Improving a home office setup | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At home, two adults adjust a work setup to reduce shoulder pain, improve screen height, and manage glare..

EN → FR / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Improving a home office setup to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

J'ai mal aux épaules après avoir travaillé toute la journée à cette petite table.

zhay mahl ohz ay-POHL ah-PRAY ah-VWAHR trah-vah-YAY toot lah zhoor-NAY ah set puh-TEET tahbl. My shoulders hurt after working at this small table all day.
B

Ton installation fatigue ton corps, surtout avec l'écran si bas.

tohn an-stah-lah-SYON fah-TEEG tohn kor, sürr-TOO ah-VEK lay-KRAHN see bah. Your setup is hard on your body, especially with the monitor so low.
A

Je pourrais le surélever avec des livres jusqu'à ce que j'achète un support adapté.

zhuh poo-RAY luh sü-ray-luh-VAY ah-VEK day LEEVR zhoos-KAH suh kuh zhah-SHET uhn sü-POHR ah-dap-TAY. I could raise it with books until I buy a proper stand.
B

Cela améliorerait ta posture.

suh-LAH ah-may-lyoh-RAY tah pohs-TÜR. That would help your posture.
B

Tu devrais aussi vérifier si les reflets de la fenêtre gênent la lecture de l'écran.

tü duh-VRAY oh-SEE vay-ree-FYAY see lay ruh-FLAY duh lah fuh-NETR zhen lah luhk-TÜR duh lay-KRAHN. You should also check whether glare from the window is affecting the screen.
A

La lumière du soleil de l'après-midi rend l'écran difficile à lire.

lah lü-MYAIR dü soh-LAY duh lah-PRAY-mee-DEE rahn lay-KRAHN dee-fee-SEEL ah LEER. The afternoon sunlight makes the screen difficult to read.
B

Essaie de déplacer légèrement le bureau ou de tirer le rideau pendant les appels.

eh-SAY duh day-plah-SAY lay-zhehr-MAHN luh bü-ROH oo duh tee-RAY luh ree-DOH pahn-DAHN lay-zah-PEL. Try moving the desk slightly, or use the curtain during calls.
A

Si je me sens plus à l'aise, je devrais aussi pouvoir mieux travailler.

see zhuh muh sahn plüz ah-LEZ, zhuh duh-VRAY oh-SEE poo-VWAHR myuh trah-vah-YAY. If I feel more comfortable, I should be able to work better too.
B

De petits changements comptent quand tu gardes la même position pendant des heures.

duh puh-TEE shahnzh-MAHN kohnt kahn tü gard lah MEM poh-zee-SYON pahn-DAHN day-ZUHR. Small adjustments matter when you repeat the same position for hours.
A

Je peux d'abord essayer cet aménagement avant d'acheter quoi que ce soit.

zhuh puh dah-BOR eh-say-YAY sayt ah-may-nahzh-MAHN ah-VAHN dah-shuh-TAY kwah kuh suh SWAH. I can try this layout first before buying anything.
B

C'est logique, car la solution la moins chère pourrait suffire.

say loh-ZHEEK, kar lah soh-lü-SYON lah mwan SHAIR poo-RAY sü-FEER. That makes sense, because the cheapest solution may be enough.

Word by Word

J'ai «J'ai» means “I have” here and begins the expression for having pain. It is the first-person form of avoir, and it is reused before a noun to say that you have something.
mal «mal» refers to pain or an ache in «J'ai mal aux épaules». This expression is followed by à and the affected body part, and it is useful for describing physical discomfort.
aux «aux» means “to the” in «mal aux épaules» and combines à with the plural article les. In the pain expression, it introduces the body part that hurts.
épaules «épaules» means “shoulders” and identifies the painful body part. It is used after the pain expression to specify where the discomfort is.
après «après» means “after” and places the working activity before the moment when the shoulders hurt. It can introduce an activity or event that happened earlier.
avoir «avoir» means “to have” in «après avoir travaillé». Here it is an infinitive used with a past participle to refer to an earlier completed activity.
travaillé «travaillé» means “worked” in «avoir travaillé». It is the past participle of travailler and combines with avoir in the expression for having worked.
toute «toute» means “the whole” or “all” in «toute la journée». It emphasizes that the activity continued throughout the complete period named by journée.
la «la» is the definite article in «toute la journée» and «La lumière». It introduces a specific noun, with capitalization in «La» only because it begins the sentence.
journée «journée» means “day” as a period of time in «toute la journée». With a quantity such as “the whole,” it describes how long an activity continued.
à «à» means “at” in «à cette petite table» and marks the place where the person worked. It also appears in «difficile à lire», where it links an adjective with an action that is difficult.
cette «cette» means “this” in «cette petite table» and points to one particular table near the speaker. It is placed directly before the noun phrase it identifies.
petite «petite» means “small” and describes «table» in «cette petite table». It shows the size of the specific table being discussed.
table «table» means “table” and names the surface where the person has been working. It can be used after a demonstrative and an adjective to identify a particular piece of furniture.
Ton «Ton» means “your” in «Ton installation» and marks the setup as belonging to the person addressed. This form is used before the vowel sound at the beginning of «installation».
installation «installation» means “setup” here, referring to the arrangement of the desk and equipment. It can describe the way a workspace or device is arranged.
fatigue «fatigue» means “tires” or “strains” in «Ton installation fatigue ton corps». The setup is presented as the thing causing strain to the body.
corps «corps» means “body” and is the object affected by the tiring setup. It is useful when describing physical effects on someone as a whole.
surtout «surtout» means “especially” and highlights the low monitor as the most important factor in the strain. It can be placed before the detail that deserves emphasis.
avec «avec» means “with” in «avec l'écran si bas» and introduces the equipment condition connected with the strain. It commonly links a situation or object accompanying an action or result.
l'écran «l'écran» means “the screen” and refers to the monitor in the workspace. The article is written as l' because écran begins with a vowel.
si «si» has two functions in this dialogue: «si bas» means “so low,” while «si les reflets... gênent» introduces “whether” the glare interferes. Its meaning therefore depends on whether it modifies an adjective or introduces a question within a sentence.
bas «bas» means “low” in «l'écran si bas» and describes the screen’s position. It can follow si to express a high degree of the quality being described.
Je «Je» means “I” in «Je pourrais» and «Je peux». It marks the speaker as the person who can propose or perform the action that follows.
pourrais «pourrais» means “could” in «Je pourrais le surélever» and presents a possible action or suggestion. It is followed here by an infinitive and its object.
le «le» means “it” in «le surélever», referring back to the screen. As an object pronoun, it is placed before the infinitive that describes what will be done to it.
surélever «surélever» means “raise higher” in relation to the screen. It is used after pourrais and takes the object «le» before it when the object is a pronoun.
des «des» means “some” or simply marks an unspecified plural quantity in «des livres». It introduces plural objects used as the means for raising the screen.
livres «livres» means “books” and names the objects placed under the screen. It follows «des» to refer to more than one unspecified book.
jusqu'à «jusqu'à» means “until” and sets the endpoint of using books: the action continues until another event occurs. Here it is followed by «ce que» and a clause.
ce In «jusqu'à ce que», «ce» is part of the conjunction introducing the event that marks the endpoint. It does not independently mean an ordinary “this” in this construction.
que In «jusqu'à ce que», «que» completes the conjunction meaning “until” and introduces the following clause. It also appears in «quoi que ce soit», where it helps form the expression meaning “anything at all”.
j'achète «j'achète» means “I buy” in the clause after «jusqu'à ce que». It identifies the speaker’s purchase as the event that ends the temporary use of books.
un «un» means “a” in «un support adapté» and introduces one suitable stand without identifying a particular one. It comes directly before the noun it determines.
support «support» means “stand” or “support” for the monitor. In «un support adapté», it names the item intended to hold the screen at a suitable height.
adapté «adapté» means “suitable” in «un support adapté» and describes the stand as appropriate for the intended use. It follows the noun here and qualifies its suitability.
Cela «Cela» means “that” and refers to the proposed action of raising the screen. It is used as the subject of a sentence commenting on the expected result.
améliorerait «améliorerait» means “would improve” in «Cela améliorerait ta posture». It presents the improvement as a possible result of the suggested adjustment.
ta «ta» means “your” in «ta posture» and identifies the posture as belonging to the person addressed. It is placed directly before the noun it determines.
posture «posture» means “posture” and names the body position that the raised screen could improve. It is used as the object of an improvement.
Tu «Tu» means “you” when addressing one familiar person. In «Tu devrais», it marks the person who is being advised to check something.
devrais «devrais» means “should” in «Tu devrais aussi vérifier» and gives advice or a recommendation. It is followed by the infinitive «vérifier».
aussi «aussi» means “also” and adds the check for glare to the earlier advice about raising the screen. It is placed before the action being added.
vérifier «vérifier» means “check” in «devrais aussi vérifier». It is an infinitive after a form expressing advice and introduces the thing to be investigated.
les «les» is the definite plural article in «les reflets» and «les appels». It introduces specific plural nouns known from the situation.
reflets «reflets» means “reflections” or “glare” from the window. In «les reflets de la fenêtre gênent», it is the plural subject causing difficulty with the screen.
de «de» has two roles here: «de la fenêtre» links the reflections to their source, while «De petits changements» introduces the plural noun phrase “small changes.” Its meaning must be read from the construction around it.
fenêtre «fenêtre» means “window” and identifies the source of the reflections. It follows «de la» in the phrase describing where the glare comes from.
gênent «gênent» means “interfere with” or “make difficult” in «les reflets ... gênent la lecture». The reflections are the plural subject, and the reading of the screen is what they affect.
lecture «lecture» means “reading” in «gênent la lecture de l'écran». It refers to the activity of reading the screen rather than to the screen itself.
lumière «lumière» means “light” in «La lumière du soleil». It names the sunlight that affects how easy the screen is to read.
du «du» means “of the” in «la lumière du soleil» and combines de with the article le. It links the light to the sun as its source.
soleil «soleil» means “sun” and identifies the source of the light. In «la lumière du soleil», it completes the phrase describing sunlight.
l'après-midi «l'après-midi» means “the afternoon” and specifies when the sunlight makes the screen difficult to read. The article is joined to the word by elision.
rend «rend» means “makes” in «rend l'écran difficile à lire». It introduces a result in which one thing causes another thing to have a particular quality.
difficile «difficile» means “difficult” and describes reading the screen in «difficile à lire». The adjective is followed by à and an infinitive to identify the difficult activity.
lire «lire» means “read” in «difficile à lire». It names the activity made difficult by the afternoon sunlight.
Essaie «Essaie» means “try” as a direct suggestion to one familiar person. It introduces the practical actions «de déplacer» and «de tirer».
déplacer «déplacer» means “move” in «Essaie de déplacer légèrement le bureau». It is an infinitive after essayer de and is followed by the desk as its object.
légèrement «légèrement» means “slightly” and limits how far the desk should be moved. It is an adverb placed with the movement action to indicate a small adjustment.
bureau «bureau» means “desk” in «déplacer légèrement le bureau». It is the object being moved to reduce the effect of the sunlight.
ou «ou» means “or” and presents an alternative to moving the desk. It links the two suggested actions in the sentence.
tirer «tirer» means “pull” or “draw” in «tirer le rideau». It is the second infinitive suggested as an alternative way to manage the light.
rideau «rideau» means “curtain” and is the object pulled during calls. It is used after the action word to identify what is drawn across the window.
pendant «pendant» means “during” and limits the curtain action to the time of the calls. It introduces the period in which an action takes place.
appels «appels» means “calls” in «pendant les appels». It refers to the calls during which the curtain may be used to control the light.
me «me» refers back to the speaker in «je me sens» and is part of the expression meaning “feel”. It shows that the speaker experiences the comfort personally.
sens «sens» means “feel” in «je me sens plus à l'aise». It is used with «me» to describe the speaker’s own physical or emotional state.
plus «plus» means “more” in «plus à l'aise» and indicates an increase in comfort. It is placed before the expression describing the state that is improving.
l'aise «l'aise» contributes to the expression «à l'aise», meaning comfortable or at ease. The whole expression describes how comfortable the speaker feels, rather than naming a separate object.
pouvoir «pouvoir» means “be able to” in «pouvoir mieux travailler». It is an infinitive after «devrais» and expresses the ability that is expected to result from greater comfort.
mieux «mieux» means “better” in «mieux travailler» and modifies the quality of the work. It is placed before the infinitive to describe improved performance.
travailler «travailler» means “work” in «pouvoir mieux travailler». It is the action whose quality is expected to improve.
petits «petits» means “small” in «De petits changements» and describes changes that are limited in size or extent. It appears before the plural noun it qualifies.
changements «changements» means “changes” and refers to small adjustments to the workspace. It is the plural subject of «comptent».
comptent «comptent» means “matter” in «De petits changements comptent». It says that even limited adjustments have importance when the same position is maintained for a long time.
quand «quand» means “when” and introduces the situation in which small changes matter. It links the main statement to a repeated or extended circumstance.
gardes «gardes» means “keep” or “hold” in «tu gardes la même position». It describes maintaining one position over a period of time.
même «même» means “same” in «la même position». It emphasizes that the position does not change during the hours mentioned.
position «position» means “position” and refers to the body position maintained for hours. It is the object of «gardes» in the description of the working habit.
heures «heures» means “hours” in «pendant des heures». It measures the extended period during which the same position is maintained.
peux «peux» means “can” in «Je peux d'abord essayer». It expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility to try the arrangement.
d'abord «d'abord» means “first” and places trying the arrangement before buying anything. It signals the first step in an intended sequence.
essayer «essayer» means “try” in «Je peux d'abord essayer cet aménagement». It is an infinitive after «peux» and takes the arrangement as its object.
cet «cet» means “this” in «cet aménagement» and points to the particular arrangement currently being discussed. It is used before this vowel-starting noun.
aménagement «aménagement» means “layout” or “setup” and refers to the current arrangement of the workspace. It is the thing the speaker wants to try before purchasing equipment.
avant «avant» means “before” and places trying the layout earlier than the purchase. In «avant d'acheter», it introduces an infinitive phrase describing the later action.
d'acheter «d'acheter» means “buying” or “to buy” in «avant d'acheter quoi que ce soit». The de is required after avant before this infinitive, and the phrase describes what the speaker will postpone.
quoi In «quoi que ce soit», «quoi» contributes the meaning “what” to a fixed expression meaning “anything at all”. The complete expression is used here for an unrestricted object of buying.
soit In «quoi que ce soit», «soit» completes the expression meaning “anything at all”. It is not translated separately as an independent “be” in this phrase.
C'est «C'est» means “that is” or “it is” in «C'est logique». It introduces the speaker’s assessment of the proposed plan.
logique «logique» means “logical” and gives the assessment “that makes sense” in «C'est logique». It describes the plan as reasonable.
car «car» means “because” and introduces the reason why the plan makes sense. It links the assessment to the possibility that a cheaper solution is sufficient.
solution «solution» means “solution” and refers to the proposed workspace arrangement as a way of addressing the problem. It is described by «la moins chère».
moins «moins» means “least” in «la moins chère» and helps form the comparison identifying the solution with the lowest cost. It appears before the adjective it modifies.
chère «chère» means “expensive” in form but contributes to “cheapest” in the expression «la moins chère». It describes «solution» and agrees with that noun in the phrase.
pourrait «pourrait» means “might” or “could” in «pourrait suffire». It presents sufficiency as a possibility rather than a certainty.
suffire «suffire» means “be enough” in «pourrait suffire». It is an infinitive after «pourrait» and states that the cheapest solution may meet the need.

Grammar Points

après avoir + participe passé

J'ai mal aux épaules après avoir travaillé.

zhay mahl ohz ay-POHL ah-PRAY ah-VWAHR trah-vah-YAY.

My shoulders hurt after working.

Après avoir + participe passé exprime une action terminée avant une autre action.

conditionnel présent : améliorerait

Cela améliorerait la posture.

suh-LAH ah-may-lyoh-RAY lah pohs-TÜR.

That would improve posture.

Le conditionnel exprime ici une conséquence possible ou un conseil atténué.

French Vocabulary

après prep
ah-PRAY after
avoir mal phrase
ah-VWAHR MAHL to be in pain J'ai mal

J'ai mal aux épaules.

bas adj
BAH low
corps noun
KOR body
écran noun
ay-KRAHN screen
épaule noun
ay-POHL shoulder épaules
fatiguer verb
fah-tee-GAY to tire fatigue
installation noun
an-stah-lah-SYON setup
pouvoir verb
poo-VWAHR can; to be able to pourrais
surélever verb
sü-ray-luh-VAY to raise; to elevate
surtout adv
sürr-TOO especially
travailler verb
trah-vah-YAY to work travaillé

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

That would help your posture.

Show AnswerCela améliorerait ta posture.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

screen

Show Answerécran

to work

Show Answertravaillé

shoulder

Show Answerépaules

body

Show Answercorps