Asking about the waiting time | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Excusez-moi, quel est le temps d'attente estimé ?

   Excuse me, what is the estimated waiting time?

   Excusez-moi

   Excuse me

   quel est

   what is

   temps

   time

   d'attente

   waiting

   estimé

   estimated

   More detail

   Excusez-moi is a polite way to get someone's attention or apologize briefly. Excusez is the vous imperative of excuser; moi is the stressed object pronoun meaning “me.” The same vous form can address one person formally or more than one person. quel est forms a question with quel and être: “what is …?” Here, quel is masculine singular because it agrees with temps, which is masculine singular. With a feminine singular noun, the corresponding form is quelle, as in Quelle est la durée ? (“What is the duration?”). Est is the third-person singular present form of être. temps means “time” here specifically as a duration. French uses the same noun in other contexts too, for example Je n'ai pas le temps. means “I don't have time.” In temps d'attente, it refers to the amount of time someone must wait. d'attente means “of waiting” and completes the noun phrase temps d'attente, “waiting time.” It is de before attente, with de reduced to d' before the vowel sound. Attente is a feminine noun related to attendre (“to wait”); the noun itself names the waiting or the wait. estimé means “estimated” here. It is the masculine singular form agreeing with temps: temps estimé. This is the past participle of estimer used as an adjective. The feminine singular form is estimée, and plural forms agree in number as well, for example des délais estimés (“estimated deadlines”). Together, quel est asks for the value of the noun phrase le temps d'attente estimé, while Excusez-moi makes the request polite: “Excuse me, what is the estimated waiting time?”

2. Environ dix minutes, peut-être un peu plus.

   About ten minutes, maybe a little longer.

   Environ

   about; approximately

   minutes

   minutes

   peut-être

   maybe

   un peu plus

   a little more

   More detail

   Environ means “approximately” and places the estimate around the number that follows. It is useful for amounts or times when the speaker is not giving an exact figure. Compare environ dix minutes (“about ten minutes”) with exactement dix minutes (“exactly ten minutes”). minutes is the plural form of minute, a unit of time. The number dix requires the plural here: dix minutes. In a different example, une minute is singular. peut-être means “maybe” and marks the following idea as uncertain rather than definite. It can introduce a possibility: Peut-être demain. — “Maybe tomorrow.” un peu plus means “a little more” or, with a duration understood from the context, “a little longer.” peu expresses a small amount, un peu softens it to “a little,” and plus indicates an amount greater than the reference amount. Here the reference is the estimated ten minutes, so the possible extension is a little longer than ten minutes. Example: J'en veux un peu plus. — “I want a little more.” Together, Environ dix minutes gives an approximate waiting-time estimate. peut-être un peu plus adds the possibility that the actual wait will exceed that estimate slightly. The utterance is a concise answer to the question about the estimated waiting time: “About ten minutes, maybe a little longer.”

3. J'ai un autre rendez-vous après.

   I have another appointment after this.

   J'ai

   I have

   autre

   another

   rendez-vous

   appointment

   après

   after

   More detail

   J'ai is the first-person singular present form of avoir (“to have”). It is the contraction of je + ai; the apostrophe is required before the vowel sound in ai. Compare j'ai (“I have”) with tu as (“you have”) and il/elle a (“he/she has”). autre means “another” here: it presents the appointment as an additional one. It is singular and has the same form with masculine and feminine singular nouns. Its plural form is autres, as in d'autres rendez-vous (“other appointments”). rendez-vous is a noun meaning “appointment” in this context. The spelling is the same in the singular and plural, so number is shown by surrounding words when needed: un rendez-vous (“an appointment”) versus des rendez-vous (“appointments”). It can also mean a meeting or arranged appointment in other contexts. après means “after.” Here it comes at the end as an adverb and refers to what comes after the current situation, matching the fixed meaning “after this.” As a preposition, it can introduce something that follows: après le déjeuner means “after lunch.” Together, J'ai un autre rendez-vous après means “I have another appointment after this.” The structure is subject + avoir + noun phrase + après: J'ai states possession or scheduling, un autre rendez-vous identifies an additional appointment, and après places it later than the current situation. In this exchange, the earlier estimate of time helps establish the current situation, but the sentence itself does not specify the exact time of the appointment.

4. Si c'est trop tard, vous pouvez revenir après le déjeuner.

   If that is too late, you can come back after lunch.

   Si c'est

   If that is

   trop tard

   too late

   vous pouvez

   you can

   revenir

   come back

   après

   after

   le déjeuner

   lunch

   More detail

   Si c’est introduces a condition: “if that/it is …”. si is the usual French conjunction for a condition. c’est is ce + est, the present-tense form of être; here it corresponds to “that is” in the fixed translation. Example: Si c’est nécessaire, appelez-moi. — “If it is necessary, call me.” Trop tard means “too late.” trop means “too much” or “too,” and tard is the adverb “late.” Together, they describe a time that is later than acceptable or useful. Compare assez tard, “late enough,” which has the opposite quantity judgment from trop tard. Vous pouvez means “you can” here. pouvez is the present form of pouvoir for vous, whether vous addresses one person formally or more than one person. pouvoir is followed by an infinitive: Vous pouvez attendre. — “You can wait.” The ability or possibility expressed by pouvez applies to the action that follows. Revenir is the infinitive “to come back” or “to return.” After a conjugated form of pouvoir, French uses the infinitive, so vous pouvez revenir means “you can come back.” Example: Elle peut revenir demain. — “She can come back tomorrow.” Après means “after.” In this sentence it is followed by the noun phrase le déjeuner, so the phrase identifies what comes later than lunch. Après can also stand without a following noun when the context already makes the reference clear, but that is not its role in this fixed phrase. Le déjeuner means “lunch.” déjeuner is a masculine noun here, which is why it takes the definite article le. The same written form can also be the infinitive “to have lunch,” but the article shows that le déjeuner is a noun phrase in this sentence. Example: Le déjeuner commence à midi. — “Lunch starts at noon.” As a whole, Si c’est trop tard sets the condition “if that is too late.” vous pouvez revenir gives the available action, “you can come back,” and après le déjeuner specifies when: “after lunch.” The complete meaning is: “If that is too late, you can come back after lunch.”

5. Est-ce que je garderais ma place si je revenais plus tard ?

   Would I keep my place if I came back later?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   garderais

   would keep

   place

   place

   si

   if

   revenais

   came back

   plus tard

   later

   More detail

   Est-ce que introduces a direct question in French. It is a question marker and does not itself add a separate meaning such as “whether” in this sentence. The subject je follows it in the ordinary subject–verb order. garderais means “would keep” here. It is the first-person singular conditional present of garder (“to keep”): je garderais. The conditional presents the possible result, while the condition appears later. Compare je garde (“I keep”) with je garderais (“I would keep”). place is a noun meaning “place” or “spot” here. The possessive ma before it shows that the place is associated with the speaker; place is feminine, so French uses ma, not mon. For example, ma place est libre means “my place is free.” si introduces the condition “if.” In this sentence, si is followed by the imperfect revenais, while the possible result uses the conditional garderais. This is a common pattern: si + imperfect, then conditional. It presents a hypothetical condition rather than stating that the return will definitely happen. revenais means “came back” here. It is the first-person singular imperfect of revenir (“to come back”): je revenais. In the si clause, the imperfect works with the conditional in garderais; it does not by itself mean that the speaker actually came back. For example, Si je revenais demain, je vous appellerais means “If I came back tomorrow, I would call you.” plus tard is an adverbial expression meaning “later.” It places the possible return at a later time, without specifying exactly when. For example, Je reviendrai plus tard means “I will come back later.” Taken together, Est-ce que je garderais ma place asks whether the speaker would retain their place. si je revenais plus tard supplies the condition “if I came back later.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Would I keep my place if I came back later?”

6. Il vous faudrait prendre un nouveau ticket après le déjeuner.

   You would need to take a new ticket after lunch.

   Il vous faudrait

   you would need

   prendre

   to take

   nouveau

   new

   ticket

   ticket

   après le déjeuner

   after lunch

   More detail

   Il vous faudrait means “you would need” here. The form faudrait is the third-person singular conditional of the impersonal verb falloir; the il is required by this construction and does not identify a particular person. vous marks the person concerned by the need. Compare il faut (“it is necessary / you need to”) with il faudrait (“it would be necessary / you would need to”). The conditional makes the statement less direct or presents the need as conditional rather than as a plain present requirement. prendre is the infinitive “to take.” After il faudrait, French uses an infinitive: il faudrait prendre... = “you would need to take...” The same verb can be used with other objects, for example: Il faudrait prendre le bus. — “You would need to take the bus.” nouveau means “new” in this sentence. It is a masculine singular adjective agreeing with the masculine singular noun ticket: un nouveau ticket. Its feminine singular form is nouvelle, as in une nouvelle carte; its masculine plural form is nouveaux, as in de nouveaux tickets. Here it appears before the noun, a common position for this adjective. ticket is the noun “ticket.” In this sentence it is masculine singular, shown by un and by the form nouveau. The phrase un ticket can be reused with other adjectives, such as un ticket valide — “a valid ticket.” après le déjeuner means “after lunch.” après places the event after a reference point, while le déjeuner is the noun phrase “lunch”; the article shows that déjeuner is functioning as a noun here rather than as the verb “to have lunch.” The same pattern works with another time expression, for example: après le travail — “after work.” Together, Il vous faudrait prendre un nouveau ticket says that the person addressed would need to take a new ticket, and après le déjeuner places that action after lunch. The complete meaning is: “You would need to take a new ticket after lunch.”

7. Alors, je vais attendre pour l'instant, puisque je suis déjà ici.

   Then I'll wait for now since I'm already here.

   Alors

   Then / so

   je vais

   I will / I’m going to

   attendre

   wait

   pour l'instant

   for now

   puisque

   since / because

   je suis

   I am

   déjà

   already

   ici

   here

   More detail

   Alors means “then” here and can also work as a linking word meaning “so” in conversation. It connects the utterance to the situation already established, without changing the main action. je vais is the first-person singular present form of aller, “to go,” but with an infinitive it forms the near future: je vais + infinitive = “I am going to …” or “I will …” The subject pronoun je marks the speaker, and vais agrees with that subject. For example: Je vais partir. — “I’m going to leave.” This is different from using aller for literal movement, as in Je vais au marché. — “I’m going to the market.” attendre is the infinitive “to wait.” After je vais, it stays in the infinitive, so je vais attendre means “I’ll wait” or “I’m going to wait.” The infinitive is the reusable form found in a dictionary; a present-tense statement would use j’attends — “I’m waiting” or “I wait.” pour l’instant is a time expression meaning “for now” or “at the moment.” The apostrophe in l’ is an elision of le before a vowel sound. Example: Je reste ici pour l’instant. — “I’m staying here for now.” puisque introduces a reason that is presented as known or evident to the participants. Here it means “since,” rather than introducing a hypothetical condition. It is followed by a clause with its own subject and verb: puisque + clause. je suis is the first-person singular present form of être, “to be.” In this sentence it means “I am,” and it introduces the speaker’s state or location. Être is irregular, so its form must be learned separately: je suis, tu es, il/elle est. For example: Je suis prêt. — “I am ready.” déjà means “already.” It indicates that the situation is true before the relevant present moment: the speaker is already here, rather than merely planning to arrive. Its position can vary in French, but it commonly appears after the conjugated verb, as here. ici means “here,” referring to the place where the speaker currently is. It is a location adverb and does not change for person or number. Example: Restez ici. — “Stay here.” Together, Alors, je vais attendre pour l’instant means “Then I’ll wait for now.” puisque je suis déjà ici gives the reason: “since I’m already here.” The complete utterance is therefore “Then I’ll wait for now since I’m already here.”

8. Gardez un œil sur l'écran, s'il vous plaît.

   Please keep an eye on the screen.

   Gardez

   keep; watch

   un œil

   an eye

   sur

   on

   l'écran

   the screen

   s'il vous plaît

   please

   More detail

   Gardez is the imperative form of garder, “to keep” or “to watch.” It addresses one person formally or more than one person; the ending -ez is the form used with vous. In this sentence, it is part of the reusable request pattern Gardez ..., meaning “Keep ...” or “Watch ...”. un œil literally means “an eye.” With garder, it forms the idiom garder un œil sur—literally “keep an eye on,” and naturally “watch” or “monitor.” The article un is an indefinite article here; it does not by itself assert a numerical count in the English request. sur means “on” in this construction. The pattern garder un œil sur + noun identifies what is being watched. l'écran means “the screen.” It is the noun écran with the definite article le before a vowel; le becomes l', so le écran is not used. The apostrophe form is written directly before the noun: l'écran. s'il vous plaît is the fixed expression “please.” It is a polite request formula; its words should be learned together rather than translated as an ordinary conditional clause in this sentence. Together, Gardez un œil sur l'écran uses the idiom garder un œil sur with Gardez as its formal or plural imperative, producing “keep an eye on the screen.” Adding s'il vous plaît makes the request polite: “Please keep an eye on the screen.”