Getting Back to Work After a Long Pause | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Après le déjeuner, je me sens complètement déconnecté de la tâche.

   After lunch, I feel completely disconnected from the task.

   Après

   after

   déjeuner

   lunch; meal

   je me sens

   I feel

   complètement

   completely

   déconnecté de

   disconnected from

   tâche

   task

   More detail

   Après introduces a time period that comes before the main situation. Here it is followed by the noun phrase le déjeuner: “after lunch.” The same pattern is reusable with another time expression, for example après le travail — “after work.” déjeuner is a noun meaning “lunch” here. With the masculine singular definite article le, le déjeuner means “lunch”; un déjeuner means “a lunch” or “a lunch meal,” without the article itself asserting a particular number. French also uses déjeuner as a verb meaning “to have lunch,” but that is a different use from the noun in this sentence. je me sens comes from the pronominal verb se sentir, “to feel.” The observed form is first-person singular present: je me sens, literally expressing the speaker’s current feeling. The pronoun me belongs to the verb construction and corresponds to je; it is not the object of the following noun phrase. Compare tu te sens — “you feel” — and elle se sent — “she feels.” Example: Je me sens mieux. — “I feel better.” complètement is an adverb meaning “completely.” It intensifies the following description, so the feeling is presented as total rather than partial. It is related to the adjective complet / complète, but complètement itself does not agree with a noun. déconnecté de describes being disconnected from something. déconnecté is the masculine singular form of the adjective or past participle déconnecté; the feminine singular form is déconnectée, and the plural forms are déconnectés and déconnectées. The form in the fixed sentence is masculine singular, but the sentence alone does not establish the speaker’s gender. The preposition de links the description to what the person is disconnected from. Example: Elle se sent déconnectée du projet. — “She feels disconnected from the project.” Here du is the contraction of de and le. tâche is a feminine noun meaning “task.” In de la tâche, de combines with the feminine singular definite article la; this means “from the task” in the fixed expression. The adjective déconnecté describes the speaker, not tâche, so the noun’s feminine gender does not determine the observed masculine form déconnecté. Together, Après le déjeuner sets the time, je me sens says that the speaker has a present feeling, and complètement déconnecté de la tâche describes that feeling as being completely disconnected from the task. The whole utterance therefore means: “After lunch, I feel completely disconnected from the task.”

2. Commence par une petite révision au lieu de te lancer dans la partie la plus difficile.

   Start with a small review instead of jumping into the hardest part.

   Commence par

   Start with

   petite

   small

   révision

   review

   au lieu de

   instead of

   te lancer

   jumping into it

   partie

   part

   plus difficile

   more difficult

   More detail

   Commence par uses the imperative of commencer (“to start”) addressed to one person informally. Commence is the 2nd-person singular imperative; the subject pronoun is normally omitted in this form. par introduces what you begin with: Commence par lire. — “Start by reading.” petite means “small” here and agrees with the feminine singular noun révision. The masculine singular form is petit, while the feminine form is petite: une petite pause — “a short break.” The adjective describes révision, not the person being addressed. révision is a feminine noun meaning “review” or “revision.” In this sentence it refers to a small review activity, not to correcting a text specifically. faire une révision can mean “do a review”; réviser is the related verb meaning “to review/study.” au lieu de is a reusable construction meaning “instead of.” It is followed here by an infinitive phrase. With a noun, it can also mean “instead of” directly: au lieu du train — “instead of the train.” te lancer is the informal singular form of the reflexive infinitive se lancer, literally “to launch oneself,” and here “to jump into” or “to embark on.” The form te matches the person addressed, and lancer remains an infinitive after au lieu de: Tu peux te lancer. — “You can get started.” partie is a feminine noun meaning “part” or “section.” The article la identifies a specific part in this sentence. For example, la première partie means “the first part.” plus difficile means “more difficult” in general comparisons, but in la plus difficile, the definite article makes it a superlative: “the most difficult.” The adjective is difficile; its comparative is plus difficile, and its superlative is le/la plus difficile, with la agreeing with feminine singular partie. Cette étape est plus difficile. — “This step is more difficult.” Together, Commence par une petite révision means “Start with a small review.” au lieu de te lancer dans contrasts that action with immediately entering an activity. la partie la plus difficile means “the hardest part,” so the whole utterance is: “Start with a small review instead of jumping into the hardest part.”

3. J'ai perdu mon élan parce que nous nous sommes arrêtés au milieu de l'analyse.

   I lost momentum because we paused in the middle of the analysis.

   perdu

   lost

   élan

   momentum

   parce que

   because

   arrêtés

   stopped

   au milieu de

   in the middle of

   analyse

   analysis

   More detail

   perdu is the past participle of perdre (“to lose”). Here it appears in J’ai perdu, the passé composé: avoir carries the present-tense subject/auxiliary information, while perdu names the completed loss. The useful pattern is perdre son élan = “to lose one’s momentum.” Example: Elle a perdu son élan. — “She lost her momentum.” élan is a masculine singular noun meaning “momentum” here: the continuing drive that helps an activity move forward. Its plural is élans, although that form is not used in the sentence. In mon élan, mon agrees with the masculine singular noun élan; it does not identify the speaker’s gender. parce que introduces the reason for the main clause and normally means “because.” It connects the loss of momentum with the event that explains it. Example: Je reste ici parce que je travaille. — “I am staying here because I am working.” arrêtés is the masculine plural or mixed-gender plural past participle of arrêter (“to stop”) in the reflexive construction nous nous sommes arrêtés. The first nous is the first-person plural subject; the second is the reflexive pronoun. With a feminine plural group, the participle would be arrêtées: Nous nous sommes arrêtées. — “We stopped.” In this fixed sentence, the translation specifies the intended sense as “paused.” au milieu de is a reusable prepositional construction meaning “in the middle of.” The article combination de + le contracts to du; before a vowel-initial noun, the definite article is elided, so de l’analyse is used here. Example: Il s’est arrêté au milieu du film. — “He stopped in the middle of the film.” analyse is the feminine singular noun “analysis.” The phrase de l’analyse means “of the analysis,” with l’ being the elided form of the definite article before the vowel sound. The noun’s plural is analyses. Together, J’ai perdu mon élan states that the speaker lost their momentum. parce que nous nous sommes arrêtés au milieu de l’analyse gives the reason: the group paused in the middle of the analysis. The complete utterance therefore means, “I lost momentum because we paused in the middle of the analysis.”

4. Regarde la dernière note et choisis la prochaine priorité.

   Look at the last note and pick the next priority.

   Regarde

   look

   dernière

   last

   note

   note

   choisis

   choose

   prochaine

   next

   priorité

   priority

   More detail

   Regarde means “look” here as a direct command to one person. It is the second-person singular imperative of regarder (“to look”). The imperative normally omits the subject pronoun: Regarde la note. = “Look at the note.” dernière means “last” here, in the sense of the final or most recent item in an ordered series. It is the feminine singular form of dernier, agreeing with the feminine noun note. Compare le dernier fichier (“the last file”) and la dernière note (“the last note”); the adjective changes because the noun’s gender and number change. note means “note” here. It is a feminine noun: une note, la note. In another context, note can also mean a grade or mark, so the surrounding meaning determines which sense is intended. Example: J’écris une note. — “I am writing a note.” choisis means “choose” here as a command to one person. It is the second-person singular imperative of choisir. The same written form also occurs with je in the present tense: je choisis (“I choose”), but here the command reading is established by its position after the first command and by the fixed translation. Example: Choisis une option. — “Choose an option.” prochaine means “next” here, referring to the item that follows in an order or sequence. It is the feminine singular form of prochain, agreeing with the feminine noun priorité. Compare le prochain rendez-vous (“the next appointment”) and la prochaine étape (“the next step”). priorité means “priority.” It is a feminine noun: une priorité, la priorité. Its accent is part of the spelling. Example: Cette tâche est une priorité. — “This task is a priority.” Together, Regarde la dernière note means “Look at the last note,” and choisis la prochaine priorité means “choose the next priority.” The two imperative clauses are joined by et (“and”), so the complete utterance is: “Look at the last note and pick the next priority.”

5. L'étape suivante consiste à vérifier si les chiffres correspondent au fichier source.

   The next step is checking whether the numbers match the source file.

   étape

   step

   suivante

   next

   consiste à

   consists of / involves

   vérifier

   to check

   si

   whether

   chiffres

   numbers

   correspondent

   match

   fichier

   file

   source

   source

   More detail

   étape means “step” here. It is a feminine singular noun: une étape; its plural is des étapes. suivante means “next” here. It is the feminine singular form of suivant, agreeing with étape: l'étape suivante means “the next step.” With a masculine noun, use suivant, as in le point suivant (“the next point”). consiste à is a reusable construction meaning that something involves doing an activity. The base verb is consister, followed here by à plus an infinitive: La tâche consiste à lire le rapport. — “The task consists of reading the report.” vérifier is the infinitive “to check” or “to verify.” Here it names the activity that the step involves. For example, Il faut vérifier le résultat. means “The result must be checked.” si introduces an indirect yes-or-no question here, so it means “whether.” For example, Je vais vérifier si le fichier est complet. means “I’m going to check whether the file is complete.” chiffres means “numbers” here and is the plural of chiffre; the singular is un chiffre. Depending on context, chiffre can refer to a digit or a reported figure. Nombre can refer to a mathematical number or quantity, but it is not interchangeable with chiffre in every context. correspondent means “match” here. It is the third-person plural present form of correspondre, because the subject les chiffres is plural: ils/elles correspondent. Les informations correspondent. means “The information matches.” fichier means “file.” It is a masculine noun: un fichier; its plural is des fichiers. In le fichier source, it is the noun being specified. source means “source” here and identifies the file as the original or source file. It follows fichier in le fichier source. In plural technical usage, fichiers sources is common; some technical contexts also use the compact form fichiers source, so this phrase alone should not be used to teach a general agreement rule. Together, L'étape suivante means “the next step.” consiste à vérifier states what that step involves, and si les chiffres correspondent au fichier source specifies what is being checked: whether the numbers match the source file. The complete utterance means: “The next step is checking whether the numbers match the source file.”

6. Cela te donne un point clair pour reprendre.

   That gives you a clear point to resume from.

   Cela

   that

   donne

   gives

   point

   point

   clair

   clear

   reprendre

   resume; take up again

   More detail

   Cela is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. The fixed translation supports this intended meaning, but it does not identify a more specific noun as its referent. Unlike a demonstrative adjective, it stands on its own: Cela est utile means “That is useful.” donne is the present-tense, third-person singular form of donner, “to give.” The pattern cela donne quelque chose à quelqu’un means “that gives something to someone”; here, te is the unstressed pronoun meaning “to you,” so te donne is “gives you.” Example: Ce résultat te donne une idée. — “This result gives you an idea.” point is a masculine singular noun. In this context, it means a point or place in a process from which one can continue, not necessarily a physical location. Its plural is points. Example: Nous avons un bon point de départ. — “We have a good starting point.” clair is an adjective meaning “clear.” It is masculine singular here because it describes the masculine singular noun point: un point clair. Its feminine singular form is claire, as in une idée claire; the plural forms are clairs and claires. reprendre is the infinitive “to resume” or “to take up again.” It is used after pour in pour reprendre, giving the purpose or use of the clear point: it is a point from which the person can resume. The infinitive does not itself show the subject; the surrounding sentence and fixed translation support the intended “you.” Example: Je reviens demain pour reprendre le travail. — “I’ll come back tomorrow to resume the work.” Together, Cela te donne means “That gives you,” un point clair means “a clear point,” and pour reprendre means “to resume from.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That gives you a clear point to resume from.”

7. Je dois aussi fermer les applications de messagerie parce que je me laisse toujours distraire.

   I also need to close chat apps because I keep getting distracted.

   Je dois

   I need to

   aussi

   also

   fermer

   close

   les applications

   the applications

   de messagerie

   for messaging

   parce que

   because

   je me laisse … distraire

   I let myself get distracted

   toujours

   always

   More detail

   Je dois uses the present form dois of devoir with je and an infinitive that follows. Here it expresses a need or obligation, not owing something financially. The useful pattern is je dois + infinitive: Je dois partir. — “I need to leave.” aussi means “also” and adds this action to another relevant action. Its position here is before the infinitive phrase: Je dois aussi répondre. — “I also need to reply.” fermer is an infinitive meaning “to close.” After dois, it stays in the infinitive rather than carrying the person marking: Nous devons fermer la porte. — “We need to close the door.” les applications means “the applications” in this sentence. applications is the plural of the feminine noun application; the plural article is les. The noun names the apps themselves, while the following phrase specifies their type. de messagerie specifies that these are messaging applications: application de messagerie means “messaging app.” The preposition de links the type or function to the noun; it does not independently mean that the applications are physically “from” messaging. parce que introduces the reason for the preceding action and normally corresponds to “because.” It is a causal connector: Je ferme la fenêtre parce qu’il fait froid. — “I close the window because it is cold.” je me laisse contains je, the subject “I,” and me laisse, the first-person singular present form of the reflexive construction se laisser. With an infinitive, se laisser + infinitive means “to allow oneself to be [verb]-ed” or “to let oneself [verb].” me is the first-person singular reflexive pronoun that corresponds to je; it is not a separate ordinary object pronoun belonging to distraire. For example, Je me laisse guider. — “I let myself be guided.” toujours means “always” and modifies the situation here. In the source it comes after je me laisse and before distraire, so the sequence is je me laisse toujours distraire. distraire is the infinitive “to distract.” In se laisser distraire, it describes allowing one's attention to be diverted. The related adjective distrait means “distracted,” but it is not the form used here: Je suis distrait. — “I am distracted.” Together, Je dois aussi fermer les applications de messagerie means “I also need to close the messaging apps.” parce que je me laisse toujours distraire gives the reason: “because I keep allowing myself to get distracted.” The complete utterance therefore means, “I also need to close chat apps because I keep getting distracted.”

8. Garde-les fermées pendant que tu travailles sans distraction, puis consulte tes messages.

   Keep them closed while you work without distractions, then check your messages.

   Garde-les

   keep them

   fermées

   closed

   pendant que

   while

   travailles

   work

   distraction

   distraction

   consulte

   check

   messages

   messages

   More detail

   Garde-les means “keep them.” Garde is the affirmative imperative of garder for tu, used to give the instruction. In an affirmative French imperative, an object pronoun follows the verb and is joined with a hyphen: Garde-les. Here les is a plural direct-object pronoun; the preceding context supports applications as the things referred to. fermées means “closed.” It is the feminine plural form of the past participle of fermer, used here adjectivally after garde-les. It agrees with the plural feminine referent of les, the applications. This agreement is carried by fermées, not by garde. pendant que introduces an action happening at the same time as another action: “while.” It is followed here by tu travailles, so the reusable pattern is pendant que + subject + verb. travailles is the present-tense tu form of travailler, “to work.” The subject tu is written explicitly, and the ending marks second-person singular in this form. Example: Je lis pendant que tu travailles. — “I read while you work.” consulte means “check” here. It is the affirmative tu imperative of consulter, “to consult” or “check.” For an -er verb, the affirmative imperative commonly has the same form as the present il/elle form: consulte; compare the ordinary present form tu consultes. messages is the plural of message, “message.” With tes, it means “your messages”; tes is not included in the selected phrase, but it identifies the messages as belonging to the person addressed. The plural ending -s is written here, though French pronunciation does not normally pronounce it. The full sequence is Garde-les fermées (“keep them closed”), followed by pendant que tu travailles sans distraction (“while you work without distraction”), and then puis consulte tes messages (“then check your messages”). Puis marks the later action, so the utterance gives a two-stage instruction: maintain the applications in a closed state during focused work, and check the messages afterward.

9. Ça me paraît gérable. Je peux retrouver ma concentration petit à petit.

   That feels manageable. I can rebuild focus gradually.

   Ça me paraît

   it seems to me

   gérable

   manageable

   Je peux

   I can

   retrouver

   regain

   concentration

   focus

   petit à petit

   gradually

   More detail

   Ça me paraît presents something as seeming a certain way to the speaker. Ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” or “it”; here, the fixed translation supports a reference to the situation without identifying a more specific noun. me marks the person to whom it seems: the speaker. The verb form paraît comes from paraître and is the present-tense third-person singular form. A reusable pattern is Ça me paraît + adjective: “That seems + adjective to me.” Example: Ça me paraît utile. — “That seems useful to me.” gérable describes the situation as manageable. It is an adjective related to the verb gérer (“to manage”), and it agrees with the thing described. In this form, singular masculine and singular feminine are both gérable; the plural is gérables. Example: La tâche est gérable. — “The task is manageable.” Je peux means that the speaker is able to do something. peux is the first-person singular present form of pouvoir; the infinitive pattern is Je peux + infinitive, as in Je peux commencer. — “I can start.” The following infinitive supplies the action that is possible. retrouver is the infinitive after peux. Its meaning here is “regain” or “recover,” not simply “find”: the speaker can get a previous ability or state back. Retrouver can also mean “find again” with a concrete object, as in Je peux retrouver mes clés. — “I can find my keys again.” concentration is the noun meaning “focus” or “concentration.” In this sentence it appears with the possessive ma, forming ma concentration; concentration is feminine in French. The possessive form agrees with the possessed noun’s grammatical gender and number, while ma also indicates that the possessed thing belongs to or is associated with the speaker. Example: J’ai besoin de concentration. — “I need focus.” petit à petit is a fixed adverbial expression meaning “gradually” or “little by little.” It describes a gradual process rather than a single immediate change. Example: La confiance revient petit à petit. — “Confidence comes back gradually.” Together, Ça me paraît gérable says that the situation seems manageable to the speaker. Je peux retrouver ma concentration says that the speaker can regain their focus, and petit à petit specifies that this recovery will happen gradually. The complete meaning is: “That feels manageable. I can rebuild focus gradually.”

10. Commence par là, et le reste devrait te sembler moins lourd.

    Start there, and the rest should feel less heavy.

    Commence

    start

    par là

    there

    le reste

    the rest

    devrait

    should

    sembler

    seem; feel

    moins lourd

    less heavy

    More detail

    Commence is the second-person singular imperative of commencer (“to start”). In this form, the final -er infinitive ending is replaced by -e, and there is no written s: Commence ! means “Start!” The construction commencer par + ... means “to start with/by ...”. par là combines par (“by/with”) with là (“there”). Here it points to a place, step, or starting point understood from the situation. Together with Commence, it gives “start there” rather than simply “start.” le reste means “the rest” or “what remains.” reste is a masculine singular noun here, so the article is le. The noun phrase is the subject of the following clause; it does not itself identify exactly what makes up “the rest.” devrait is the third-person singular present conditional of devoir. The base form is devoir; useful forms include doit (“must/has to” in the present) and devrait (“should/would be expected to”). With le reste as its subject, devrait expresses an expectation or gentle prediction, not a firm command. It is followed by the infinitive sembler. sembler means “to seem” or “to appear.” In sembler à quelqu’un, the person who has the impression can be expressed by an indirect pronoun: te sembler means “seem to you.” The te in the sentence refers to the person being addressed; it does not control the form of devrait. moins lourd means “less heavy.” moins marks a lower degree, while lourd is the adjective being compared. lourd is masculine singular here because it describes le reste, which is masculine singular. A useful comparison is lourd (“heavy”) → plus lourd (“heavier”) and moins lourd (“less heavy”); the adjective’s form changes for the noun it describes, not for the person experiencing the impression. The sentence first gives the instruction Commence par là (“Start there”). It then says that le reste devrait sembler moins lourd: the remaining part is expected to feel less burdensome to the addressee. Thus the whole utterance is: “Start there, and the rest should feel less heavy.”