Choosing a Gift for a Coworker | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At work, two adults choose a useful personal gift and a card for a coworker..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Choosing a Gift for a Coworker to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Nous devons choisir un cadeau pour notre collègue.

noo duh-VON shwah-ZEER uhn kah-DOH poor NO-truh koh-LEG We need to choose a gift for our coworker.
B

Il doit être utile ou plus personnel ?

eel DWAH etr EW-TEEL oo PLEW pair-soh-NEL Should it be useful or more personal?
A

Elle aime le thé, alors un service à thé pourrait convenir.

el EM luh TAY ah-LOR uhn sair-VEES ah TAY poo-RAY kohn-vuh-NEER She likes tea, so a tea set might work.
B

C’est personnel, mais c’est quand même utile.

say pair-soh-NEL, meh say kahn MEM ew-TEEL That feels personal but still useful.
A

Ajoutons aussi une petite carte.

ah-zhoo-TOHN oh-SEE ewn puh-TEET KART Let's add a small card too.
B

Tout le monde peut la signer avant de lui donner le cadeau.

too luh MOND puh lah seen-YAY ah-VAHN duh LOO-ee doh-NAY luh kah-DOH Everyone can sign it before we give her the gift.

Word by Word

Nous Nous means we and is the subject of Nous devons choisir. It identifies the speakers as acting together; reuse Nous + verb when a group includes the speaker.
devons In Nous devons choisir, devons means need to or must. It is the form of devoir used with nous; reuse Nous devons + infinitive to state a shared need or obligation.
choisir choisir means to choose in Nous devons choisir un cadeau. It is the infinitive after devons; reuse choisir + an object when selecting something.
un un introduces one unspecified gift in un cadeau. It is the masculine singular indefinite article before cadeau; reuse un + noun when introducing one item.
cadeau cadeau means gift in un cadeau pour notre collègue. It names the item being selected; reuse un cadeau pour + a person when describing a gift’s recipient.
pour pour marks the intended recipient in pour notre collègue, meaning for our coworker. Reuse cadeau pour + person when naming who will receive a gift.
notre notre means our in notre collègue, linking the coworker to the speakers’ shared group. It comes before the noun here; reuse notre + noun when referring to something shared by us.
collègue collègue means coworker or colleague in notre collègue. It names the person for whom the gift is being chosen; reuse collègue when talking about someone you work with.
Il Il means it here and refers back to un cadeau in Il doit être utile. This pronoun lets the speakers continue discussing the gift without repeating the noun; reuse Il + verb when referring back to a masculine noun or person.
doit In Il doit être utile, doit means should or must. It is the form of devoir used with il; reuse Il doit + infinitive to discuss a requirement or expectation.
être être means to be in doit être utile, linking the gift to the quality utile. It is the infinitive after doit; reuse être + adjective to describe something.
utile utile means useful in Il doit être utile. It describes the desired quality of the gift; reuse être utile when evaluating whether something helps in practice.
ou ou means or and presents the choice between utile and plus personnel in Il doit être utile ou plus personnel ? Reuse A ou B when asking someone to choose between two options.
plus plus means more in plus personnel, increasing the degree of the adjective. Reuse plus + adjective when comparing or describing a higher degree.
personnel personnel means personal in plus personnel, describing the character of the gift. Use personnel after être to describe a gift or choice as personal, and use plus personnel when comparing how personal it is.
Elle Elle means she and refers to the coworker in Elle aime le thé. It is the subject of the sentence; reuse Elle + verb when talking about a woman already identified.
aime aime means likes in Elle aime le thé. It is the form of aimer used with Elle; reuse aimer + a noun to say someone likes something.
le le is the definite article in le thé, the thing Elle aime. Here it introduces thé as the tea being discussed; reuse aimer + le or la + noun when stating a preference.
thé thé means tea in Elle aime le thé. It supplies the object of aime and explains why a tea set is suggested; reuse le thé when talking about tea as the item or drink.
alors alors means so in Elle aime le thé, alors un service à thé pourrait convenir. It links the reason to the suggestion; reuse ..., alors + suggestion when one fact leads to a proposal.
service service means set in un service à thé. Here it names the tea set being considered; reuse un service à + noun to identify a set associated with something.
à à links service to thé in un service à thé and indicates the set’s intended type or use. Reuse un service à + noun when naming a set associated with something.
pourrait pourrait means might or could in un service à thé pourrait convenir, making the suggestion tentative rather than definite. It is the form of pouvoir used with the singular subject service; reuse a subject + pourrait + infinitive when proposing a possible option.
convenir convenir means to be suitable or work in pourrait convenir. It describes the suggested set as an option that may fit the purpose; reuse a subject + pourrait convenir when evaluating a possible choice.
C’est C’est means it is or that is in C’est personnel, referring to the gift or set just discussed. It combines ce with the form est of être; reuse C’est + adjective when giving a quick evaluation.
mais mais means but and introduces the qualification in C’est personnel, mais c’est quand même utile. It connects two qualities that are presented together; reuse A, mais B to add a limitation or qualification.
quand même quand même means still or nevertheless in c’est quand même utile, showing that the item remains useful despite being personal. The components quand and même work together as one expression: quand provides the first element and même reinforces the statement, so the whole expression carries the concessive meaning. Reuse quand même when acknowledging one fact while maintaining the point that follows.
Ajoutons Ajoutons means let’s add in Ajoutons aussi une petite carte. It is the form of ajouter used to make a suggestion to the group; reuse Ajoutons + object when proposing one more item.
aussi aussi means also or too in Ajoutons aussi une petite carte, adding the card to the gift. It appears after Ajoutons here; reuse verb + aussi when adding another action or item.
une une introduces one unspecified card in une petite carte. It is the feminine singular indefinite article before carte; reuse une + noun when introducing one item.
petite petite means small in une petite carte. It is the form of petit used with carte here; reuse une petite + noun when describing a small feminine-noun item.
carte carte means card in une petite carte. It is the item the group will sign; reuse une carte when referring to a card added to a gift.
Tout le monde Tout le monde means everyone in Tout le monde peut la signer. Tout means all or every, le means the, and monde means world; together they form the expression everyone. Reuse Tout le monde + verb when referring to all people in a group.
peut peut means can in Tout le monde peut la signer. It is the form of pouvoir used with Tout le monde; reuse a subject + peut + infinitive to express ability or permission.
la la means it here and refers to the card already introduced in peut la signer. It is the object pronoun placed before signer; reuse la + infinitive when referring to a feminine singular thing already mentioned.
signer signer means to sign in peut la signer. It is the infinitive after peut and names what everyone can do to the card; reuse signer + object when adding one’s signature.
avant avant means before in avant de lui donner le cadeau. Here it introduces the action that must happen earlier; reuse avant de + infinitive to put one action before another.
de de is the connector in avant de lui donner, which makes donner an infinitive after avant. The useful pattern is avant de + infinitive, meaning before doing something; here it leads into the act of giving.
lui lui means to her in avant de lui donner le cadeau, identifying the coworker as the recipient. It comes before donner as the indirect-object pronoun; reuse lui + infinitive when the action is directed to a person already understood.
donner donner means to give in lui donner le cadeau. It is the infinitive after avant de; reuse donner + thing + à + recipient when describing a transfer to someone.

Grammar Points

avant de + infinitif

Avant de donner la carte, ajoutons un cadeau.

ah-VAHN duh doh-NAY lah KART, ah-zhoo-TOHN uhn kah-DOH

Before giving the card, let’s add a gift.

Use avant de followed by an infinitive when the subject remains the same in both actions.

tout le monde + verbe au singulier

Tout le monde aime le thé.

too luh MOND EM luh TAY

Everyone likes tea.

Tout le monde means “everyone,” but it always takes a singular verb in French.

French Vocabulary

aimer verb
EM-ay to like aime

Elle aime le thé.

ajouter verb
ah-zhoo-TAY to add Ajoutons

Ajoutons aussi une petite carte.

cadeau noun
kah-DOH gift

un cadeau pour notre collègue

carte noun
KART card

une petite carte

choisir verb
shwah-ZEER to choose

Nous devons choisir un cadeau.

collègue noun
koh-LEG coworker; colleague

notre collègue

convenir verb
kohn-vuh-NEER to suit; to work

pourrait convenir

personnel adj
pair-soh-NEL personal

plus personnel

quand même adv
kahn MEM still; nevertheless

C’est quand même utile.

service à thé phrase
sair-VEES ah TAY tea set

un service à thé pourrait convenir

thé noun
TAY tea

Elle aime le thé.

utile adj
EW-TEEL useful

Il doit être utile.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Let's add a small card too.

Show AnswerAjoutons aussi une petite carte.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to suit; to work

Show Answerconvenir

personal

Show Answerpersonnel

to choose

Show Answerchoisir

coworker; colleague

Show Answercollègue