Planning a Photography Walk | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: Before a photo walk, two adults plan to meet early, photograph old buildings, and compare their pictures later..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Planning a Photography Walk to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Tu voudrais venir faire une balade photo demain ?

tew voo-DRAY vuh-NEER fair ewn bah-LAHD foh-TOH duh-MEHN Would you like to come on a photo walk tomorrow?
B

J'ai besoin de plus de pratique en photographie.

zhay buh-ZWAN duh plew duh prah-TEEK ahn foh-toh-grah-FEE I could use more practice with photography.
A

La lumière du matin devrait être meilleure pour les photos de rue.

lah loo-MYAIR dew mah-TAN duh-VRAY eh-truh meh-YUHR poor lay FOH-toh duh REW Morning light should be better for street photos.
B

Qu'est-ce qu'on devrait photographier d'abord ?

kess-kohn duh-VRAY foh-toh-grah-FYAY dah-BOR What should we photograph first?
A

On peut commencer par les vieux bâtiments.

ohn puh koh-mahn-SAY par lay VYUH bah-tee-MAHN We can start with old buildings.
B

Je vais apporter mon petit appareil photo et une batterie de rechange.

zhuh vay ah-poh-RAY mohn puh-TEE ah-pah-RAY foh-TOH ay ewn bah-tuh-REE duh ruh-SHAHNZH I'll bring my small camera and an extra battery.
A

Retrouvons-nous avant que les rues ne soient trop animées.

ruh-troo-VOHN-noo ah-VAHN kuh lay REW nuh swah troh ah-nee-MAY Let's meet before the streets get busy.
B

Ensuite, on pourra comparer nos photos plus tard.

ahn-SWEET ohn poo-RAH kohm-pah-RAY noh FOH-toh plew TAR Then we can compare our photos later.

Word by Word

Tu Here Tu means “you” when speaking to one person informally. It is the subject of Tu voudrais venir faire une balade photo demain ?. Use Tu with a singular person in a direct question or statement.
voudrais Here voudrais expresses “would like” in a polite invitation. In Tu voudrais venir faire une balade photo demain ?, it makes the question gentler than a direct command. A useful pattern is Tu voudrais + infinitive?
venir Here venir means “come” and is followed by the activity in venir faire une balade photo. The invitation asks the other person to come and take part in the photo walk. A useful pattern is venir + infinitive for coming to do something.
faire Here faire contributes the action of doing the outing in venir faire une balade photo. Its meaning comes from this whole expression rather than from faire alone. The pattern venir faire + activity is useful when inviting someone to join an activity.
une Here une is the indefinite article before balade, referring to one photo walk. It appears in une balade photo. Use une before a feminine singular noun when referring to one non-specific item or activity.
balade Here balade means a walk or outing, specifically the planned photo outing in une balade photo. It refers to a leisure activity rather than simply a route. The expression une balade photo names an outing centered on photography.
photo Here photo specifies the type of outing in balade photo: a photo walk. It contributes the photography context to the noun balade. The exact expression balade photo is useful for naming this kind of activity.
demain Here demain means “tomorrow,” the day after the day of speaking. It sets the time of the invitation in Tu voudrais venir faire une balade photo demain ?. It can be placed at the end of a plan or question to specify when it will happen.
J'ai Here J'ai means “I have” and begins the expression J'ai besoin de plus de pratique en photographie. Together with besoin, it introduces the speaker's need for more practice. The reusable pattern shown is J'ai besoin de + something needed.
besoin Here besoin means “need” as part of J'ai besoin de plus de pratique. The full expression J'ai besoin de expresses that the speaker requires something. Use J'ai besoin de before the thing or activity that is needed.
de Here de links besoin to what is needed in J'ai besoin de plus de pratique. It also appears in plus de pratique, where it introduces the amount of practice. The useful pattern shown is besoin de + noun.
plus Here plus means “more” in plus de pratique. It indicates a greater amount of practice than the speaker currently has. Use plus de before a noun when referring to more of something.
pratique Here pratique means “practice” in J'ai besoin de plus de pratique en photographie. It is the activity the speaker wants to do more of. The phrase plus de pratique en photographie identifies practice in the field of photography.
en Here en links pratique to the field of photography in pratique en photographie. It means “in” or “with” in the sense of an area of practice. A useful pattern is en + field or activity, as in en photographie.
photographie Here photographie means “photography,” the field in which the speaker wants more practice. It follows en in pratique en photographie. This expression is useful when specifying photography as an area of practice.
La Here La means “the” before lumière, referring to the morning light as a specific subject. It appears in La lumière du matin. Use La before a feminine singular noun when referring to a specific thing.
lumière Here lumière means “light,” specifically the light mentioned in La lumière du matin. It is the subject that is expected to be better for the photos. The phrase lumière du matin identifies light by the time of day.
du Here du links lumière to matin in lumière du matin and means “of the” or “from the.” It is the form used before the masculine singular noun matin in this expression. The pattern noun + du + noun can specify what something is associated with.
matin Here matin means “morning” in lumière du matin. It specifies which light is being discussed. The expression du matin is useful for identifying something connected with the morning.
devrait Here devrait means “should” and presents better morning light as an expectation. In La lumière du matin devrait être meilleure, it expresses what is expected rather than a guaranteed fact. A useful pattern is devrait + infinitive.
être Here être means “be” after devrait in devrait être meilleure. It links the morning light with the quality described by meilleure. The pattern devrait être + description is useful for expressing an expected quality.
meilleure Here meilleure means “better” and describes lumière in La lumière du matin devrait être meilleure. Its form matches the feminine noun lumière. Use meilleure when comparing the quality of a feminine singular thing.
pour Here pour means “for” and shows that the expected better light is intended for the photos in meilleure pour les photos de rue. It links a quality or suitability to its purpose. A useful pattern is meilleur or meilleure pour + noun.
les Here les means “the” before the plural noun photos in les photos de rue. It refers to the street photos as a defined group. Use les before a plural noun when referring to specific or general items of that type.
photos Here photos means “photos” in les photos de rue. It is the object for which the morning light should be better. The expression photos de rue refers to photos taken in or of street settings.
rue Here rue means “street” in photos de rue. It specifies the kind of photos being discussed. The expression photos de rue is useful when talking about street photography.
Qu'est-ce Here Qu'est-ce begins a question asking “what” in Qu'est-ce qu'on devrait photographier d'abord ?. It needs the rest of the question to express the complete meaning. A useful pattern is Qu'est-ce que or Qu'est-ce qu'on + clause when asking what something is or what people will do.
qu'on Here qu'on introduces the clause whose subject is on in Qu'est-ce qu'on devrait photographier d'abord ?. It connects the question opener to the action the speakers are considering. The pattern qu'on + verb is useful for introducing what “we” do or should do.
photographier Here photographier means “to photograph” after devrait in devrait photographier. It names the action the speakers are deciding to do first. A useful pattern is devoir or devrait + photographier + object.
d'abord Here d'abord means “first” and asks which action should happen at the beginning. In photographier d'abord, it orders the photography subject before later subjects. Use it with an action to mark the first step.
On Here On means “we” in On peut commencer par les vieux bâtiments, referring to the two speakers together. It is the subject of peut. A useful conversational pattern is On + verb when proposing or describing a shared action.
peut Here peut means “can” or “is able to,” expressing that starting with the old buildings is possible. It appears in On peut commencer par les vieux bâtiments. The pattern on peut + infinitive is useful for making a suggestion or stating an available option.
commencer Here commencer means “start” or “begin” in commencer par les vieux bâtiments. It names the first action in the planned photo walk. The pattern commencer par + the first item is useful when describing the starting point of an activity.
par Here par means “with” in commencer par les vieux bâtiments and identifies the first subject or step. Its contribution belongs to the full expression commencer par. Use commencer par + noun when saying what an activity begins with.
vieux Here vieux means “old” and describes bâtiments in les vieux bâtiments. Its plural masculine form agrees with the plural noun it modifies. The expression vieux bâtiments identifies buildings that are old.
bâtiments Here bâtiments means “buildings” and identifies what the speakers can start photographing. It is the item after commencer par in les vieux bâtiments. This word is useful when discussing buildings as subjects or locations.
Je Here Je means “I” and is the subject of Je vais apporter mon petit appareil photo et une batterie de rechange. It identifies the speaker who will bring the equipment. Use Je before a verb when describing your own action or plan.
vais Here vais helps express “am going to” in Je vais apporter. It presents bringing the camera and battery as the speaker's planned future action. A useful pattern is Je vais + infinitive for stating a personal plan.
apporter Here apporter means “bring” after vais in Je vais apporter mon petit appareil photo et une batterie de rechange. It describes taking the equipment along to the photo walk. The pattern vais apporter + object shows what someone plans to bring.
mon Here mon means “my” before appareil in mon petit appareil photo. It shows that the camera belongs to or is associated with the speaker. Use mon before a masculine singular noun to express this kind of possession.
petit Here petit means “small” and describes appareil in mon petit appareil photo. Its masculine singular form agrees with appareil. The expression petit appareil photo identifies a small camera.
appareil Here appareil refers to the camera in appareil photo. The word takes its specific meaning from the complete expression appareil photo. This expression is useful when talking about the camera someone brings or uses.
et Here et means “and” and links the camera with the extra battery in mon petit appareil photo et une batterie de rechange. It joins two objects that the speaker plans to bring. Use et to connect items in the same list.
batterie Here batterie means “battery” in une batterie de rechange. It is the additional piece of equipment the speaker will bring. The phrase batterie de rechange identifies a battery kept as a spare.
rechange Here rechange contributes the meaning “spare” or “replacement” in batterie de rechange. It specifies that the battery is an extra one, not the main battery already in use. A useful pattern is noun + de rechange for a spare or replacement item.
Retrouvons-nous Here Retrouvons-nous means “let's meet up” and proposes that the two speakers meet. The attached nous shows that the speakers are included in the meeting. The full expression Retrouvons-nous avant que les rues ne soient trop animées is useful for suggesting a meeting time.
avant Here avant means “before” and introduces the time condition in avant que les rues ne soient trop animées. It places the meeting earlier than the streets becoming too busy. A useful pattern is avant que + clause.
que Here que is part of the clause introduced after avant in avant que les rues ne soient trop animées. It does not carry the complete meaning of “before” by itself; that meaning comes from avant que together. Use it as part of the pattern avant que + clause.
rues Here rues means “streets” and is the subject of the clause in avant que les rues ne soient trop animées. The adjective animées describes these streets. It identifies the places that may become busy.
ne Here ne is part of the subordinate construction avant que les rues ne soient trop animées. It does not make the clause negative here; the meaning is that the streets should not yet be too busy. It commonly appears in this kind of clause after avant que.
soient Here soient means “are” or “be” in avant que les rues ne soient trop animées. It describes the state the streets may reach after the meeting time. The pattern avant que + subject + ne soient + description is useful for referring to a condition that should not yet have occurred.
trop Here trop means “too” or “overly” in trop animées. It says that the streets should not become busy beyond the desired level. A useful pattern is trop + adjective to express an excessive degree.
animées Here animées means “busy” or “lively” and describes rues in les rues ne soient trop animées. Its feminine plural form agrees with rues. The expression rues trop animées describes streets with more activity than desired.
Ensuite Here Ensuite means “then” or “afterwards” and marks the next step in the plan. It introduces the later comparison of the photos. Use Ensuite at the beginning of a sentence to order actions in time.
pourra Here pourra means “will be able to” in on pourra comparer nos photos plus tard. It presents comparing the photos as a possible later action. A useful pattern is on pourra + infinitive when describing what people will be able to do later.
comparer Here comparer means “compare” after pourra in pourra comparer nos photos plus tard. It names the later activity of looking at the speakers' photos in relation to each other. The pattern comparer + object shows what is being compared.
nos Here nos means “our” before the plural noun photos in nos photos. It shows that the photos belong to or were made by the speakers together. Use nos before a plural noun to express this shared possession or association.
tard Here tard contributes the meaning “later” in plus tard. The complete expression places the comparison after the photo walk. Use plus tard as a time expression for an action that will happen later.

Grammar Points

Je voudrais + infinitif

Je voudrais faire une balade photo demain.

zhuh voo-DRAY FAIR ewn bah-LAHD foh-TOH duh-MEHN

I would like to go on a photo walk tomorrow.

« voudrais » est une forme polie de vouloir, suivie de l'infinitif pour exprimer un souhait.

nom féminin pluriel + adjectif féminin pluriel

des rues animées

day REW zah-nee-MAY

busy streets

L'adjectif s'accorde avec le nom en genre et en nombre : rues et animées sont féminins pluriels.

French Vocabulary

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

J'ai besoin de plus de pratique

balade photo phrase
bah-LAHD foh-TOH photo walk

faire une balade photo

demain adv
duh-MEHN tomorrow
faire verb
FAIR to do; to make

faire une balade photo

lumière noun
loo-MYAIR light
matin noun
mah-TAN morning
meilleur adj
meh-YUHR better; best meilleure
photo de rue phrase
FOH-toh duh REW street photo photos de rue
photographie noun
foh-toh-grah-FEE photography
pratique noun
prah-TEEK practice
venir verb
vuh-NEER to come

venir faire une balade photo

vouloir verb
voo-LWAR to want voudrais

Tu voudrais venir

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

What should we photograph first?

Show AnswerQu'est-ce qu'on devrait photographier d'abord ?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

light

Show Answerlumière

to come

Show Answervenir

practice

Show Answerpratique

photography

Show Answerphotographie