and states what the speaker intends to do in the quiet place.
avec Avec means “with” in avec un camarade de classe and introduces the person accompanying the speaker. It is followed by the person or group involved, here un camarade de classe.
un Un means “a” in un camarade de classe and introduces one classmate. It comes before the masculine noun camarade and appears after avec in this phrase.
camarade Camarade means “classmate” in un camarade de classe. The phrase de classe specifies the relevant kind of companion, and camarade is introduced by un.
de De links camarade with classe in camarade de classe, identifying the classmate by their connection with a class. This pattern places de between the main noun and the noun that specifies it.
classe Classe means “class” in camarade de classe. Together with de, it specifies what kind of camarade is meant; the complete phrase is used after un.
petite Petite means “small” in Une petite salle and describes the room that is available. It comes before the feminine noun salle and agrees with that noun in this exact form.
est Est means “is” in Une petite salle est libre cet après-midi. It links the singular subject Une petite salle with the description libre and appears before the time expression.
libre Libre means “free” or “available” in Une petite salle est libre cet après-midi. It says that the small room can be booked, and the singular form matches the singular room.
cet Cet means “this” in cet après-midi and points to the afternoon in question. It comes directly before the masculine-form noun après-midi in this time expression.
après-midi Après-midi means “afternoon” in cet après-midi. The expression combines après, “after,” with midi, “noon,” and it is used here after cet to specify when the room is free.
ce Ce is part of est-ce que in Est-ce que je peux la réserver au comptoir d'accueil ? Together, est-ce que introduces a yes-or-no question; ce does not mean “this” independently in this question structure.
que Que is part of est-ce que in Est-ce que je peux la réserver au comptoir d'accueil ? Together, est-ce que marks the sentence as a yes-or-no question and is followed here by the subject and verb.
peux Peux means “can” or “may” in Est-ce que je peux la réserver..., asking whether the speaker is allowed to book the room. It is followed by the object pronoun la and the infinitive réserver.
la La means “it” in la réserver and refers back to the room, salle. It is placed before the infinitive réserver, as in Est-ce que je peux la réserver au comptoir d'accueil ?
au Au means “at the” in au comptoir d'accueil, identifying the location of the booking. It is the contracted form of à and le and comes before the masculine noun comptoir.
comptoir Comptoir means “desk” or “counter” in au comptoir d'accueil. It is the place where the room can be booked, and d'accueil specifies that it is the reception or service desk.
d'accueil D'accueil means “of reception” in comptoir d'accueil, so the whole phrase refers to a reception or service desk. It comes from de accueil with the shortened form d' before accueil and follows comptoir.
Veuillez Veuillez introduces a polite instruction in Veuillez remplir le formulaire de demande ici. It is followed by the infinitive remplir and is used when politely asking someone to do something.
remplir Remplir means “to fill in” in Veuillez remplir le formulaire de demande ici. It follows Veuillez and takes the form being completed, here le formulaire de demande.
le Le means “the” in le formulaire de demande and identifies a specific form. It comes before the masculine noun formulaire in this request.
formulaire Formulaire means “form” in le formulaire de demande. It is the document the visitor must complete, and de demande specifies that it is a request form.
demande Demande means “request” in formulaire de demande and specifies the purpose of the form. It follows de in this noun combination, which identifies the form being completed.
ici Ici means “here” in Veuillez remplir le formulaire de demande ici and indicates the place where the form should be filled in. It appears at the end of the instruction to point out the location.
dois Dois expresses “must” or “have to” in Est-ce que je dois rendre la clé à ce comptoir d'accueil ? The question asks whether returning the key is required, and dois is followed by the infinitive rendre.
rendre Rendre means “to return” in je dois rendre la clé. It follows dois and takes la clé as the thing to be returned; the destination is introduced by à.
clé Clé means “key” in rendre la clé and identifies the item that must be returned. It is preceded by la because the question refers to a specific key.
à À indicates the destination or recipient in rendre la clé à ce comptoir d'accueil. It links the returned key with the service desk and is followed here by ce comptoir d'accueil.
Rapportez Rapportez means “bring back” or “return” in Rapportez-la avant la fermeture. It is a polite instruction and is followed by la, which refers to the key; the time limit follows in avant la fermeture.
avant Avant means “before” in avant la fermeture and sets the deadline for returning the key. It is followed by the event or time point that must not yet have occurred, here la fermeture.
fermeture Fermeture means “closing” in avant la fermeture, referring to the closing time or closing of the service. It is used after la and completes the time expression that limits when the key should be returned.

Grammar Points

Je voudrais + infinitif

Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude.

zhuh voo-DRAY ray-zair-VAY oon SAHL day-TEWD.

I would like to reserve a study room.

« voudrais » est une forme polie de « vouloir », suivie d'un verbe à l'infinitif.

Veuillez + infinitif

Veuillez remplir le formulaire.

vuh-YAY rahn-PLEER luh for-mew-LAIR.

Please fill in the form.

« veuillez » introduit une demande polie et formelle, suivie d'un verbe à l'infinitif.

French Vocabulary

aller verb
ah-LAY to be going to vais

Je vais vérifier quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui.

aujourd'hui adv
oh-zhoor-DWEE today

quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui

avoir besoin de phrase
ah-VWAHR buh-ZWAN duh to need

J'ai besoin d'un endroit calme pour étudier.

calme adj
KALM quiet; calm

un endroit calme

endroit noun
ahn-DROO-ah place

un endroit calme

libre adj
LEEBR free; available

quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui

quel det
KEL which; what quelles

quelles salles

réserver verb
ray-zair-VAY to reserve; to book

Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude.

salle noun
SAHL room

Une petite salle est libre cet après-midi.

salle d'étude phrase
SAHL day-TEWD study room

Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude.

vérifier verb
veh-ree-fyay to check

Je vais vérifier quelles salles sont libres aujourd'hui.

vouloir verb
voo-LWAHR to want; would like voudrais

Je voudrais réserver une salle d'étude.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I would like to reserve a study room.

Show AnswerJe voudrais réserver une salle d'étude.

Bring it back before closing.

Show AnswerRapportez-la avant la fermeture.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to want; would like

Show Answervoudrais

to check

Show Answervérifier

free; available

Show Answerlibre

to reserve; to book

Show Answerréserver