Making a polite complaint at a service desk | Learn French in English

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Use Making a polite complaint at a service desk to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Je voudrais faire une réclamation au sujet du service d'hier.

zhuh voo-DRAY fair oon ray-klah-mah-SYON oh soo-ZHAY doo sair-VEES dee-YAIR I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.

Je suis désolé de l'apprendre. Pourriez-vous me dire ce qui s'est passé ?

zhuh swee day-zoh-LAY duh lah-PRAHN-druh. Poo-ree-AY voo muh DEER suh kee say pah-SAY? I am sorry to hear that. Could you tell me what happened?

J'ai attendu longtemps après mon rendez-vous confirmé.

zhay ah-tahn-DOO lohn-TAHN ah-PRAY mohn rahn-day-VOO kohn-feer-MAY I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment.

Ce retard aurait dû être expliqué sur le moment.

suh ruh-TAR oh-RAY doo EH-truh ex-plee-KAY soor luh moh-MAHN That delay should have been explained at the time.

Je comprends que des retards puissent arriver, mais personne ne m'a donné de nouvelles.

zhuh kohm-PRAHN kuh day ruh-TAR pwees ah-ree-VAY, may pair-SON nuh mah doh-NAY duh noo-VEL I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.

Nous aurions dû vous tenir au courant pendant que vous attendiez.

noo zor-YOHN doo voo tuh-NEER oh koo-RAHN pahn-DAHN kuh voo zah-tahn-DAY We should have kept you informed while you waited.

Je ne cherche pas à être difficile, mais je m'attendais à un meilleur service.

zhuh nuh SHAIRSH pah ah EH-truh dee-fee-SEEL, may zhuh mah-tahn-DAY ah uhn may-YUR sair-VEES I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.

Je demanderai au responsable de répondre par écrit.

zhuh duh-mahn-duh-RAY oh ruh-spon-SAHBL duh ray-POHN-druh par ay-KREE I will ask the manager to respond in writing.

Cela aiderait. Je veux simplement que le problème soit traité correctement.

suh-LAH ay-duh-RAY. zhuh vuh sahm-pluh-MAHN kuh luh proh-BLEM swah tray-TAY koh-rekt-MAHN That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.

Veuillez attendre ici pendant que je parle au responsable.

vuh-YAY ah-tahn-DRUH ee-SEE pahn-DAHN kuh zhuh parl oh ruh-spon-SAHBL Please wait here while I speak with the manager.

Word by Word

Je The exact forms Je and je are first-person subject pronouns meaning “I.” They appear before verbs such as voudrais, comprends, and parle. A common reuse point is to place this pronoun before the verb when the speaker describes their own request, opinion, or action.

voudrais The exact form voudrais means “would like” in Je voudrais faire une réclamation, making the complaint sound polite. It is a polite form of vouloir used with Je. A common reuse pattern is to use it before an infinitive to make a courteous request.

faire The exact form faire means “make” in faire une réclamation, where it means to make or lodge a complaint. It is the infinitive after voudrais. A useful reuse point is to use it before a noun when describing an action such as making a request or complaint.

une The exact form une means “a” in une réclamation and introduces one complaint. It comes directly before the noun réclamation. A common reuse point is to use it before a singular, unspecified noun.

réclamation The exact form réclamation means “complaint” in faire une réclamation. It names the formal complaint the customer wants to submit. A useful reuse point is to use this noun when reporting a problem to a service or organization.

au The exact form au appears in au sujet de, tenir au courant, and au responsable, so its meaning depends on the surrounding expression. It is the contraction of à and le; in au sujet de it helps mean “about,” and in au responsable it marks the person addressed by the action. A useful reuse point is to learn au together with the phrase that follows it.

sujet The exact form sujet means “subject” or “topic” in au sujet du service d'hier, so the complaint is about yesterday’s service. The full expression au sujet de introduces what is being discussed. A common reuse point is to use this expression when naming the subject of a message, question, or complaint.

du The exact form du means “of the” in du service d'hier and links the topic to the service. It is the contraction of de and le. A useful reuse point is to recognize du before a singular noun when expressing a relationship such as belonging, origin, or subject.

service The exact form service means “service” in the complaint about the service received yesterday. It identifies what the customer is dissatisfied with. A common reuse point is to use this noun when discussing the quality or delivery of assistance provided by an organization.

d'hier The exact form d'hier means “from yesterday” or “yesterday’s” in du service d'hier. It links the service to the previous day, with de shortened before hier. A useful reuse point is to place this expression after a noun when identifying something connected with yesterday.

suis The exact form suis means “am” in Je suis désolé de l'apprendre. It is the first-person form of être used after Je to express the speaker’s apology. A common reuse point is to use it with an adjective to describe the speaker’s current state or attitude.

désolé The exact form désolé means “sorry” in Je suis désolé de l'apprendre. It expresses an apology or regret after hearing about a problem. A useful reuse point is to use it after être when responding sympathetically to bad news.

de The exact form de links désolé to the infinitive phrase l'apprendre in désolé de l'apprendre. Here it introduces the thing the speaker is sorry to hear or learn. A common reuse point is to use de after certain adjectives before an infinitive that explains the reason or content.

l'apprendre The exact form l'apprendre means “to hear it” or “to learn it” in désolé de l'apprendre. The l' refers to the information just mentioned, especially what happened. A useful reuse point is to place an object pronoun before an infinitive when referring to something already understood from context.

Pourriez-vous The exact form Pourriez-vous means “could you” as a polite request in Pourriez-vous me dire ce qui s'est passé ? It is a polite request form of pouvoir used with vous and placed before the subject pronoun. A common reuse pattern is to use it before an infinitive when asking someone formally to do something.

me The exact form me means “me” or “to me” in Pourriez-vous me dire, identifying the person who should receive the information. It comes before the infinitive dire. A useful reuse point is to place this object pronoun before the verb when asking someone to tell the speaker something.

dire The exact form dire means “tell” in me dire ce qui s'est passé. It names the information-giving action requested from the service employee. A common reuse point is to use it after a polite request when asking someone to provide information.

ce The exact forms Ce and ce appear in Ce retard and ce qui s'est passé. In Ce retard, ce points to “this” or “that” delay; in ce qui, it helps form “what” or “that which.” A useful reuse point is to learn ce qui as a unit when referring to what happens or what is relevant.

qui The exact form qui helps ce qui mean “what” or “that which” in ce qui s'est passé. Here it links ce to the event that happened. A common reuse point is to use ce qui when referring to an action or event as the subject of a clause.

s'est The exact form s'est is part of s'est passé, the expression used for “happened” in ce qui s'est passé. It works with passé to describe the event being asked about. A useful reuse point is to learn this form as part of the expression for asking what happened.

passé The exact form passé contributes “happened” in s'est passé. The citation form for this use is se passer, and passé is the form used with s'est in the dialogue expression. A common reuse point is to use it with s'est when referring to an event that occurred.

J'ai The exact form J'ai means “I have” and introduces the completed event in J'ai attendu longtemps. It is the first-person form of avoir used with attendu. A useful reuse point is to place it before a completed action when describing what the speaker did.

attendu The exact form attendu means “waited” in J'ai attendu longtemps. It is the form of attendre used with J'ai to describe the customer’s completed waiting. A common reuse point is to use it after a form of avoir when reporting that someone waited.

longtemps The exact form longtemps means “for a long time” in J'ai attendu longtemps. It specifies the duration of the waiting. A useful reuse point is to place it after a verb when emphasizing that an action continued for a long period.

après The exact form après means “after” in après mon rendez-vous confirmé. It places the waiting later than the confirmed appointment. A common reuse point is to use it before a noun or time reference when ordering events.

mon The exact form mon means “my” in mon rendez-vous confirmé. It shows that the appointment belongs to or concerns the speaker. A useful reuse point is to place it before the noun that the speaker identifies as their own.

rendez-vous The exact form rendez-vous means “appointment” in mon rendez-vous confirmé. It identifies the scheduled meeting that had already been confirmed. A common reuse point is to use this noun when arranging or discussing a scheduled meeting.

confirmé The exact form confirmé means “confirmed” in rendez-vous confirmé and describes the appointment as already confirmed. The citation form is confirmer, and confirmé is the form used to describe the appointment here. A useful reuse point is to place it after a noun when identifying something whose confirmation has already been established.

retard The exact form retard means “delay” in Ce retard aurait dû être expliqué. It names the problem that should have been explained to the customer. A common reuse point is to use this noun when discussing a late service, appointment, delivery, or response.

aurait The exact form aurait contributes the “would have” part of aurait dû être expliqué. It is a form of avoir used with dû to express an obligation that was not fulfilled. A useful reuse point is to recognize it with dû when describing what should have happened earlier.

dû The exact form dû contributes the obligation meaning in aurait dû être expliqué, so the whole phrase says that the delay should have been explained. The citation form is devoir, and dû is the form used with aurait here. A common reuse point is to use this form with an auxiliary when criticizing an action that was expected but did not happen.

être The exact form être means “be” in aurait dû être expliqué. Together with expliqué, it forms the passive part of the expression: the delay was supposed to receive an explanation. A useful reuse point is to place it before a past action form when focusing on what should be done to something.

expliqué The exact form expliqué means “explained” in être expliqué. The citation form is expliquer, and expliqué is used with être to describe the explanation that should have been given. A common reuse point is to use it after être when saying that information or a situation has been explained.

sur The exact form sur combines with le moment in sur le moment to mean “at the time” or “in the moment.” It refers to the point when the delay was occurring, not to a physical surface. A useful reuse point is to learn sur le moment as an expression for an immediate response.

le The exact form le means “the” in sur le moment. It introduces the specific moment referred to in the timing expression. A common reuse point is to use it before a known noun in a fixed time or place expression.

moment The exact form moment means “moment” or “time” in sur le moment. It identifies when the delay should have been explained. A useful reuse point is to use this noun when referring to a particular point during an event.

comprends The exact form comprends means “understand” in Je comprends que des retards puissent arriver. It expresses that the speaker accepts the possibility of delays before stating a criticism. The citation form is comprendre, and comprends is the form used after Je. A common reuse point is to place it before que when introducing what the speaker understands.

que The exact form que means “that” in Je comprends que des retards puissent arriver. It introduces the clause containing what the speaker understands. A useful reuse point is to use it after a verb of understanding, believing, or knowing to connect to a full statement.

des The exact form des means “some” or marks an unspecified plural noun in des retards. It introduces delays in general rather than one particular delay. A common reuse point is to place it before a plural noun when referring to an unspecified number of things.

retards The exact form retards means “delays” in des retards puissent arriver. It refers to delays as events that can occur. A useful reuse point is to use this plural noun when discussing repeated or possible service delays.

puissent The exact form puissent expresses “may” or “can” in des retards puissent arriver, presenting delays as a possible event. It is a form of pouvoir used inside the que clause. A common reuse point is to use it in a clause after que when describing a possibility rather than a confirmed fact.

arriver The exact form arriver means “happen” or “occur” in puissent arriver. It names the event that may occur, namely a delay. The citation form is arriver, and it remains an infinitive after puissent. A useful reuse point is to use it after a modal form when describing something that may happen.

mais The exact form mais means “but” and introduces the contrast between understanding that delays happen and receiving no update. It connects two statements with opposing purposes. A common reuse point is to use it when acknowledging one point before presenting a limitation or complaint.

personne The exact form personne means “nobody” or “no one” in personne ne m'a donné de nouvelles. It identifies no person as the source of the missing update, while ne completes the negative construction. A useful reuse point is to use it as the subject when saying that no person performed an action.

ne The exact form ne works with personne in personne ne m'a donné de nouvelles to make the clause negative. It is the negative marker placed before the verb sequence. A common reuse point is to learn it together with the negative word that completes the meaning, rather than treating ne alone as the whole translation.

m'a The exact form m'a places me before the auxiliary a; with donné, the sequence m'a donné means “gave me” in this completed event. The m' refers to the speaker, and a is a form of avoir. A useful reuse point is to place an object pronoun before the auxiliary when saying who received something.

donné The exact form donné means “given” in m'a donné de nouvelles, where the whole sequence means that nobody gave the speaker an update. The citation form is donner, and donné is used with m'a for the completed giving. A common reuse point is to use it after a form of avoir when describing something that was given.

nouvelles The exact form nouvelles means “news” or “an update” in donné de nouvelles. Here it refers to information about the progress of the delayed service, not to new objects. A useful reuse point is to learn it as part of the expression for giving someone news or an update.

Nous The exact form Nous means “we” in Nous aurions dû vous tenir au courant. It identifies the service staff as responsible for the missed communication. A common reuse point is to place it before the verb when describing an action carried out by the speaker together with others.

aurions The exact form aurions contributes the “would have” part of Nous aurions dû vous tenir au courant. It is a form of avoir used with dû to express an obligation that the staff failed to fulfill. A useful reuse point is to recognize it with dû when taking responsibility for what should have happened.

vous The exact form vous means “you” and refers politely to the customer in vous tenir au courant. It can address one person formally or several people. A common reuse point is to place it before an infinitive when it is the person affected by the requested or intended action.

tenir au courant The exact construction tenir au courant means “keep someone informed” in vous tenir au courant. Tenir contributes “keep,” au is the contraction used before courant, and courant contributes the idea of being up to date; together, au courant is the idiomatic “informed” part. The person being informed comes between tenir and au courant, as in vous tenir au courant.

pendant The exact form pendant means “while” or “during” in pendant que vous attendiez. It introduces the time during which the customer was waiting. A useful reuse point is to use it before a time expression or a que clause to connect two simultaneous events.

attendiez The exact form attendiez means “were waiting” in pendant que vous attendiez. It describes the customer’s ongoing background action while the staff should have provided updates. The citation form is attendre, and attendiez is the form used with vous. A common reuse point is to use it after pendant que when describing an action that was in progress.

cherche The exact form cherche means “am trying” or “am seeking” in Je ne cherche pas à être difficile. It presents the speaker’s intention and denies that the complaint is meant to be difficult. The citation form is chercher, and cherche is used after Je. A useful reuse point is to use this verb before an infinitive when expressing an attempt or aim.

pas The exact form pas completes the negative expression ne cherche pas in Je ne cherche pas à être difficile. Together, ne and pas mean “not.” A common reuse point is to place pas after the conjugated verb in this negative pattern.

à The exact form à links cherche to être in cherche pas à être difficile. Here it introduces the action the speaker says they are not trying to do. A useful reuse point is to use à before an infinitive after verbs that express an attempt, effort, or aim.

difficile The exact form difficile means “difficult” in être difficile, describing the speaker’s behavior as difficult or demanding. The full phrase être difficile is what expresses the behavior, while difficile supplies the description. A common reuse point is to use it after être when describing a person, task, or situation as difficult.

m'attendais The exact form m'attendais means “expected” in je m'attendais à un meilleur service. The citation form for this use is s'attendre à, and m'attendais is the dialogue form with the speaker as the person holding the expectation. A useful reuse point is to use this expression before the thing or outcome that was expected.

un The exact form un means “a” in un meilleur service and introduces one service being evaluated. It comes before the noun service and its description meilleur. A common reuse point is to place it before a singular, unspecified noun.

meilleur The exact form meilleur means “better” in un meilleur service. It evaluates the service as better than the service the customer actually received. A useful reuse point is to place it before the noun whose quality is being compared.

demanderai The exact form demanderai means “will ask” in Je demanderai au responsable de répondre par écrit. It expresses the staff member’s commitment to ask the manager for a written response. The citation form is demander, and demanderai is the form used after Je. A common reuse point is to use it before the person being asked and the action requested.

responsable The exact form responsable means “manager” or “person in charge” in au responsable. It identifies the person who has authority to respond to the complaint. A useful reuse point is to use this noun when referring to the person responsible for a service or decision.

répondre The exact form répondre means “respond” or “reply” in de répondre par écrit. It names the action requested from the manager. A common reuse point is to use it after de when describing what someone is being asked to do.

par The exact form par combines with écrit in par écrit to mean “in writing.” It indicates the medium through which the manager should respond. A useful reuse point is to use par with a communication method or channel.

écrit The exact form écrit contributes the idea of written communication in par écrit. The full expression means that the response should be provided in written form. A common reuse point is to learn it together with par when specifying that a message, answer, or record is written.

Cela The exact form Cela means “that” or “this” in Cela aiderait and refers back to the proposed written response. It serves as the subject of aiderait. A useful reuse point is to use this pronoun to refer to an action, idea, or situation already mentioned.

aiderait The exact form aiderait means “would help” in Cela aiderait. It expresses that the proposed written response would be useful to the customer. The citation form is aider, and aiderait is the form used with Cela. A common reuse point is to use it when evaluating whether an offered action or solution would be useful.

veux The exact form veux means “want” in Je veux simplement que le problème soit traité correctement. It introduces the outcome the customer is requesting. The citation form is vouloir, and veux is the form used after Je. A useful reuse point is to place it before an infinitive or a que clause when stating a desire.

simplement The exact form simplement means “simply” or “just” in Je veux simplement que le problème soit traité correctement. It narrows and softens the customer’s request to one basic desired outcome. A common reuse point is to use it to limit a request or emphasize that it is modest.

problème The exact form problème means “problem” or “issue” in le problème soit traité correctement. It refers to the delay and lack of communication being complained about. A useful reuse point is to use this noun when naming an issue that needs attention or resolution.

soit The exact form soit means “be” in que le problème soit traité correctement. It introduces the desired outcome after veux, and with traité the whole phrase means that the problem should be handled. The citation form is être, and soit is the form used in this que clause. A common reuse point is to use it after a request or desire when stating the outcome wanted.

traité The exact form traité means “handled” or “dealt with” in le problème soit traité correctement. The citation form is traiter, and traité works with soit to describe the requested handling of the problem. A useful reuse point is to use it with être when describing an issue that receives attention or resolution.

correctement The exact form correctement means “properly” or “correctly” in traité correctement. It specifies the standard the customer expects for handling the problem. A common reuse point is to place this adverb with an action when explaining that it should be carried out in the right way.

Veuillez The exact form Veuillez is a formal service-style request meaning “please” in Veuillez attendre ici. It is a formal request form related to vouloir and introduces the requested action. A useful reuse point is to place it before an infinitive in polite instructions or official requests.

attendre The exact form attendre means “wait” in Veuillez attendre ici. It is the infinitive that names the action being politely requested. The citation form is attendre, and it remains unchanged after Veuillez. A common reuse point is to use it after this formal request form when asking someone to wait.

ici The exact form ici means “here” in attendre ici. It specifies the place where the customer is asked to wait. A useful reuse point is to use it after a verb when indicating the speaker’s current location or the place being pointed out.

parle The exact form parle means “speak” or “talk” in pendant que je parle au responsable. It describes the staff member’s conversation with the person in charge. The citation form is parler, and parle is the form used after je. A common reuse point is to use this verb with à before the person being spoken to.

Grammar Points

je m'attendais à + nom

Je m'attendais à un retard.

zhuh mah-tahn-DAY ah uhn ruh-TAR

I was expecting a delay.

The imperfect expresses an expectation or ongoing state in the past; à follows s'attendre.

Veuillez + infinitif

Veuillez attendre.

vuh-YAY ah-tahn-DRUH

Please wait.

Veuillez + infinitive is a formal and polite way to give an instruction.

French Vocabulary

apprendre verb

ah-PRAHN-druh to learn; to hear l'apprendre

Je suis désolé de l'apprendre.

attendre verb

ah-TAHN-druh to wait J'ai attendu

J'ai attendu longtemps après mon rendez-vous confirmé.

au sujet de prep

oh soo-ZHAY duh about; concerning

Je voudrais faire une réclamation au sujet du service d'hier.

confirmé adj

kohn-feer-MAY confirmed

mon rendez-vous confirmé

désolé adj

day-zoh-LAY sorry

Je suis désolé de l'apprendre.

expliquer verb

ex-plee-KAY to explain expliqué

Ce retard aurait dû être expliqué sur le moment.

faire une réclamation phrase

fair oon ray-klah-mah-SYON to make a complaint

Je voudrais faire une réclamation au sujet du service d'hier.

longtemps adv

lohn-TAHN for a long time

J'ai attendu longtemps après mon rendez-vous confirmé.

réclamation noun

ray-klah-mah-SYON complaint

Je voudrais faire une réclamation au sujet du service d'hier.

rendez-vous noun

rahn-day-VOO appointment

J'ai attendu longtemps après mon rendez-vous confirmé.

retard noun

ruh-TAR delay

Ce retard aurait dû être expliqué sur le moment.

se passer verb

suh pah-SAY to happen s'est passé

Pourriez-vous me dire ce qui s'est passé ?

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

complaint

Show Answer

réclamation

sorry

Show Answer

désolé

for a long time

Show Answer

longtemps

delay

Show Answer

retard