Renewing a library book | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At a library desk, one person asks how to renew a borrowed book when their online account is not working..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Renewing a library book to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

J'aimerais renouveler un livre que j'ai emprunté.

zhem-reh-RAY ruh-noo-vuh-LAY uh(n) LEEVR kuh zhay ah(n)-PRUHN-TAY I'd like to renew a book I borrowed.
B

Vous pouvez le renouveler avec votre compte en ligne.

voo poo-VAY luh ruh-noo-vuh-LAY ah-VEK votr KOHNT ah(n) LEENY You can renew it through your online account.
A

Je n'arrive pas à accéder à mon compte aujourd'hui.

zhuh nah-REEV pah ah ahk-say-DAY ah mohn KOHNT oh-zhoor-DWEE I can't get into my account today.
B

Nous pouvons vous aider au bureau.

noo poo-VOHN voo-zay-DAY oh byoo-ROH We can help you at the desk.
A

Est-ce que j'ai besoin de ma carte de bibliothèque ?

ess kuh zhay buh-ZWAN duh mah KART duh bee-blee-oh-TEK Do I need my library card?
B

Apportez votre carte pour que nous trouvions votre dossier.

ah-por-TAY votr KART poor kuh noo troo-vee-OHN votr doh-SYAY Bring your card so we can find your record.
A

Est-ce que je peux renouveler le livre aujourd'hui après cela ?

ess kuh zhuh puh ruh-noo-vuh-LAY luh LEEVR oh-zhoor-DWEE ah-PRAY suh-LAH Can I renew the book today after that?
B

Oui, sauf si quelqu'un d'autre l'a demandé.

wee soh SEE kel-KUN doht(r) lah duh-mahn-DAY You can, unless someone else has requested it.

Word by Word

J'aimerais The exact form 'J'aimerais' expresses a polite wish: I would like. It is used before an infinitive here, as in 'J'aimerais renouveler'; a reusable pattern is 'J'aimerais + infinitive' when making a polite request.
renouveler In 'J'aimerais renouveler', 'renouveler' means to renew and appears in the infinitive after 'J'aimerais'. A useful reuse pattern is 'renouveler + object', as in 'renouveler un livre'.
un In 'un livre', 'un' introduces one non-specific book, equivalent to a or an. Reuse it directly before a singular noun when introducing something not yet identified.
livre Here 'livre' means book, the item being renewed and later referred to as 'le livre'. It is used after an article or possessive, as in 'un livre'.
que In 'que j'ai emprunté', 'que' links 'un livre' to a clause that gives information about it; here it means that or which. Reuse 'noun + que + clause' to identify something through an additional description.
j'ai In 'j'ai emprunté', 'j'ai' is the first-person form of avoir used with 'emprunté' to describe a completed borrowing. Reuse 'j'ai + past participle' to talk about something you have done.
emprunté In 'que j'ai emprunté', 'emprunté' means borrowed and describes the book. It is used with 'j'ai'; a useful reuse pattern is 'emprunter + object', for example borrowing a book.
Vous In 'Vous pouvez', 'Vous' means you and is the subject addressing one person formally or several people. The same form appears as 'vous' in 'vous aider'; reuse 'Vous + verb' when addressing someone formally or addressing a group.
pouvez In 'Vous pouvez le renouveler', 'pouvez' expresses that the person can renew it. It is followed by an infinitive; reuse 'Vous pouvez + infinitive' to state ability or offer a possibility formally or to several people.
le In 'le renouveler', 'le' means it and refers back to the book. It is placed before the infinitive, so 'le renouveler' means renew it.
avec Here 'avec' means using and introduces the account as the means in 'avec votre compte en ligne'. Reuse 'avec + noun' to say what tool or means is used.
votre In 'votre compte', 'votre' means your and comes directly before the noun. It addresses one person formally or more than one person; reuse 'votre + noun' for that possessive relationship.
compte Here 'compte' means account, specifically the online account used to renew the book. Reuse it in 'compte en ligne' when referring to an online account.
en In 'en ligne', 'en' is part of the expression meaning online; it does not mean online by itself here. Reuse the complete expression 'en ligne' after a noun, as in 'compte en ligne'.
ligne In 'en ligne', 'ligne' completes the expression meaning online. The meaning here comes from 'en ligne' as a whole, so reuse that complete expression rather than using 'ligne' alone for online.
Je In 'Je n'arrive', 'Je' means I and is the subject of the sentence. Reuse 'Je + verb' to state what you do or experience.
n'arrive In 'Je n'arrive pas à accéder', 'n'arrive' contributes the idea of not managing to do something. Reuse 'Je n'arrive pas à + infinitive' when you cannot manage to perform an action.
pas Here 'pas' completes the negation with 'n'arrive', so 'n'arrive pas' means cannot manage to. Reuse 'ne/n' + verb + pas' to make a negative statement.
à In 'n'arrive pas à accéder', 'à' links the idea of managing or not managing to the action that follows. Reuse 'à + infinitive' after a verb when that verb requires an action to follow it.
accéder In 'à accéder à mon compte', 'accéder' means to access or get into. It is followed by 'à' before the thing accessed; reuse 'accéder à + noun', as in accessing an account.
mon In 'mon compte', 'mon' means my and comes before the noun it determines. Reuse 'mon + noun' to express possession.
aujourd'hui Here 'aujourd'hui' means today and specifies when the account-access problem occurs. It can be placed at the end of a sentence to add the time of an action or situation.
Nous In 'Nous pouvons' and 'nous trouvions', 'Nous/nous' means we and is the subject in both clauses. Capitalization changes with sentence position, not meaning; reuse 'nous + verb' to talk about an action done by we or us as a group.
pouvons In 'Nous pouvons vous aider', 'pouvons' means can or are able to. It is followed by the infinitive 'aider'; reuse 'Nous pouvons + infinitive' to offer help or state a shared ability.
aider In 'vous aider', 'aider' means to help, with 'vous' naming who receives the help. Reuse 'aider + person' when offering or describing help.
au In 'au bureau', 'au' means at or to the and is the combined form of à and le. Reuse 'au + place' for a location or destination.
bureau Here 'bureau' means the library desk, the place where staff can help. It follows 'au' in 'au bureau'; reuse that phrase when directing someone to the desk.
Est-ce que Together, 'Est-ce que' marks a yes-or-no question, as in 'Est-ce que j'ai besoin de ma carte de bibliothèque ?'. 'Est-ce' starts the question marker and 'que' completes it; the question function belongs to the whole expression. Reuse 'Est-ce que + statement' to form a yes-or-no question.
besoin In 'j'ai besoin de ma carte', 'besoin' expresses need as part of the construction avoir besoin de. Reuse 'avoir besoin de + noun' to say that something is needed.
de Here 'de' completes 'avoir besoin de' and introduces the thing needed: 'de ma carte'. Reuse 'avoir besoin de + noun'; its meaning here belongs to that construction, not to 'de' alone.
ma In 'ma carte', 'ma' means my and comes directly before the noun. Reuse 'ma + noun' to express possession.
carte Here 'carte' means card, specifically the card requested in 'ma carte de bibliothèque'. Reuse 'carte de + noun' to identify a card by its purpose or type.
bibliothèque In 'carte de bibliothèque', 'bibliothèque' means library and identifies what the card is connected with. Reuse 'de bibliothèque' after a noun when linking something to the library.
Apportez In 'Apportez votre carte', 'Apportez' tells the addressee to bring the card. It is a formal or plural instruction; reuse 'Apportez + object' for a direct request.
pour In 'pour que nous trouvions votre dossier', 'pour' introduces the purpose of bringing the card. The complete pattern is 'pour que + clause', whose meaning comes from the whole purpose expression.
trouvions In 'pour que nous trouvions votre dossier', 'trouvions' means find, with 'nous' as the subject. It takes 'votre dossier' as its object; reuse 'trouver + object' when locating information or an item.
dossier Here 'dossier' means the library record or file that staff need to find. It follows the possessive in 'votre dossier'; reuse that noun phrase when referring to someone's record.
peux In 'Est-ce que je peux renouveler', 'peux' asks whether I can or may do something. Reuse 'Est-ce que je peux + infinitive' to ask for permission or about the possibility of an action.
après In 'après cela', 'après' means after and places the renewal after the preceding step. Reuse 'après + noun or pronoun' to order one event after another.
cela In 'après cela', 'cela' means that or it and refers to the preceding step in the conversation, bringing the card. Reuse 'après cela' to mean after that.
Oui 'Oui' means yes; here it confirms that renewal is possible before the exception introduced by 'sauf si'. Reuse it as a direct answer to a yes-or-no question.
sauf In 'sauf si quelqu'un d'autre l'a demandé', 'sauf' introduces an exception: renewal is possible except under the stated condition. Reuse 'sauf si + clause' to state an exception based on a condition.
si Here 'si' means if and begins the condition 'si quelqu'un d'autre l'a demandé'. Reuse 'si + clause' to introduce a condition.
quelqu'un Together, 'quelqu'un' means someone, an unspecified person. In this form, 'quelque' contributes the unspecified some idea and 'un' completes the pronoun; reuse 'quelqu'un' when referring to an unknown or unspecified person.
d'autre In 'quelqu'un d'autre', 'd'autre' means else or another and distinguishes this person from someone already considered. It follows 'quelqu'un' in this expression; reuse 'quelqu'un d'autre' for someone else.
l'a In 'l'a demandé', 'l'' refers to the book and 'a' combines with 'demandé' to express that someone has requested it. The sequence is l' + a, with the pronoun before the auxiliary; reuse an object pronoun + avoir + past participle for a completed action.
demandé In 'l'a demandé', 'demandé' means requested or asked for, with 'l'' standing for the book. It is used with an object, here represented by 'l''; reuse demander + object when someone asks for something.

Grammar Points

ne pas arriver à + infinitif

Je n'arrive pas à accéder à mon compte.

zhuh nah-REEV pah ah ahk-say-DAY ah mohn KOHNT

I can't access my account.

La négation encadre le verbe conjugué, tandis que « à » précède l'infinitif : n'arrive pas à accéder.

avoir besoin de + infinitif

J'ai besoin de renouveler mon compte.

zhay buh-ZWAN duh ruh-noo-vuh-LAY mohn KOHNT

I need to renew my account.

Après « avoir besoin », on utilise « de » avant un nom ou un infinitif.

French Vocabulary

accéder à verb
ahk-say-DAY AH to access
aider verb
ay-DAY to help
arriver à phrase
ah-ree-VAY AH to manage to n'arrive pas à
aujourd'hui adv
oh-zhoor-DWEE today
avoir besoin de phrase
ah-VWAHR buh-ZWAN duh to need j'ai besoin de
bureau noun
byoo-ROH desk; office
carte noun
KART card
compte noun
KOHNT account
emprunter verb
ah(n)-PRUHN-TAY to borrow emprunté
en ligne phrase
ah(n) LEENY online
livre noun
LEEVR book
renouveler verb
ruh-noo-vuh-LAY to renew

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

We can help you at the desk.

Show AnswerNous pouvons vous aider au bureau.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

account

Show Answercompte

to help

Show Answeraider

to borrow

Show Answeremprunté

book

Show Answerlivre