Preparing for a Stormy Commute | Learn French in English

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Use Preparing for a Stormy Commute to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Il pourrait y avoir une tempête pendant mon trajet.

eel poo-RAY ee ah-VWAR oon tahm-PET pahn-DAHN mohn trah-ZHAY A storm may hit during my commute.

Si tu dois te déplacer, pars plus tôt et reste flexible sur ton itinéraire.

see too DWAH tuh day-plah-SAY, par ploo TOH ay rest flek-SEEBL soor tohn ee-tee-nay-RER If you have to travel, leave earlier and keep your route flexible.

Je dois aller au bureau.

zhuh DWAH ah-LAY oh byoo-ROH I need to go to the office.

Mais je peux rentrer avant que la tempête devienne plus forte.

meh zhuh puh rahn-TRAY ah-VAHN kuh lah tahm-PET duh-VYEN ploo FORT But I can come back before it gets stronger.

Porte des chaussures imperméables et évite les rues qui sont souvent inondées.

port day shoh-SYUR an-pair-may-AHBL ay ay-VEET lay RYOO kee sohn soo-VAHN ee-nohn-DAY Wear waterproof shoes and avoid any streets that usually flood.

Le passage souterrain près de la gare est souvent inondé quand il pleut beaucoup.

luh pah-SAHZH soo-tair-RAN pray duh lah GAR ay soo-VAHN ee-nohn-DAY kahn eel PLUH boh-KOO The underpass near the station often floods in heavy rain.

Prends plutôt la route principale, même si elle prend un peu plus de temps.

prahn ploo-TOH lah ROOT prahn-see-PAHL, mem see el prahn uhn puh ploo duh TAHN Take the main road instead, even if it adds a little time.

Est-ce qu'une housse imperméable aiderait à protéger mon ordinateur portable ?

ess kuh OON oos an-pair-may-AHBL ay-duh-RAY ah proh-tay-ZHAY mohn or-dee-nah-TUR por-TAHBL Would a waterproof sleeve help protect my laptop?

Utilise-en une, parce que les retards sont frustrants, mais qu'un équipement endommagé serait pire.

oo-tee-LEEZ ahn OON, parss kuh lay ruh-TAR sohn froos-TRAHN, meh kuhn ay-KEEP-MAHN ahn-doh-mah-ZHAY suh-RAY PEER Use one, because delays are frustrating, but damaged equipment is worse.

Avant de partir, je m'assurerai que la batterie de mon téléphone est complètement chargée.

ah-VAHN duh par-TEER, zhuh mah-syur-RAY kuh lah bah-tuh-REE duh mohn tay-lay-FON ay kom-playt-MAHN shar-ZHAY Before I leave, I will make sure my phone battery is full.

Ensuite, tu pourras consulter les mises à jour si l'itinéraire change.

ahn-SWEET too poo-RAH kohn-sool-TAY lay MEEZ ah ZHOOR see lee-tee-nay-RER SHAHNZH Then you can check updates if the route changes.

Word by Word

Il Here Il is the impersonal subject used to say that there may be a storm; it does not refer to a person. The common pattern is Il y a for saying that something exists.

pourrait Here pourrait expresses possibility: a storm might occur during the commute. It is the conditional form of pouvoir used with an infinitive, as in pourrait + infinitive.

y Here y means there inside the expression y avoir, which helps form the meaning “there may be.” It is used with avoir in the common pattern il y a or il pourrait y avoir.

avoir Here avoir is the infinitive used after pourrait in the expression meaning “there may be a storm.” In this pattern, il pourrait y avoir is followed by the thing that may exist or occur.

une Here une means a and introduces the feminine noun tempête. It agrees with the feminine form of that noun; the reusable pattern is une + feminine noun.

tempête Here tempête means storm, the weather event that might occur during the commute. A common pattern is une tempête when referring to one storm.

pendant Here pendant means during and places the commute within the time of the possible storm. It commonly comes before a noun phrase naming a period or event, as in pendant mon trajet.

mon Here mon means my before the masculine singular noun trajet. A common reuse pattern is mon + masculine singular noun for possession.

trajet Here trajet means journey or commute, specifically the speaker’s trip during which the storm may occur. It is commonly used with a possessive such as mon trajet.

Si Here Si introduces the condition “if you have to travel.” It commonly begins a conditional clause that is followed by the situation or action depending on that condition.

tu Here tu means you for one person addressed informally. It is used as the subject with informal singular forms such as dois, pars, and reste.

dois Here dois means have to or must in the statement that the person has to travel. It is a form of devoir used before an infinitive, as in tu dois te déplacer.

te Here te refers back to the informal you inside te déplacer, giving the idea of moving or traveling oneself. It is placed before the infinitive in this reflexive construction.

déplacer Here déplacer means move or travel around as part of te déplacer. With a reflexive pronoun, the construction te déplacer refers to moving yourself from one place to another.

pars Here pars tells one informal person to leave earlier. It is the imperative form related to partir; a reusable command pattern is pars + time expression.

plus Here plus contributes the comparison in plus tôt, meaning earlier than the expected or usual time. It commonly comes before an adjective or adverb when expressing more or a higher degree.

tôt Here tôt means early, and plus tôt means earlier. The reusable pattern is partir or arriver plus tôt when recommending an earlier departure or arrival.

et Here et links two instructions: leaving earlier and remaining flexible. It commonly joins actions or clauses that belong to the same advice.

reste Here reste tells one informal person to remain flexible about the route. It is the imperative form related to rester and is followed here by the adjective flexible.

flexible Here flexible describes the recommended attitude toward the itinerary: able to change it when necessary. It commonly follows rester in the pattern rester flexible.

sur Here sur means about or regarding in reste flexible sur ton itinéraire. In this use it introduces the topic or area about which flexibility is needed.

ton Here ton means your before the masculine singular noun itinéraire. A common reuse pattern is ton + masculine singular noun when speaking informally to one person.

itinéraire Here itinéraire means route or itinerary, the planned route for the commute. It commonly appears with a possessive, as in ton itinéraire, when discussing someone’s route.

Je Here Je means I and is the subject of the speaker’s statement about needing to go to the office. It is commonly placed before the conjugated verb in a simple statement.

aller Here aller means to go after dois in je dois aller au bureau. The reusable pattern is devoir + aller + destination to express having to go somewhere.

au Here au means to the before bureau; it combines à and le. It is commonly used before a masculine singular destination, as in aller au bureau.

bureau Here bureau means office, the speaker’s destination. The common expression aller au bureau means to go to the office.

Mais Here Mais means but and introduces a qualification to the need to go to the office. It commonly links two statements where the second limits or contrasts with the first.

peux Here peux means can or am able to in the statement that the speaker can return. It is a form of pouvoir followed by the infinitive rentrer.

rentrer Here rentrer means return or come back, specifically return before the storm becomes stronger. It commonly follows a form of pouvoir, as in je peux rentrer.

avant Here avant means before and introduces the time condition for returning. In this sentence it is used in the pattern avant que + clause.

que Here que introduces the clause describing what must happen before the return: the storm becoming stronger. After avant, the pattern avant que + subject + verb expresses “before … happens.”

la Here la means the before the feminine noun tempête. It identifies the particular storm already being discussed and agrees with its feminine gender.

devienne Here devienne means becomes in the clause after avant que, describing the storm becoming stronger. It is a form of devenir used in the construction avant que la tempête devienne ….

forte Here forte means stronger or strong as the feminine adjective describing la tempête. Its feminine form agrees with the feminine noun tempête.

Porte Here Porte tells one informal person to wear or put on waterproof shoes. It is the imperative form related to porter and is followed by the item to wear.

des Here des introduces plural shoes and means some or simply plural indefinite “shoes” in this instruction. It commonly comes before a plural noun when the exact number is not specified.

chaussures Here chaussures means shoes, the item recommended for wet conditions. It is used after Porte in the practical pattern porter des chaussures.

imperméables Here imperméables means waterproof and describes the plural noun chaussures. Its plural form agrees with that noun; it can be reused after a plural noun to describe protection from water.

évite Here évite tells one informal person to avoid certain streets. It is the imperative form related to éviter and is followed by the thing or place to avoid.

les Here les means the before the plural noun rues. It refers to the streets that are relevant to the route, rather than introducing unspecified streets.

rues Here rues means streets, specifically streets that are often flooded. It commonly appears after éviter when giving route advice, as in éviter les rues ….

qui Here qui means that or which and introduces the description of the streets. It is the subject of sont in the relative clause qui sont souvent inondées.

sont Here sont means are and links the streets to their condition of being flooded. It is used with the plural subject rues in the pattern rues qui sont ….

souvent Here souvent means often and says that the streets are flooded repeatedly or regularly. It commonly comes near the verb when describing how frequently something happens.

inondées Here inondées means flooded and describes the plural feminine noun rues. Its feminine plural form agrees with rues; the pattern être inondé means to be flooded.

Le Here Le means the before the masculine singular noun passage. It identifies the particular underpass near the station.

passage Here passage means passage and, with souterrain, refers to the underpass near the station. The expression passage souterrain names an underground passage used for crossing.

souterrain Here souterrain means underground and describes passage. Its masculine singular form agrees with passage in passage souterrain.

près Here près means near as part of the expression près de la gare. The reusable pattern près de + place or person expresses physical proximity.

de Here de completes the prepositional expression près de and introduces the place located nearby. Together, près de la gare means near the station.

gare Here gare means station, specifically the station near the underpass. It commonly follows près de when locating something near a station.

est Here est means is and links the underpass to its flooded condition. It is used with the singular subject passage in the pattern le passage est ….

inondé Here inondé means flooded and describes the masculine singular noun passage. Its masculine singular form agrees with passage in le passage souterrain est inondé.

quand Here quand means when and introduces the weather condition associated with the flooding. It commonly introduces a clause describing the time or condition under which something happens.

pleut Here pleut means rains in the impersonal expression describing heavy rain. It is commonly used with an impersonal subject in French when talking about rain.

beaucoup Here beaucoup means a lot and, after pleut, gives the practical meaning “rains heavily” or “rains a lot.” It commonly follows a verb to express a large amount or degree.

Prends Here Prends tells one informal person to take the main road. It is the imperative form related to prendre and is followed by the route or object to choose.

plutôt Here plutôt means instead or rather and recommends the main road as the alternative route. It commonly appears with a suggestion when choosing one option over another.

route Here route means road, the route recommended instead of the underpass. It appears in the expression la route principale for the main road.

principale Here principale means main and describes the feminine noun route. Its feminine singular form agrees with route in la route principale.

même Here même contributes the meaning even in même si, which introduces a condition that does not change the recommendation. The reusable expression même si means even if or even though.

elle Here elle means it and refers back to the feminine noun route. It is the subject of prend in the clause explaining that the main road takes more time.

prend Here prend means takes, as in the road taking a little more time. It is a form of prendre with the singular subject elle; the pattern une route prend + amount de temps describes travel time.

un Here un means a or one before the masculine noun peu. In un peu, it forms a small quantity expression rather than identifying a specific object.

peu Here peu means a little in un peu plus de temps. The expression un peu + comparative softens the amount of difference, indicating only a small increase.

temps Here temps means time in the expression prendre un peu plus de temps. It is used with prendre to describe how much time a route requires.

Est-ce Here Est-ce begins a yes-or-no question in Est-ce qu'une housse … aiderait …? The fixed question marker Est-ce que is placed before the subject and verb.

qu'une Here qu'une introduces the feminine subject housse after the question marker; it is the elided form of que + une before a vowel sound. Together with Est-ce, Est-ce qu'une … forms a yes-or-no question.

housse Here housse means a sleeve or protective cover for the laptop. It commonly combines with an object, as in une housse imperméable pour un ordinateur.

imperméable Here imperméable means waterproof and describes the singular feminine noun housse. The same adjective can describe a protective item designed to keep water out.

aiderait Here aiderait means would help in a polite question about whether the sleeve would protect the laptop. It is the conditional form of aider and is followed here by à + infinitive.

à Here à links aiderait to the infinitive protéger in the construction aider à protéger. The reusable pattern is aider à + infinitive, meaning help to do something.

protéger Here protéger means to protect, specifically to protect the laptop from the storm. It follows aider à in the reusable construction aider à protéger + object.

ordinateur Here ordinateur means computer as the object being protected. Together with portable, ordinateur portable means laptop.

portable Here portable describes ordinateur and gives the specific meaning laptop. The reusable expression is ordinateur portable for a portable computer.

Utilise-en Here Utilise-en une means use one, referring to a waterproof sleeve. Utilise is an informal command related to utiliser, and en helps refer back to an item while une states that one item should be used.

parce que Here parce que introduces the reason for using the sleeve: delays are frustrating, while damaged equipment would be worse. Parce and que work together as the fixed conjunction parce que, meaning because, and it introduces a full reason clause.

retards Here retards means delays, such as delays caused by difficult travel conditions. It commonly appears with être to describe how delays are evaluated, as in les retards sont ….

frustrants Here frustrants means frustrating and describes the plural masculine noun retards. Its plural masculine form agrees with retards.

qu'un Here qu'un introduces the second clause after mais and means that an, with que shortened before un. It links the comparison about damaged equipment to the reason already introduced by parce que.

équipement Here équipement means equipment, referring to the work equipment that could be damaged. It commonly appears with an adjective describing its condition, as in équipement endommagé.

endommagé Here endommagé means damaged and describes the masculine singular noun équipement. Its masculine singular form agrees with équipement.

serait Here serait means would be and presents damaged equipment as a hypothetical worse result. It is the conditional form of être and is followed by the adjective pire.

pire Here pire means worse, comparing damaged equipment with frustrating delays. It commonly follows être in a comparison of two negative outcomes.

partir Here partir means to leave in avant de partir, meaning before leaving. The reusable construction avant de + infinitive expresses that one action happens before another.

m'assurerai Here m'assurerai means I will make sure and expresses the speaker’s future check of the phone battery. It is built from the reflexive verb s'assurer, with me shortened to m' before the vowel and a future form for the speaker.

batterie Here batterie means battery, specifically the phone’s battery. It commonly appears with a possessive or de phrase, as in la batterie de mon téléphone.

téléphone Here téléphone means phone in the phrase la batterie de mon téléphone. It is commonly used after de to identify what device a battery belongs to.

complètement Here complètement means completely and indicates the degree to which the battery is charged. It commonly comes before an adjective or participle to express a total degree.

chargée Here chargée means charged and describes the feminine noun batterie. Its feminine singular form agrees with batterie in la batterie … est complètement chargée.

Ensuite Here Ensuite means then or afterward and marks the next step after checking the battery. It commonly appears at the beginning of a sentence to sequence actions.

pourras Here pourras means will be able to and refers to the listener’s future ability to check updates. It is a future form of pouvoir followed by the infinitive consulter.

consulter Here consulter means check or consult, specifically check the updates. It follows pourras in the reusable pattern pouvoir + consulter + information.

mises à jour Here mises à jour is the whole expression for updates. Mises is the feminine plural form related to mise, à links the expression to jour, and jour means day; together, these components form the established expression for information brought up to date.

change Here change means changes, referring to the route changing. It is a form of changer with the singular subject itinéraire and commonly follows si when describing a possible change.

Grammar Points

devoir + infinitif

Je dois partir plus tôt.

zhuh DWAH par-TEER ploo TOH

I have to leave earlier.

After dois, use the infinitive to express obligation. The subject je changes devoir to dois.

accord de l’adjectif au féminin pluriel

des chaussures imperméables

day shoh-SYUR an-pair-may-AHBL

waterproof shoes

The adjective agrees with the noun: chaussures is feminine plural, so imperméable becomes imperméables.

French Vocabulary

bureau noun

byoo-ROH office

devoir verb

duh-VWAR to have to; must dois

flexible adj

flek-SEEBL flexible

fort adj

FORT strong forte

imperméable adj

an-pair-may-AHBL waterproof imperméables

itinéraire noun

ee-tee-nay-RER route; itinerary

partir verb

par-TEER to leave pars

plus tôt adv

ploo TOH earlier

rentrer verb

rahn-TRAY to come back; to return home

se déplacer verb

suh day-plah-SAY to travel; to get around te déplacer

tempête noun

tahm-PET storm

trajet noun

trah-ZHAY journey; commute

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I need to go to the office.

Show Answer

Je dois aller au bureau.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

flexible

Show Answer

flexible

to leave

Show Answer

pars

route; itinerary

Show Answer

itinéraire

journey; commute

Show Answer

trajet