Making a clinic appointment when you feel unwell | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At home, one adult feels unwell and asks another how to call a clinic for an appointment..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Making a clinic appointment when you feel unwell to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Je tousse et je suis fatigué aujourd'hui.

zhuh TOOSS ay zhuh SWEE fa-tee-GAY oh-zhoor-DWEE I have a cough and feel tired today.
B

Tu devrais appeler la clinique et demander un rendez-vous.

tyoo duh-VRAY ahp-LAY lah klee-NEEK ay duh-mahn-DAY uhn rahn-day-VOO You should call the clinic and ask for an appointment.
A

Que dois-je dire quand j'appelle ?

kuh DWAH zhuh DEER kahn zhah-PELL What should I say when I call?
B

Dis-leur que tu ne te sens pas bien et que tu aimerais voir un médecin.

dee-LUR kuh tyoo nuh tuh sahn pah byan ay kuh tyoo ehm-RAY vwar uhn med-SAN Tell them you feel unwell and would like to see a doctor.
A

Je veux aussi demander quels horaires sont disponibles.

zhuh vuh oh-SEE duh-mahn-DAY kel oh-RAIR sohn dee-spoh-NEEBL I also want to ask what times are available.
B

Cela les aidera à trouver un rendez-vous qui te convient.

suh-LAH lay zay-day-RAH ah troo-VAY uhn rahn-day-VOO kee tuh kohn-VYAN That will help them find an appointment that works for you.
A

Je vais appeler la clinique maintenant.

zhuh VAY ahp-LAY lah klee-NEEK mahn-tuh-NAHN I will call the clinic now.
B

Note tes symptômes pour pouvoir les expliquer clairement.

NOHT tay sanp-TOHM poor poo-VWAR lay zayks-plee-KAY klair-MAHN Write your symptoms down so you can explain them clearly.

Word by Word

Je Je identifies the speaker as the person who coughs, wants something, or will call. It is the subject used with a first-person statement, as in Je tousse and Je vais appeler. A reliable pattern is Je + a verb when describing your own action or state.
tousse In Je tousse, tousse says that the speaker is coughing. This exact form comes from tousser and is used here to report a symptom. A useful pattern is Je tousse when telling someone that you have a cough.
et Et connects two facts in the same statement: the speaker coughs and feels tired. It joins words or clauses, as in Je tousse et je suis fatigué aujourd'hui. Use et to add another related action, state, or piece of information.
suis In je suis fatigué aujourd'hui, suis means am and describes the speaker's state. This exact form comes from être and is used with a description such as fatigué. A reliable pattern is je suis + a description of how you feel or what you are like.
fatigué Fatigué describes the speaker as tired in je suis fatigué aujourd'hui. It is the word that gives the speaker's condition, while suis supplies the connection to the subject. You can use je suis fatigué when explaining that you need rest or do not feel energetic.
aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui means today and limits the statement to the current day in je suis fatigué aujourd'hui. It tells the listener when the tiredness is relevant. A useful pattern is describing a condition followed by aujourd'hui when it applies specifically today.
Tu Tu identifies the person being addressed as the one who should call, feels unwell, or receives instructions. It is the familiar singular subject form in Tu devrais appeler la clinique. Use Tu when speaking directly to one person in this dialogue's informal style.
devrais In Tu devrais appeler la clinique, devrais gives advice that the other person should call the clinic. This exact form comes from devoir and is used here to make a recommendation. A reliable pattern is Tu devrais + an infinitive when advising one person to do something.
appeler Appeler means to call in Tu devrais appeler la clinique and Je vais appeler la clinique maintenant. This exact form is the infinitive after devrais and vais. A useful pattern is appeler + a person or organization when making a phone call to them.
la La marks clinique as the specific clinic being discussed. It is the feminine singular form of the definite article in la clinique. Use la before a specific feminine singular noun when referring to something known in the conversation.
clinique Clinique names the clinic that the speaker should call and will call. In la clinique, it is the place connected with asking for a medical appointment. A useful pattern is appeler la clinique when contacting the clinic by phone.
demander Demander means to ask for something in demander un rendez-vous. This exact form is an infinitive coordinated with appeler in the advice. A reliable pattern is demander + an object, such as demander un rendez-vous when requesting an appointment.
un Un introduces one appointment that the speaker wants to request in un rendez-vous. It presents the appointment as an unspecified item being requested. Use un before a singular masculine noun when referring to one item of that type.
rendez-vous Rendez-vous means appointment in demander un rendez-vous and the later references to finding an appointment. The parts rendez and vous together form this fixed expression, so the whole expression carries the meaning here rather than either part alone. Use demander un rendez-vous when asking a clinic for an appointment.
Que In Que dois-je dire quand j'appelle ?, Que asks what content the speaker should say. The same form also introduces the statement after Dis-leur in que tu ne te sens pas bien, where it means that. Use Que at the start of a question about what something is or what someone should say.
dois In Que dois-je dire quand j'appelle ?, dois expresses what the speaker must or should say. This exact form comes from devoir and appears with je in the question. A reliable pattern is que dois-je + infinitive when asking what you are expected or supposed to do.
dire Dire means to say in Que dois-je dire quand j'appelle ?. This exact form is the infinitive after dois and refers to the words the speaker should use on the call. Use dire when asking or explaining what someone should say.
quand Quand means when and introduces the situation in quand j'appelle. It connects the question with the time or circumstance of making the call. A useful pattern is quand + a clause when referring to what happens at a particular time or event.
j'appelle J'appelle means I call in quand j'appelle and refers to the speaker making the phone call. This exact form contains the first-person subject and comes from appeler. Use j'appelle + the person or organization being contacted when describing a call.
Dis Dis tells the listener to say or tell something in Dis-leur que tu ne te sens pas bien. This exact form comes from dire and is used here as a direct instruction to one person. A reliable pattern is Dis-leur que + a statement when telling someone to pass information to them.
leur In Dis-leur, leur means to them and identifies the people at the clinic as the recipients of the information. It is placed directly after Dis in this instruction. Use Dis-leur que + a statement when telling someone to give information to other people.
ne In ne te sens pas bien, ne begins the negative expression that says the person does not feel well. It works together with pas, rather than carrying the entire negative meaning alone. A useful pattern is ne + verb + pas when making a clause negative.
te In te sens, te refers to the person who feels, as part of the expression ne te sens pas bien. It also appears in qui te convient, where it refers to the person for whom the appointment works. Use te with a verb when addressing one person as the affected person or recipient.
sens In tu ne te sens pas bien, sens expresses how the addressed person feels. This exact form comes from sentir and is used with te in the expression about feeling well or unwell. A reliable pattern is te sens + an expression describing your condition.
pas In ne te sens pas bien, pas completes the negative expression and makes the statement mean that the person does not feel well. Its negative function is shared with ne. Use ne ... pas around the verb when saying that something is not the case.
bien Bien means well in ne te sens pas bien and describes the quality of how the person feels. Together with ne and pas, the full expression says that the person feels unwell. Use bien after a feeling expression when describing a satisfactory or healthy state.
aimerais In tu aimerais voir un médecin, aimerais expresses that the person would like to see a doctor. This exact form comes from aimer and makes the request sound considerate. A reliable pattern is aimerais + an infinitive when politely expressing what you would like to do.
voir Voir means to see in tu aimerais voir un médecin. Here it refers to having an appointment with a doctor, not merely looking at one. Use voir + a person when saying that you want or need to meet that person.
médecin Médecin means doctor in voir un médecin. It identifies the medical professional the speaker would like to see. A useful pattern is voir un médecin when requesting medical attention or an appointment.
veux In Je veux aussi demander quels horaires sont disponibles, veux expresses the speaker's wish or intention to ask about available times. This exact form comes from vouloir and is used with je. A reliable pattern is Je veux + an infinitive when stating what you want to do.
aussi Aussi means also and adds another request to the earlier plan to call and ask for an appointment. In Je veux aussi demander, it shows that asking about times is an additional thing the speaker wants to do. Place aussi near the verb or phrase that represents the added action.
quels In quels horaires sont disponibles, quels asks which or what times are available. It introduces the specific times the speaker wants information about. A reliable pattern is quels horaires when asking a clinic which appointment times can be offered.
horaires Horaires means times or hours in quels horaires sont disponibles. Here it refers to possible appointment times at the clinic. Use horaires when discussing the times at which a service or appointment is available.
sont In quels horaires sont disponibles, sont connects the appointment times with the description available. This exact form comes from être and is used with the plural subject horaires. A reliable pattern is noun + sont + description when describing several things.
disponibles Disponibles means available and describes the appointment times in quels horaires sont disponibles. It tells the listener which times can be offered or chosen. Use disponibles after a noun when asking or stating whether options are open for use.
Cela Cela refers to the action of asking about available times in Cela les aidera à trouver un rendez-vous. It presents that earlier action as something that will help. Use Cela to refer back to an idea, action, or situation already mentioned.
les In Cela les aidera, les refers to the people at the clinic who will receive the request and find an appointment. In les expliquer clairement, les refers instead to the symptoms. Use les before a verb when replacing plural people or things that are affected by the action.
aidera Aidera means will help in Cela les aidera à trouver un rendez-vous. This exact form comes from aider and describes the future result of giving the clinic the available times. A reliable pattern is aider quelqu'un à + an infinitive when helping someone do something.
à In aidera à trouver, à links aidera with the action of finding an appointment. It is part of the pattern used for helping someone do something. Use à before an infinitive after aider when stating the action that the help makes possible.
trouver Trouver means to find in à trouver un rendez-vous. Here it describes the clinic locating an appointment that suits the speaker. A useful pattern is trouver + an object, such as trouver un rendez-vous when locating an available appointment.
qui In un rendez-vous qui te convient, qui introduces the description of the appointment that works for the speaker. It links rendez-vous with the clause te convient. Use qui to add information about a person or thing already mentioned.
convient Convient means suits or works for in qui te convient. This exact form comes from convenir and describes the appointment as suitable for the person addressed. A reliable pattern is qui te convient for an option that works for you.
vais In Je vais appeler la clinique maintenant, vais sets up the speaker's immediate plan to call the clinic. This exact form comes from aller and is followed here by the infinitive appeler. A reliable pattern is Je vais + an infinitive when announcing what you are going to do.
maintenant Maintenant means now and shows that the call will happen at the present time or immediately. It modifies the plan in Je vais appeler la clinique maintenant. Use maintenant when emphasizing that an action is happening or will happen right away.
Note In Note tes symptômes, Note tells the listener to write the symptoms down. This exact form comes from noter and is used as a direct instruction to one person. Use Note + an object when telling someone to make a written note of something.
tes Tes means your and identifies the symptoms as belonging to or being experienced by the person addressed in tes symptômes. It is placed directly before the plural noun symptômes. Use tes before plural nouns when referring to something belonging to one person you address with tu.
symptômes Symptômes means symptoms in Note tes symptômes and refers to the signs of illness that the speaker should record. The word is the object of Note and later the thing to be explained. Use tes symptômes when describing health problems to a clinic or doctor.
pour In pour pouvoir les expliquer clairement, pour introduces the purpose of writing the symptoms down. It connects the note-taking action with the goal of being able to explain them clearly. A reliable pattern is pour + an infinitive when stating the purpose of an action.
pouvoir Pouvoir means to be able to in pour pouvoir les expliquer clairement. It expresses the ability made possible by writing the symptoms down. A useful pattern is pouvoir + an infinitive when describing what someone is able to do.
expliquer Expliquer means to explain in les expliquer clairement, where the symptoms are the information being explained. This exact form is the infinitive after pouvoir. Use expliquer + an object when describing the act of making information clear to someone.
clairement Clairement means clearly and describes how the symptoms should be explained. It modifies expliquer in les expliquer clairement and emphasizes understandable communication with the clinic. Use clairement after an action when saying that it should be done in an easy-to-understand way.

Grammar Points

J'aimerais + infinitif

J'aimerais voir un médecin.

zhem-RAY vwar uhn med-SAN

I would like to see a doctor.

J'aimerais is a polite conditional form followed directly by an infinitive.

ne ... pas

Tu ne te sens pas bien.

tyoo nuh tuh sahn pah byan

You do not feel well.

French places ne before the verb and pas after it to make a sentence negative.

French Vocabulary

aimerais verb
ehm-RAY would like

tu aimerais voir

appeler verb
ahp-LAY to call

appeler la clinique

aujourd'hui adv
oh-zhoor-DWEE today

fatigué aujourd'hui

clinique noun
klee-NEEK clinic

la clinique

demander verb
duh-mahn-DAY to ask

demander un rendez-vous

dire verb
DEER to say

dois-je dire

fatigué adj
fa-tee-GAY tired

je suis fatigué

médecin noun
med-SAN doctor

un médecin

ne te sens pas bien phrase
nuh tuh sahn pah byan do not feel well

tu ne te sens pas bien

rendez-vous noun
rahn-day-VOO appointment

un rendez-vous

tousse verb
TOOSS cough

Je tousse

voir verb
VWAR to see

voir un médecin

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

What should I say when I call?

Show AnswerQue dois-je dire quand j'appelle ?

I will call the clinic now.

Show AnswerJe vais appeler la clinique maintenant.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

cough

Show Answertousse

tired

Show Answerfatigué

clinic

Show Answerclinique

to call

Show Answerappeler