Choosing a Movie Together | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Choosing a Movie Together to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Tu veux un film à suspense, mais j'espérais quelque chose de plus léger.

tyoo vuh uhn FEELM ah soo-SPAHNS, may zheh-speh-RAY kel-kuh SHOZ duh ploo lay-ZHAY You want a thriller, but I was hoping for something lighter.

On peut peut-être trouver un film que nous avons tous les deux envie de voir.

ohn puh puh-TETR troo-VAY uhn FEELM kuh noo zah-VON too lay duh EN-VEE duh VWAHR Maybe we can find a film we both feel like watching.

Que penses-tu de cette comédie policière ? Les critiques disent qu'elle n'est pas trop intense.

kuh pahnss-TOO duh set koh-may-DEE poh-lee-SYAIR? lay kree-TEEK DEEZ kel nay pah troh an-TAHNS What about this mystery comedy? The reviews say it isn't too intense.

Ça pourrait marcher. Est-ce qu'il y a des sous-titres ?

sah poo-RAY mar-SHAY. ess kuh eel ee ah day soo-TEETR? That could work. Does it have subtitles?

Oui, il y en a, et le film n'est pas trop long.

wee, eel ee ahn ah, ay luh FEELM nay pah troh LOHNG It does, and it isn't too long.

Les films plus courts sont mieux quand on commence tard.

lay FEELM ploo KOOR sohn MYUH kohn-TOHN koh-MAHNS TAR Shorter movies are better when we start late.

La bande-annonce a un peu de suspense, mais le film a quand même l'air drôle.

lah bahnd-ah-NONSS ah uhn puh duh soo-SPAHNS, may luh FEELM ah kahn MEM lair DROHL The trailer has some suspense, but it still looks funny.

Alors, il nous convient mieux qu'un thriller classique.

ah-LOR, eel noo kohn-VYAN MYUH kuh(n) TREE-LUHR KLAH-seek Then it fits us better than a straight thriller.

Je vais réserver des places au milieu de la salle.

zhuh vay ray-zair-VAY day plahss oh mee-LYUH duh lah SAHL I'll book seats in the middle row.

Je pense que nous aimerons tous les deux celui-là.

zhuh pahns kuh noo zah-MUHR-ON too lay duh suh-LWEE-LAH I think we'll both enjoy that one.

Word by Word

Tu “Tu” means “you” here and is the subject of “veux”, addressing one person informally. A reusable pattern is “Tu” followed by a verb when speaking directly to one person.

veux “veux” means “want” in “Tu veux un film à suspense.” It is the form of vouloir used with tu. A useful pattern is vouloir + a noun or infinitive, such as expressing what someone wants to watch.

un “un” means “a” in “un film”, introducing one unspecified masculine noun. It is also related to the idea of “one” when counting. Reuse un before a masculine singular noun.

film “film” means “film” or “movie” here. In “un film à suspense”, it names the movie being discussed. A reusable pattern is parler de + un film when discussing a movie.

à In “un film à suspense”, “à” links the film to its type or characteristic, giving the idea of a suspense film. A useful pattern is noun + à + noun for describing a type or feature.

suspense “suspense” means “suspense” in “un film à suspense”, describing the kind of movie being considered. The reusable expression “un film à suspense” refers to a suspense film.

mais “mais” means “but” and introduces a contrast between wanting a thriller and hoping for something lighter. Reuse mais to connect two contrasting ideas or preferences.

j'espérais “j'espérais” means “I was hoping” in “j'espérais quelque chose de plus léger.” It expresses an earlier hope or preference that contrasts with the other person’s choice. A reusable pattern is j'espérais + a noun phrase when stating what you had hoped for.

quelque chose “quelque chose” means “something”, an unspecified thing. In this expression, quelque contributes the idea of “some” and chose means “thing”; together they form one expression: “quelque chose de plus léger”. A reusable pattern is quelque chose de + adjective when describing something unspecified.

de In “quelque chose de plus léger”, “de” introduces the adjective phrase describing “quelque chose”. It does not mean “than” by itself here. A useful pattern is quelque chose de + adjective.

plus “plus” means “more” and forms the comparison in “plus léger”, meaning “lighter”. Reuse plus before an adjective to compare a quality.

léger “léger” means “light” or “less serious” here, as in a film that is not very heavy in tone. With “plus”, the phrase “plus léger” means “lighter”. A reusable pattern is plus + adjective.

On “On” means “we” here, referring to the two friends together in “On peut peut-être trouver”. In other contexts, on can also refer to people generally, but that is not its meaning in this line. Reuse on as a conversational subject before a verb.

peut “peut” means “can” or “is able to” in “On peut trouver”, expressing possibility. It is the form of pouvoir used with on. A useful pattern is peut + infinitive.

peut-être “peut-être” means “maybe” as a fixed expression in “On peut peut-être trouver”. The parts peut and être contribute the ideas of “can” and “be”, but together the expression indicates uncertainty or possibility. It can be placed inside a sentence to soften a suggestion.

trouver “trouver” means “find” and is the infinitive after “peut”. Here it means finding a movie that both people want to watch. A reusable pattern is peut + trouver + an object.

que “que” has two meanings in this dialogue. In “un film que nous avons tous les deux envie de voir”, it introduces the clause describing the film and means “that” or “which”; in “Que penses-tu de cette comédie policière ?”, it means “what” in a question. Reuse que to introduce a relative clause or to ask what someone thinks.

nous “nous” means “we” in “nous avons tous les deux envie de voir” and “nous aimerons tous les deux celui-là”. It identifies the two friends as the subject of the verbs. Reuse nous before a verb when speaking about yourself and another person or group.

avons “avons” means “have” in “nous avons tous les deux envie de voir”. Here it is part of the expression avoir envie de, which means to feel like doing something. A useful pattern is avoir envie de + infinitive.

tous In “tous les deux”, “tous” contributes the idea that the entire group is included. Together with deux, the expression means “both”. Reuse tous les deux when two people share the same action, opinion, or preference.

les “les” means “the” before a plural noun in “Les critiques” and “Les films plus courts”. It identifies a specific plural group. Reuse les before a plural noun when referring to the group as a whole.

deux “deux” means “two” in “tous les deux”, and the full expression means “both”. It identifies the two people who share the desire to watch the film and the later enjoyment of it. Reuse tous les deux to refer to two people together.

envie “envie” means “desire” in the expression “avoir envie de voir”. In the dialogue, “avoir envie de voir” means “feel like watching”. A reusable pattern is avoir envie de + infinitive.

voir “voir” means “see” or, with a film, “watch”. It is the infinitive after “envie de” in “envie de voir”. A useful pattern is avoir envie de voir + a film or other object.

penses “penses” means “think” in “Que penses-tu de cette comédie policière ?”, where it asks for someone’s opinion. It is the form of penser used with tu. Reuse Que penses-tu de + noun when asking what someone thinks of something.

cette “cette” means “this” before “comédie policière”, identifying one particular feminine noun. Reuse cette before a feminine singular noun when pointing out a specific thing.

comédie “comédie” means “comedy” in “cette comédie policière”. It names the film’s comic genre within the larger expression. A useful pattern is a noun followed by an adjective to describe a type of film.

policière “policière” describes “comédie” as crime-related or mystery-related in “comédie policière”. Its feminine form matches the feminine noun comédie. Reuse a descriptive adjective after a noun when specifying the type of film.

critiques “critiques” refers here to reviews or critical assessments in “Les critiques disent qu'elle n'est pas trop intense”. These assessments give an opinion about the film. A reusable pattern is Les critiques + a verb when reporting what reviews say.

disent “disent” means “say” in “Les critiques disent qu'elle n'est pas trop intense”. It is the form of dire used with the plural subject les critiques. Reuse dire que + a clause to report what someone or something says.

qu'elle “qu'elle” combines que and elle. In “disent qu'elle n'est pas trop intense”, que introduces the reported clause and elle refers to the comedy, so the phrase means “that it is not too intense”. A useful pattern is dire que + a clause with a pronoun referring back to the subject.

n'est “n'est” combines ne and est and begins the negative expression “n'est pas”, meaning “is not”. In “n'est pas trop intense”, it supplies the verb part of the negation. Reuse ne ... pas around a conjugated verb to make a negative statement.

pas “pas” completes the negation in “n'est pas trop intense”, so the whole phrase means “is not too intense”. It works together with ne rather than carrying the full negative meaning alone. Reuse ne + verb + pas for a negative sentence.

trop “trop” means “too” in “n'est pas trop intense”, describing an intensity that does not exceed the desired level. Reuse trop before an adjective when saying that something has an excessive degree of a quality.

intense “intense” means “intense” here, describing the film’s emotional or suspenseful effect. In “n'est pas trop intense”, the film is not excessively intense. A useful pattern is être + adjective to describe something’s quality.

Ça “Ça” means “that” or “it” in “Ça pourrait marcher”, referring to the proposed movie or plan. It is the subject of pourrait. Reuse Ça + verb when referring conversationally to a thing, idea, or situation.

pourrait “pourrait” means “could” in “Ça pourrait marcher”, presenting the idea as a possible solution. It is the form of pouvoir used to express this possibility with ça. A reusable pattern is Ça pourrait + infinitive.

marcher “marcher” means “work” or “be suitable” in “Ça pourrait marcher”; it does not mean physically walking here. The phrase evaluates whether the proposed choice will be acceptable. Reuse Ça pourrait marcher when suggesting that an idea or plan may work.

Est-ce que “Est-ce que” is a question marker that turns the following statement into a yes-or-no question. In “Est-ce qu'il y a des sous-titres ?”, Est-ce supplies the question form and que links it to the clause. Reuse Est-ce que + statement when asking whether something is the case.

qu'il “qu'il” combines que and il in “Est-ce qu'il y a des sous-titres ?”. Here que follows the question marker, while il is the impersonal subject used in the expression il y a, meaning “there is” or “there are”. A useful pattern is Est-ce qu'il y a + noun.

y In “qu'il y a des sous-titres”, “y” is the “there” element of il y a, the expression used to say that something exists or is present. It helps form the question about whether subtitles are available. Reuse il y a + noun to say that something is present.

a “a” is the form of avoir used in il y a. In “il y a des sous-titres”, the whole expression means “there are subtitles”, not “he has subtitles”. A reusable pattern is il y a + noun.

des “des” is a plural indefinite article in “des sous-titres”, meaning “some” or simply introducing plural subtitles in English. Reuse des before a plural noun when referring to an unspecified quantity.

sous-titres “sous-titres” means “subtitles”. The component sous contributes “under” and titres means “titles”; together, “sous-titres” names the translated text displayed under the film image. A useful pattern is avoir des sous-titres when saying that a film has subtitles.

Oui “Oui” means “yes” and answers the question about subtitles. In “Oui, il y en a”, it confirms that subtitles are present. Reuse Oui at the beginning of an affirmative answer.

il “il” has two uses in this dialogue. In “il y en a”, it is the impersonal subject of the existence expression il y a; in “il nous convient mieux”, it refers back to the film. The surrounding expression shows whether il means an impersonal “there” construction or “it” referring to a masculine noun.

en In “il y en a”, “en” stands for the subtitles just mentioned, giving the meaning “there are some”. It avoids repeating “des sous-titres”. A reusable pattern is il y en a when confirming that some previously mentioned items exist or are available.

et “et” means “and” and joins the confirmation about subtitles with the statement about the film’s length in “Oui, il y en a, et le film n'est pas trop long”. Reuse et to connect related words, phrases, or clauses.

le “le” means “the” before the masculine singular noun “film” in “le film n'est pas trop long”. It refers to the particular film already being discussed. Reuse le before a known masculine singular noun.

long “long” means “long” in “le film n'est pas trop long”, describing the film’s duration. The phrase says that its length is not excessive. A useful pattern is être + adjective for describing the length or other quality of something.

films “films” means “films” or “movies” in the plural expression “Les films plus courts”. It is the subject being compared. Reuse les films when talking about movies as a group.

courts “courts” means “short” in “Les films plus courts”; with plus, “plus courts” means “shorter”. The ending matches the plural noun films. A reusable pattern is plus + adjective to compare films or other things.

sont “sont” means “are” in “Les films plus courts sont mieux”. It is the plural form of être used with les films. Reuse plural noun + sont + adjective to describe a group.

mieux “mieux” means “better” in “Les films plus courts sont mieux”. It evaluates the shorter films as a better choice in the situation of starting late. A useful pattern is être mieux quand + a situation.

quand “quand” means “when” and introduces the time situation “quand on commence tard”. It connects the preference for shorter films with starting late. Reuse quand + a clause to state when something happens or applies.

commence “commence” means “starts” or “begins” in “quand on commence tard”. It is the form of commencer used with on. A reusable pattern is commencer + a time expression, such as describing when an activity starts.

tard “tard” means “late” in “on commence tard”, describing the time at which the friends start the movie. Reuse tard after a verb when saying that an action happens late.

La “La” means “the” before the feminine singular noun “bande-annonce” in “La bande-annonce”. It identifies the particular trailer being discussed. Reuse la before a known feminine singular noun.

bande-annonce “bande-annonce” means “trailer”. The component bande contributes the idea of a strip or film reel, and annonce contributes the idea of an announcement; together they form the fixed noun for a film preview. A reusable pattern is regarder la bande-annonce when talking about watching a trailer.

peu “peu” means “a little” in “un peu de suspense”, indicating a small amount of suspense. The full phrase describes the trailer as containing some suspense. Reuse un peu de + noun for a small amount of something.

quand même “quand même” means “still” or “nevertheless” as a fixed expression in “mais le film a quand même l'air drôle”. Quand supplies the first part of the expression and même completes it; together they show that the film looks funny despite the suspense. Reuse mais ... quand même to mark a result that remains true despite a contrast.

l'air In “a l'air drôle”, “l'air” means “appearance” or “looks” within the expression avoir l'air + adjective, meaning “seem” or “look”. The l' is the shortened form of le before a vowel, and air names the appearance being judged. A reusable pattern is avoir l'air + adjective.

drôle “drôle” means “funny” in “le film a quand même l'air drôle”. With avoir l'air, it describes how the film appears from the trailer. Reuse avoir l'air + adjective to describe an impression.

Alors “Alors” means “then” or “so” and introduces the conclusion that this movie suits them better. In “Alors, il nous convient mieux...”, it links the conclusion to the preceding observations. Reuse Alors at the start of a conclusion or response.

convient “convient” means “suits” or “is a good fit” in “il nous convient mieux”. It is the form of convenir used with the film as subject and nous as the people it suits. A reusable pattern is something convient à someone when it is suitable for that person.

qu'un “qu'un” combines que and un in “mieux qu'un thriller classique”. Here que introduces the comparison and un means “a” before the masculine noun thriller, giving “better than a conventional thriller”. Reuse mieux que + noun when comparing two options.

thriller “thriller” means “thriller” and names the alternative film genre in “un thriller classique”. It is compared with the lighter mystery comedy. A reusable pattern is un thriller when referring to one thriller film.

classique “classique” means “conventional” or “straight” in “un thriller classique”, contrasting with the mixed comedy and mystery choice. It describes the thriller as a standard example of that genre. Reuse noun + classique when describing something as conventional or typical.

Je “Je” means “I” and is the subject of “vais réserver” and “pense”. It identifies the speaker as the person making the booking and giving an opinion. Reuse Je before a verb when speaking about yourself.

vais “vais” is the form of aller used in “Je vais réserver”, expressing a planned future action. Together with the infinitive réserver, it forms the near-future construction “am going to book”. Reuse aller + infinitive for a planned or imminent action.

réserver “réserver” means “book” or “reserve” and is the infinitive after “vais”. Here it refers to booking seats at the cinema. A useful pattern is réserver des places.

places “places” means “seats” in “réserver des places”, because the setting is a cinema. It is the plural object being booked. Reuse réserver des places when booking seats for an event or screening.

au “au” combines à and le. In “au milieu de la salle”, it means “in the middle of” or “at the middle of”. A useful pattern is au milieu de + noun when specifying a central position.

milieu “milieu” means “middle” in the expression “au milieu de la salle”. It specifies where the seats will be located. Reuse au milieu de + noun to describe a position in the center of something.

salle “salle” means “hall” or “room”; here, in “la salle”, it refers to the cinema auditorium. It is the place where the seats are located. A reusable pattern is la salle when referring to a particular hall or auditorium in context.

pense “pense” means “think” in “Je pense que nous aimerons tous les deux celui-là”. It introduces the speaker’s opinion or expectation. It is the form of penser used with je. Reuse Je pense que + a clause to state what you think.

aimerons “aimerons” means “will like” or “will enjoy” in “nous aimerons tous les deux celui-là”. It is the form of aimer used with nous to express the expected future reaction to the film. A useful pattern is aimer + an object when saying that someone will like something.

celui-là “celui-là” means “that one” and refers to the selected film. The component celui means “the one” for a masculine noun, while là points to the particular option; together they select that item. Reuse celui-là when choosing one specific option from several.

Grammar Points

avoir envie de + infinitif

J’ai envie de voir ce thriller.

zhay ahn-VEE duh VWAHR suh TREE-LUHR

I feel like watching this thriller.

French uses avoir envie de followed by de and an infinitive to express wanting or feeling like doing something.

celui-là

Celui-là a l’air drôle.

suh-LWEE-LAH ah LAIR DROHL

That one looks funny.

Celui-là is a demonstrative pronoun used alone to refer to a masculine singular person or thing.

French Vocabulary

avoir envie de phrase

ah-VWAHR ahn-VEE duh to feel like; to want to

nous avons tous les deux envie de voir

comédie policière phrase

koh-may-DEE poh-lee-SYAIR mystery comedy

cette comédie policière

critique noun

kree-TEEK review

Les critiques disent

espérer verb

ess-pay-RAY to hope j'espérais

j'espérais quelque chose de plus léger

intense adj

an-TAHNS intense

elle n'est pas trop intense

léger adj

lay-ZHAY light

quelque chose de plus léger

peut-être adv

puh-TETR maybe

On peut peut-être trouver un film

pouvoir verb

poo-VWAHR can; to be able to pourrait

Ça pourrait marcher

thriller noun

TREE-LUHR thriller

un film à suspense

trouver verb

troo-VAY to find

trouver un film

voir verb

VWAHR to see; to watch

envie de voir

vouloir verb

voo-LWAHR to want veux

Tu veux un film à suspense

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to see; to watch

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voir

to want

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veux

to find

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trouver

light

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léger