Repairing a Damaged Borrowed Tool | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Je dois m'excuser pour ce qui est arrivé à l'outil que j'ai emprunté.

   I need to apologize for what happened to the tool I borrowed.

   Je dois

   I need to

   m'excuser

   apologize

   ce qui est arrivé

   what happened

   outil

   tool

   emprunté

   borrowed

   More detail

   Je dois is the first-person singular present form of devoir plus the subject pronoun je. Here it expresses a present need or obligation: “I need to.” Useful forms include je dois (“I must/need to”), tu dois (“you must/need to”), and il/elle doit (“he/she must/needs to”). The following infinitive identifies what is necessary: Je dois partir. — “I need to leave.” m'excuser is the infinitive s'excuser, “to apologize,” with the reflexive pronoun me contracted to m' before the vowel of excuser. The pronoun refers to the person apologizing, so je dois m'excuser means “I need to apologize.” With another subject, the reflexive form changes: Tu dois t'excuser. — “You need to apologize.” ce qui est arrivé means “what happened.” ce qui is a neutral relative construction meaning “what” or “the thing that”; qui functions as the subject of the following verb. est arrivé is the third-person singular passé composé of arriver: present arrive, past form est arrivé. In this sentence, it refers to an event, not to the tool itself. Example: Je ne sais pas ce qui est arrivé. — “I don't know what happened.” outil is the noun “tool.” It is masculine singular, as shown by the masculine singular form of the participle in the later relative clause: l'outil que j'ai emprunté. The noun can be reused with an article: un outil — “a tool”; l'outil — “the tool.” French outil begins with a vowel sound, so le becomes l' before it. emprunté is the past participle of emprunter, “to borrow,” in que j'ai emprunté, “that I borrowed.” The auxiliary ai is the first-person singular present form of avoir. Here que is the direct object of ai emprunté and refers back to l'outil; because that masculine singular object precedes the verb, the written participle is emprunté. Compare the feminine singular form in an example: la voiture que j'ai empruntée — “the car that I borrowed.” This is borrowing temporarily, not prêter, which means “to lend.” The larger structure is pour ce qui est arrivé à ...: “for what happened to ...”. The preposition à introduces the affected item, l'outil, giving “what happened to the tool.” The relative clause que j'ai emprunté identifies which tool: “that I borrowed.” Putting the parts together, Je dois m'excuser pour ce qui est arrivé à l'outil que j'ai emprunté. means “I need to apologize for what happened to the tool I borrowed.”

2. Qu'est-ce qui lui est arrivé ?

   What happened to it?

   Qu'est-ce qui

   what (as the subject)

   lui

   to it

   est arrivé

   happened

   More detail

   Qu'est-ce qui asks “what” when the unknown thing is the subject of the event. In this utterance, it introduces the thing or event that happened. Compare Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé ? (“What happened?”) with Qu'est-ce que tu as vu ? (“What did you see?”): que introduces the object of as vu, whereas qui introduces the subject of est arrivé. lui is a third-person singular unstressed indirect-object pronoun. Its form does not show masculine versus feminine gender. Here, the fixed translation and surrounding context identify its intended referent as the borrowed tool, so it means “to it.” The pronoun’s form alone does not identify that referent. With arriver à, it marks the entity to which something happened. est arrivé is the passé composé of arriver in this construction: est is the third-person singular present form of être, and arrivé is the past participle of arriver. Here, arriver means “to happen”; in other contexts it can mean “to arrive.” For example, Elle est arrivée tôt means “She arrived early.” Together, Qu'est-ce qui asks what event or thing is the subject, lui marks the entity affected by what happened, and est arrivé expresses the completed event. The whole utterance means “What happened to it?”, referring here to the borrowed tool.

3. Le manche s'est fissuré pendant que je l'utilisais.

   The handle cracked while I was using it.

   manche

   handle

   s'est fissuré

   cracked

   pendant que

   while

   utilisais

   was using

   More detail

   manche means “handle” here. It is a masculine noun, which is why the sentence has le manche. In other contexts, manche can refer to a sleeve; the intended meaning here is fixed by the translation and by the cracking event. A useful related word is poignée, which can also mean a handle or grip, but it is not the word used in this sentence. s'est fissuré comes from se fissurer, “to crack” or “to develop a crack.” The form is in the passé composé: s'est combines the reflexive pronoun se with third-person singular est, and fissuré is the past participle. Because the subject is singular masculine le manche, the participle appears as fissuré. This verb describes the handle developing a crack; it does not by itself say that someone broke it. Compare Le manche s'est cassé (“The handle broke”), which describes breaking rather than specifically cracking. pendant que introduces an action that was in progress at the same time as another event. It is a reusable equivalent of “while” when followed by a clause with its own subject and verb. Here it links the cracking event to the ongoing use of the handle. utilisais is the first-person singular imperfect of utiliser, “to use”: j'utilisais = “I was using” or “I used to use,” depending on context. The imperfect presents the use as ongoing in the background, while the passé composé in s'est fissuré presents the crack as the event that occurred during it. In je l'utilisais, je is the subject “I,” and l' is the direct-object pronoun “it”; the apostrophe is the normal elision before the vowel of utilisais. Together, Le manche s'est fissuré says “The handle cracked.” pendant que je l'utilisais adds “while I was using it,” with l' referring to the handle identified by the fixed translation. The complete meaning is: “The handle cracked while I was using it.”

4. Laisse-moi voir si les dégâts sont graves.

   Let me see how bad the damage is.

   Laisse-moi

   let me

   voir

   see

   si

   whether/how

   les dégâts

   the damage

   sont

   are

   graves

   serious; severe

   More detail

   Laisse-moi is an informal singular command built from laisser (“to let”) and moi (“me”). Here it introduces a request for permission: “let me …”. The imperative form laisse addresses one person informally; the hyphen joins the command and the object pronoun. For a reusable pattern, Laisse-moi + infinitive means “Let me + verb,” as in Laisse-moi entrer. — “Let me come in.” voir is the infinitive “to see.” After Laisse-moi, it names the action the speaker wants permission to perform. The same infinitive can follow other forms such as je veux voir (“I want to see”) or je peux voir (“I can see”). si introduces the embedded question being investigated. In this sentence, it has the question meaning “whether,” with the natural English result “how bad.” It is not the conditional “if” of a condition here. A useful pattern is voir si + clause, meaning “see whether …” or “find out how …,” as in Je vais voir si elle est prête. — “I’ll see whether she is ready.” les dégâts is the plural noun phrase “the damage.” dégât is a countable noun referring to damage or harm, and its plural form is dégâts; the plural article les matches that plural noun. In this utterance, the phrase refers to the damage already established by the surrounding situation, rather than asserting a particular number of damaged items. sont is the third-person plural present form of être, “to be.” It agrees with the plural subject les dégâts: les dégâts sont, “the damage is/are …” in the structure of the French sentence. Other useful present forms are je suis (“I am”), il/elle est (“he/she is”), and ils/elles sont (“they are”). graves is the plural form of the adjective grave, meaning “serious” or “severe” here. It describes the degree of the damage and agrees in number with les dégâts; the final -s is written but normally not pronounced. The adjective has the forms grave for singular and graves for plural. For example, Les problèmes sont graves. means “The problems are serious.” Together, Laisse-moi voir means “Let me see,” and si les dégâts sont graves is the embedded question “how bad the damage is” (literally, “whether the damage is serious”). The whole utterance therefore means: “Let me see how bad the damage is.”

5. Je peux le remplacer ou aider à le réparer.

   I can replace it or help repair it.

   Je peux

   I can

   le

   it

   remplacer

   replace

   aider

   help

   réparer

   repair

   More detail

   Je peux combines je (“I”) with peux, the first-person singular present form of pouvoir (“can; to be able to”). Pouvoir is followed by an infinitive: Je peux venir. — “I can come.” The form peux is selected here because the subject is je; it also has the same spelling with tu, but the subject makes the person clear. le is a direct-object pronoun meaning “it” here. Its position before an infinitive is important: le remplacer means “replace it.” The same pronoun appears again before réparer in the sentence, giving le réparer (“repair it”). The pronoun’s form is not the verb’s inflection; it marks the object referred to in the fixed translation. remplacer is the infinitive “to replace.” It is a regular -er verb; its infinitive remains unchanged after peux. For example, Je peux remplacer la pièce. — “I can replace the part.” aider is the infinitive “to help.” Here it is joined to à and another infinitive: aider à réparer means “help repair” or literally “help with repairing.” For example, Je peux aider à préparer le repas. — “I can help prepare the meal.” réparer is the infinitive “to repair,” and le réparer means “repair it.” The object pronoun comes before the infinitive, not after it as in English. Il faut le réparer. — “It needs to be repaired” or “We need to repair it.” The sentence has two coordinated possibilities: Je peux le remplacer (“I can replace it”) or aider à le réparer (“help repair it”). Thus the complete meaning is “I can replace it or help repair it.”

6. On devrait vérifier si la réparation va tenir.

   We should check whether a repair will hold.

   On devrait

   we should

   vérifier

   check; verify

   si

   whether

   réparation

   repair

   va

   goes; is going

   tenir

   hold; last

   More detail

   On devrait means “we should” here. In this use, on refers to the speaker’s group, as shown by the fixed translation. French uses a third-person singular verb form after on: devrait is the conditional form of devoir, expressing a recommendation or obligation viewed as appropriate. The reusable pattern is on devrait + infinitive: “we should …” For example, On devrait partir. means “We should leave.” vérifier is the infinitive “to check” or “to verify.” It follows devrait, because a modal-like verb such as devoir is followed by another verb in the infinitive. The same form can be used after other expressions: Il faut vérifier. means “It is necessary to check.” si introduces an embedded yes-or-no question here, so it means “whether.” In vérifier si ..., the speaker is checking the answer to the question “will the repair hold?” In other contexts, si can mean “if,” but this sentence uses its embedded-question function. Example: Je ne sais pas s’il vient. means “I do not know whether he is coming.” réparation is the feminine singular noun “repair” here. The article la marks a definite singular noun form; it does not itself assert a numeric quantity. The related verb is réparer, “to repair,” while réparation names the repair or repair work. Example: La réparation est terminée. means “The repair is finished.” va is the third-person singular present form of aller, “to go.” With a following infinitive, as in va tenir, it forms the near future: “is going to hold.” Its singular form agrees with the singular subject la réparation. Example: La machine va démarrer. means “The machine is going to start.” tenir is the infinitive “to hold.” With a repair, solution, or object, it can mean to remain effective, sound, or intact; that is the sense intended here. The same verb can also describe literal holding in other contexts. Example: Cette solution tient. means “This solution holds up.” Together, On devrait vérifier gives “we should check,” and si la réparation va tenir gives “whether the repair is going to hold.” The complete utterance therefore means: “We should check whether a repair will hold.”

7. Je suis désolé de te donner plus de travail.

   I am sorry for causing extra work.

   Je suis

   I am

   désolé

   sorry

   te donner

   to give you

   plus

   more; extra

   travail

   work

   More detail

   Je suis is the first-person singular present form of être (“to be”): je suis = “I am.” It is a reusable way to state a current condition or identity, as in Je suis prêt. — “I am ready.” désolé is an adjective meaning “sorry” here. The observed form is masculine singular; the feminine singular form is désolée, and plural forms are désolés or désolées according to the relevant agreement. This adjective agrees with the person described, not with the following action. te donner contains donner, the infinitive “to give,” with te, the unstressed pronoun meaning “to you” in this construction. Donner quelque chose à quelqu’un means “to give something to someone”: Je vais te donner le document. — “I am going to give you the document.” Here, the thing being given is plus de travail. After an adjective such as désolé, de can introduce an infinitive clause: désolé de faire quelque chose = “sorry for doing something” or “sorry to do something.” The infinitive remains donner; it does not show the speaker’s person or tense. plus expresses a greater quantity in plus de travail, “more work.” In this sentence, the fixed translation presents that added work as extra work. Plus can also occur in comparisons, for example plus grand = “bigger,” but here it quantifies the noun phrase rather than modifying an adjective. travail is the masculine noun “work.” In plus de travail, it is used as an uncounted mass noun, so French uses de after the quantity expression: beaucoup de travail = “a lot of work.” Together, Je suis désolé de te donner plus de travail means “I am sorry for causing extra work.” The structure is je suis désolé + de + infinitive clause: the speaker states being sorry and identifies giving the other person extra work as the action involved.

8. Dis-le-moi tout de suite la prochaine fois.

   Tell me right away next time.

   Dis-le-moi

   tell me it

   tout de suite

   right away

   la prochaine fois

   next time

   More detail

   Dis-le-moi: This is an affirmative imperative meaning “tell it to me.” Dis is the imperative form of dire for one familiar or informal addressee (tu); the plural or formal form is dites. In an affirmative imperative, object pronouns follow the verb and are joined with hyphens: dis-le-moi. le means “it” here, while moi means “to me”; the utterance does not specify what “it” refers to. Example: Dis-moi la vérité. — “Tell me the truth.” Here moi still means “to me,” but the thing being told is expressed as a noun rather than by le. tout de suite: This fixed expression means “right away” or “immediately.” It is a useful adverbial expression for placing an action at once. Example: Je viens tout de suite. — “I’m coming right away.” la prochaine fois: This means “next time.” fois is a feminine noun meaning “time” in the sense of an occasion, so the article and adjective are feminine singular: la prochaine. The adjective prochaine is the feminine singular form of prochain; its masculine singular form is prochain, as in le prochain jour (“the next day”). Example: La prochaine fois, appelle-moi. — “Next time, call me.” Together, Dis-le-moi gives the instruction “tell it to me,” tout de suite specifies that the telling should happen immediately, and la prochaine fois places that instruction in the next relevant occasion. The complete meaning is: “Tell me right away next time.”

9. On peut régler ça.

   We can sort it out.

   On peut

   we can

   régler

   sort out; settle

   ça

   it; that

   More detail

   On peut means “we can” here. In everyday French, on can refer to “we”; unlike nous, it takes a third-person singular verb. peut is the present form of pouvoir (“can, be able to”) with on: on peut. The infinitive follows it: On peut essayer means “We can try.” régler is an infinitive meaning “to sort out” or “to settle” here. After pouvoir, French uses the infinitive: peut régler = “can sort out.” Its meaning varies with the object; for example, régler un problème means “to resolve a problem,” while régler une facture means “to pay a bill.” ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “it” or “that” in this context. It is the direct object of régler, so régler ça means “sort it out.” Ça is a common conversational form; cela is a more formal alternative in many contexts. Together, On peut + infinitive régler + object ça gives “We can sort it out.” The sentence presents sorting the matter out as possible, without stating that it has already happened.