About This Lesson
Use Asking someone to save your place in line to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Pouvez-vous me rendre un petit service ?
poo-vay-VOO muh RAHN-druh uhn puh-TEE sehr-VEESS Could you do me a quick favor?
B
De quoi avez-vous besoin ?
duh-KWAH ah-vay-VOO buh-ZWAN What do you need?
A
Pouvez-vous garder ma place pendant que je vais aux toilettes ?
poo-vay-VOO gar-DAY mah PLAHSS pahn-DAHN kuh zhuh vay oh twah-LET Can you keep my place while I use the restroom?
B
Je peux, mais revenez vite si la file commence à avancer.
zhuh PUH, meh ruh-vuh-NAY VEET see lah FEEL kuh-MAHNSS ah ah-vahn-SAY I can, but please come back quickly if the line starts moving.
A
Je reviens tout de suite.
zhuh ruh-VYAN too duh SWEET I'll be right back.
B
Si la file avance, j'avancerai et je garderai votre place.
see lah FEEL ah-VAHNSS, zhah-vahn-SRAY ay zhuh gar-duh-RAY VOH-truh PLAHSS If the line moves, I'll move forward and keep your place.
A
Merci. Je vais me dépêcher et revenir directement.
mehr-SEE. zhuh vay muh day-pay-SHAY ay ruh-vuh-NEER dee-rekt-MAHN Thanks. I'll hurry and come straight back.Word by Word
Pouvez
In “Pouvez-vous me rendre un petit service ?”, “Pouvez” means can or could and makes the request polite. It is the form of pouvoir used with vous; reuse it at the start of a polite request.
vous
In “Pouvez-vous” and “avez-vous”, “vous” means you and addresses one person politely or several people. It appears with the verb in these questions, a useful pattern for polite requests and questions.
me
In “me rendre un petit service”, “me” means to me; in “me dépêcher”, it marks the speaker as the person hurrying. It is placed before the verb or infinitive phrase when the action involves the speaker.
rendre
In “me rendre un petit service”, “rendre” contributes the meaning do or provide in the expression for doing someone a favor. It appears with the person receiving the favor and the favor itself, making it useful in requests for help.
un
In “un petit service”, “un” introduces one favor and gives the phrase the sense of a small favor. It comes directly before the noun and its modifier, a useful pattern when making a request.
petit
In “un petit service”, “petit” means small or little and softens the request. It comes before the noun here, a useful placement when describing a modest request.
service
In “me rendre un petit service”, “service” means a favor or helpful act. The expression is used when asking someone for a small act of help, such as keeping your place.
De
In “De quoi avez-vous besoin ?”, “De” forms the question phrase “De quoi” about what is needed. In “tout de suite”, “de” is part of the fixed expression meaning right away, so it is useful to learn it with the surrounding words.
quoi
In “De quoi avez-vous besoin ?”, “quoi” means what and follows de in this question about a needed thing. A useful reuse pattern is de quoi followed by a question asking what someone needs.
avez
In “avez-vous besoin”, “avez” is the form of avoir used with vous; together with besoin, the phrase means need. This pattern is useful for asking what someone needs.
besoin
In “avez-vous besoin”, “besoin” means need, and with avoir it expresses needing something. It follows the verb in this expression, which is useful when asking about or stating a need.
garder
In “garder ma place”, “garder” means keep or save, here referring to keeping someone’s spot in line. It follows pouvez-vous and takes the place as its object, a useful pattern for asking someone to hold a spot.
ma
In “ma place”, “ma” means my and identifies the place as belonging to the speaker. It comes directly before the noun, a useful possessive-before-noun pattern.
place
In “ma place”, “place” means a person’s spot in the line, not a general location. It is the thing someone can garder while another person steps away, making it useful in queue situations.
pendant
In “pendant que je vais aux toilettes”, “pendant” contributes the meaning during or while. Together with que, it introduces an action happening during the main action, useful for connecting simultaneous activities.
que
In “pendant que je vais aux toilettes”, “que” completes the while-clause introduced by pendant. The pair connects the main action with the activity happening during it; reuse pendant que before a subject and verb.
je
In “je vais aux toilettes” and “Je reviens tout de suite”, “je” or “Je” means I and identifies the speaker. It comes before the verb when the speaker describes their own action.
vais
In “je vais aux toilettes”, “vais” means am going and is the form of aller used with je. It is followed by a destination here, so this pattern is useful for saying where you are going.
aux
In “aux toilettes”, “aux” means to the and is the contracted form of à plus les. It comes before the destination noun in this common phrase for going to the restroom.
toilettes
In “aux toilettes”, “toilettes” means restroom or toilets. It names the destination after aux, useful when explaining that you are leaving briefly to use the restroom.
peux
In “Je peux”, “peux” means can and is the form of pouvoir used with je. It answers the request by saying that the speaker can do it, so it is useful as a short reply to a request.
mais
In “Je peux, mais revenez vite”, “mais” means but and introduces a limitation on agreeing. It is useful when accepting a request while adding an important condition or warning.
revenez
In “revenez vite”, “revenez” means come back or return and is the polite or plural command form of revenir. It is followed by vite here, making the pattern useful for asking someone to return quickly.
vite
In “revenez vite”, “vite” means quickly and modifies the return. It comes after the verb here, useful when requesting fast action.
si
In “si la file commence à avancer” and “Si la file avance”, “si” or “Si” means if and introduces a condition. It is followed by the situation that must occur before the response, useful for explaining what will happen under a condition.
la
In “la file”, “la” means the and identifies a specific line. It comes directly before the noun, a reusable article-plus-noun pattern.
file
In “la file”, “file” means line or queue. It refers to the line that may start moving or move forward, so it is useful in situations involving people waiting.
commence
In “la file commence à avancer”, “commence” means starts and is the form of commencer used with la file. The pattern commence à followed by an infinitive describes an action beginning, useful for reporting that something is starting.
à
In “commence à avancer”, “à” links commence to the action that is beginning and means to here. It comes before the infinitive after commence, a useful pattern for describing an action that starts.
avancer
In “commence à avancer”, “avancer” means move forward and follows à after commence. In “j’avancerai”, the same action is moving forward in the line, so it is useful for describing progress toward the front.
reviens
In “Je reviens tout de suite”, “reviens” means am coming back or return and is the form of revenir used with je. It is useful when reassuring someone that you will return shortly.
tout de suite
The whole expression “tout de suite” means right away. In it, “tout” adds emphasis to immediacy, while “de” and “suite” complete the fixed expression rather than keeping separate dictionary meanings; use the full expression to promise immediate action.
avance
In “Si la file avance”, “avance” means moves forward and is the form of avancer used with la file. It describes the line changing position, useful when telling someone what will happen while they are away.
j'avancerai
In “j’avancerai”, “j’” is je before a vowel and avancerai is the form of avancer meaning I will move forward. It describes the speaker’s response if the line moves, useful for reassuring someone that their place will be maintained.
et
In “j’avancerai et je garderai votre place”, “et” means and and joins two actions by the same speaker. It is useful for linking related or sequential actions in one sentence.
garderai
In “je garderai votre place”, “garderai” means I will keep and is the form of garder used with je. It takes the person’s place as its object, useful when promising to hold a spot for someone.
votre
In “votre place”, “votre” means your and refers respectfully to the other person’s spot. It comes before the noun and is used when addressing one person politely or several people.
Merci
In “Merci”, this means thanks and acknowledges the help. It is a natural standalone expression after someone agrees to do something for you.
dépêcher
In “Je vais me dépêcher”, “dépêcher” means hurry; with me, the phrase describes the speaker hurrying. It follows vais in this construction, useful when saying that you will make haste before returning.
revenir
In “et revenir directement”, “revenir” means come back or return. It is coordinated with the action of hurrying, so it is useful when saying that you will return after a brief absence.
directement
In “revenir directement”, “directement” means directly or straight and specifies that the return will go straight to the destination. It comes after the return verb here, useful for describing a direct route.
Grammar Points
Pouvez-vous + infinitif… ?
Pouvez-vous me rendre un petit service ?
poo-vay-VOO muh RAHN-druh uhn puh-TEE sehr-VEESSCan you do me a small favor?
In a polite question, the subject pronoun comes after the conjugated verb and is linked with a hyphen.
pendant que + proposition
Pendant que je vais aux toilettes, la file commence à avancer.
pahn-DAHN kuh zhuh vay oh twah-LET, lah FEEL kuh-MAHNSS ah ah-vahn-SAYWhile I go to the restroom, the line starts moving forward.
Pendant que introduces an action happening at the same time as another action.
French Vocabulary
aller
verb
ah-LAY
to go
vais
je vais aux toilettes
avoir besoin de
phrase
ah-VWAHR buh-ZWAN duh
to need
avez-vous besoin
De quoi avez-vous besoin ?
de quoi
pron
duh-KWAH
what; what ... about
De quoi avez-vous besoin ?
garder
verb
gar-DAY
to keep; to hold
garder ma place
pendant que
conj
pahn-DAHN kuh
while
pendant que je vais aux toilettes
petit
adj
puh-TEE
small; little
un petit service
place
noun
PLA HSS
place; spot
ma place
pouvoir
verb
poo-VWAHR
can; to be able to
Pouvez-vous
Pouvez-vous me rendre un petit service ?
rendre
verb
RAHN-druh
to do; to provide
me rendre un petit service
service
noun
sehr-VEESS
favor; service
un petit service
toilettes
noun
twah-LET
restroom; toilet
aux toilettes
vite
adv
VEET
quickly; fast
revenez vite
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
What do you need?
Show Answer
De quoi avez-vous besoin ?I'll be right back.
Show Answer
Je reviens tout de suite.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
to keep; to hold
Show Answer
garderto do; to provide
Show Answer
rendreplace; spot
Show Answer
placesmall; little