Borrowing a bicycle pump | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Borrowing a bicycle pump to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Mon pneu arrière est presque à plat.

mohn puh-NAIR eh PRESK ah-PLAH My back tire is almost flat.

J'ai une pompe que tu peux emprunter.

zhay ewn POHMP kuh tew puh ahn-prun-TAY I have a pump you can borrow.

Est-ce que je dois d'abord vérifier s'il y a une fuite ?

ess-kuh zhuh dwah dah-BOR vay-ree-FYAY seel yah ewn FWEET Should I check for a leak first?

Regarde le long du flanc avant d'ajouter de l'air.

ruh-GARD luh LOHN dew FLAHN ah-VAHN dah-zhoo-TAY duh LAIR Look along the sidewall before adding air.

Tu peux me montrer comment la fixer ?

tew puh muh mohn-TRAY koh-MAHN lah feek-SAY Can you show me how to attach it?

Appuie cette partie sur la valve et pompe doucement.

ah-PWEE set par-TEE sewr lah VALV ay POHMP doohs-MAHN Press this part onto the valve and pump slowly.

Le pneu semble assez gonflé maintenant.

luh puh-NUH sahnbl ah-SAY gohn-FLAY meh-tuh-NAHN The tire feels firm enough now.

Rapporte la pompe quand tu as fini.

rah-PORT lah POHMP kahn tew-AH fee-NEE Bring the pump back when you finish.

Word by Word

Mon Mon means “my” here and identifies pneu as belonging to the speaker. It is used before the noun in Mon pneu arrière. A new example is Mon vélo est dehors.

pneu Pneu means “tire” in Mon pneu arrière. It is the noun for the bicycle part being described and checked. A new example is Je change le pneu.

arrière Arrière means “rear” or “back” here and specifies which tire is meant in Mon pneu arrière. It follows the noun in this expression. A new example is la roue arrière.

est Est means “is” here and connects Mon pneu arrière with its condition in Mon pneu arrière est presque à plat. It is used to describe a current state. A new example is Le pneu est neuf.

presque Presque means “almost” and shows that the tire is close to being flat in presque à plat. It comes before the expression it modifies. A new example is Le réservoir est presque plein.

à À is part of the exact expression à plat, which describes the tire as flat or lacking air. The meaning “flat” comes from the whole expression, not from à alone. A new example is Le pneu est à plat.

plat Plat completes the exact expression à plat, meaning that the tire is flat or lacks enough air. In this dialogue, plat describes the condition of pneu; it does not carry the whole expression’s meaning by itself. A new example is La roue est à plat.

J'ai J'ai means “I have” in J'ai une pompe. It is the written form used to say that the speaker has a pump available. A new example is J'ai une clé.

une Une means “a” in une pompe and introduces one pump. It is used before the feminine noun pompe. A new example is une roue.

pompe Pompe means “pump” in une pompe que tu peux emprunter. It names the object that can be borrowed and later brought back. A new example is La pompe est ici.

que Que introduces the clause that describes the pump in une pompe que tu peux emprunter. Here, the clause says that the listener can borrow the pump. A new example is le livre que tu peux lire.

tu Tu means “you” for one person addressed informally in tu peux emprunter. It is the subject of peux and refers to the person borrowing the pump. A new example is Tu peux attendre ici.

peux Peux means “can” in tu peux emprunter and expresses the listener’s possibility or permission to borrow the pump. It is followed here by the action emprunter. A new example is Tu peux utiliser la pompe.

emprunter Emprunter means “borrow” in tu peux emprunter. It stays in this form after peux and names the action the listener is allowed or able to do. A new example is Je peux emprunter ton vélo.

Est-ce que Est-ce que turns the following clause into a question in Est-ce que je dois d'abord vérifier s'il y a une fuite ? Est-ce introduces the question frame, and que connects that frame to the clause about checking for a leak. This construction is useful for forming a yes-or-no question.

je Je means “I” and is the subject of dois in je dois d'abord vérifier. It identifies the speaker as the person who may need to check the tire. A new example is Je dois regarder le pneu.

dois Dois means “should” or “must” here in je dois d'abord vérifier and asks whether checking is required before pumping. It is followed by the action vérifier. A new example is Je dois fermer la porte.

d'abord D'abord means “first” and places vérifier before the later action of adding air. It commonly appears before the action that should happen first. A new example is Je regarde d'abord.

vérifier Vérifier means “check” in je dois d'abord vérifier s'il y a une fuite. It remains in this form after dois and introduces what the speaker plans to inspect. A new example is Je vais vérifier la valve.

s'il S'il begins the exact clause s'il y a une fuite, meaning “if there is a leak” or asking whether there is one. Its meaning here depends on the complete expression s'il y a, not on s'il alone. A new example is Je regarde s'il y a de l'eau.

y Y is part of the exact expression il y a in s'il y a une fuite, which expresses existence: “there is a leak.” It helps form this existence expression rather than naming a separate place here. A new example is Il y a un problème.

a A is part of il y a in s'il y a une fuite and completes the expression meaning “there is a leak.” Its meaning here comes from the whole expression il y a. A new example is Il y a de l'air.

fuite Fuite means “leak” in s'il y a une fuite. It names the problem the speaker wants to check for before adding air. A new example is La fuite est petite.

Regarde Regarde tells one person to “look” in Regarde le long du flanc. It is used here as a direct instruction to inspect the tire’s sidewall. A new example is Regarde la valve.

le Le means “the” in le long du flanc and belongs to the expression le long de, meaning “along.” It introduces the masculine noun flanc in this phrase. A new example is le côté gauche.

long Long is part of the exact expression le long du flanc, meaning “along the sidewall.” The directional meaning comes from the complete expression, not from long alone. A new example is marcher le long du mur.

du Du is used in le long du flanc and means “of the” within the expression le long de. It connects along to the specific area, flanc. A new example is le long du chemin.

flanc Flanc means “sidewall” in le long du flanc. It identifies the side area of the tire where the listener should look for a leak. A new example is Le flanc du pneu est marqué.

avant Avant means “before” in avant d'ajouter de l'air and places the inspection earlier than adding air. It is followed here by the infinitive phrase d'ajouter de l'air. A new example is Lave tes mains avant de manger.

d'ajouter D'ajouter means “adding” in avant d'ajouter de l'air. It is the form used after avant to introduce the action that must wait until the inspection is complete. A new example is avant d'ajouter du sel.

de De is part of the exact expression de l'air in ajouter de l'air and helps express an unspecified amount of air being added. It does not mean “of” or “from” separately in this context. A new example is boire de l'eau.

l'air L'air means “air” in ajouter de l'air. Together with de, it identifies what is added to the tire. A new example is Il manque de l'air dans le pneu.

me Me means “me” in Tu peux me montrer and identifies the person who will receive the demonstration. It appears before montrer in this request. A new example is Tu peux me donner la pompe.

montrer Montrer means “show” in Tu peux me montrer comment la fixer. It remains in this form after peux and introduces the method the speaker wants to learn. A new example is Peux-tu me montrer la valve ?

comment Comment means “how” in comment la fixer and introduces the method for attaching the pump. It links montrer to the action the speaker wants explained. A new example is Montre-moi comment ouvrir la porte.

la La means “it” in comment la fixer and refers back to the feminine noun pompe. Here it is an object pronoun before fixer, not the article before a noun. A new example is Je vais la prendre.

fixer Fixer means “attach” in comment la fixer. It remains in this form after comment and names the action the speaker wants to learn. A new example is Il faut fixer la pompe à la valve.

Appuie Appuie tells one person to “press” in Appuie cette partie sur la valve. It gives a direct instruction about how to place the pump part. A new example is Appuie sur le bouton.

cette Cette means “this” in cette partie and points to one specific part being held. It is used before the feminine noun partie. A new example is cette valve.

partie Partie means “part” in cette partie. It identifies the pump component that should be pressed onto the valve. A new example is Cette partie est cassée.

sur Sur means “onto” in Appuie cette partie sur la valve and shows the contact or destination of the pressing action. It is followed here by la valve. A new example is Pose le livre sur la table.

valve Valve means “valve” in sur la valve. It names the tire component onto which the pump part should be pressed. A new example is La valve est petite.

et Et means “and” and joins the two instructions Appuie cette partie sur la valve et pompe doucement. It connects the pressing action with the pumping action. A new example is Vérifie la valve et ajoute de l'air.

doucement Doucement means “gently” or “slowly” in pompe doucement and tells the listener how to pump. It is placed after the action it modifies. A new example is Ferme la porte doucement.

semble Semble means “seems” in Le pneu semble assez gonflé maintenant and presents the tire’s condition as an observed impression. It links the tire to the description assez gonflé. A new example is La valve semble correcte.

assez Assez means “enough” in assez gonflé and says that the tire has reached a sufficient level of inflation. It comes before gonflé to modify the degree. A new example is Le pneu est assez ferme.

gonflé Gonflé means “inflated” in Le pneu semble assez gonflé maintenant. It describes the tire after air has been added. A new example is Le pneu est bien gonflé.

maintenant Maintenant means “now” and places the tire’s condition at the present moment in semble assez gonflé maintenant. It commonly marks a change from an earlier condition. A new example is Le pneu est prêt maintenant.

Rapporte Rapporte tells one person to “bring back” or “return” the pump in Rapporte la pompe. It is a direct instruction about returning a borrowed object. A new example is Rapporte le livre demain.

quand Quand means “when” and introduces the time condition in quand tu as fini. It tells the listener when to bring the pump back. A new example is Appelle-moi quand tu arrives.

as As is the form used with tu in tu as fini and helps express that the listener has finished. Together with fini, it describes completion of the task. A new example is quand tu as terminé.

fini Fini means “finished” in tu as fini and completes the expression meaning “when you have finished.” It describes the completed task that must come before returning the pump. A new example is J'ai fini le travail.

Grammar Points

devoir + infinitif

Je dois vérifier la fuite.

zhuh dwah vay-ree-FYAY lah FWEET

I have to check the leak.

Devoir expresses obligation and is followed by an infinitive. The form dois agrees with je.

Impératif

Regarde le long du flanc.

ruh-GARD luh LOHN dew FLAHN

Look along the sidewall.

The imperative gives a direct instruction. For many -er verbs, the tu form drops its final -s.

French Vocabulary

à plat phrase

ah-PLAH flat; deflated

arrière adj

ah-RYEHR rear; back

d'abord adv

dah-BOR first

devoir verb

duh-VWAHR to have to; must dois

emprunter verb

ahn-prun-TAY to borrow

fuite noun

FWEET leak

le long du flanc phrase

luh LOHN dew FLAHN along the sidewall

pneu noun

puh-NUH tire

pompe noun

POHMP pump

presque adv

PRESK almost

regarder verb

ruh-gar-DAY to look Regarde

vérifier verb

vay-ree-FYAY to check

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

The tire feels firm enough now.

Show Answer

Le pneu semble assez gonflé maintenant.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to borrow

Show Answer

emprunter

rear; back

Show Answer

arrière

tire

Show Answer

pneu

to check

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vérifier