Exercise Safely on a Day with Poor Air Quality | Learn French in English

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Use Exercise Safely on a Day with Poor Air Quality to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

L’air semble lourd aujourd’hui et la qualité de l’air pourrait être mauvaise.

LAIR sahmbl LOOR oh-zhoor-DWEE ay lah kah-lee-TAY duh LAIR poo-RAY etr moh-VEZ. The air feels heavy today, and air quality may be poor.

Dans ce cas, faire de l’exercice dehors n’est peut-être pas une bonne idée.

Dahn suh kah, fair duh leg-ZAIR-seess duh-OR nay puh-TETR pah zewn bon ee-DAY. Outdoor exercise might not be a good idea, then.

Je comptais courir dans le parc.

zhuh kohn-TAY koo-REER dahn luh PARK. I was planning to run in the park.

Si la pollution vous gêne, choisissez plutôt un entraînement en intérieur.

See lah poh-loo-SYOHN voo ZHEN, shwah-zee-SAY ploo-TOH uhn ahn-tren-uh-MAHN ahn an-tair-ee-UR. If pollution bothers you, choose an indoor workout instead.

Je pourrais aller à la salle de sport, même si c’est moins relaxant que le parc.

zhuh poo-RAY ah-LAY ah lah SAHL duh SPOR, mem see say mwan ruh-lak-SAHN kuh luh PARK. I could use the gym, although it feels less relaxing than the park.

S’entraîner à l’intérieur est plus sain que de respirer un air pollué.

sahn-tray-NAY ah lan-tair-ee-UR ay ploo SAN kuh duh ray-spee-RAY uhn AIR poh-lyoo-AY. Training indoors is healthier than breathing poor air.

Est-ce que je devrais porter un masque si je dois marcher dehors ?

ess kuh zhuh duh-VRAY por-TAY uhn MASK see zhuh DWAH mar-SHAY duh-OR? Should I wear a mask if I need to walk outside?

Un masque peut aider, et les conseils de santé locaux peuvent recommander des précautions supplémentaires.

uhn MASK puh tay-DAY, ay lay kohn-SAY duh sahn-TAY loh-KOH puh RAY-koh-mahn-DAY day pray-koh-SYOHN soo-play-mahn-TAIR. A mask can help, and local health advice may suggest extra precautions.

Reporter la course jusqu’à ce que l’air s’améliore semble plus sûr.

ruh-por-TAY lah KOORS zhoos-KAH suh kuh LAIR sah-may-LYOR sahmbl ploo SOOR. Postponing the run until the air improves seems safer.

Cela évite que l’exercice ne devienne un autre problème de santé.

suh-LAH ay-VEET kuh leg-ZAIR-seess nuh duh-VYENN uhn OH-truh proh-BLEM duh sahn-TAY. That keeps exercise from turning into another health problem.

Word by Word

L’air L’air means “the air” in L’air semble lourd aujourd’hui. The form l’air also appears in la qualité de l’air, where l’ is the shortened form of the article before air. Use it when talking about the air in a particular situation.

semble semble means “seems” or “feels” in L’air semble lourd. It presents the speaker’s impression rather than a definite statement. Use it before an adjective when describing how something appears or feels.

lourd lourd means “heavy” in L’air semble lourd aujourd’hui. Here it describes the uncomfortable feeling of the air, not its physical weight. Use it to describe something that feels heavy or oppressive.

aujourd’hui aujourd’hui means “today” in L’air semble lourd aujourd’hui. It identifies the current day and appears at the end of this statement. Use it when locating an event or condition in the present day.

et et means “and” in aujourd’hui et la qualité de l’air pourrait être mauvaise. It joins two related statements about the air. Use it to connect words, phrases, or clauses that belong together.

la la means “the” before the feminine singular noun qualité in la qualité de l’air. It identifies a specific quality being discussed. Use it before a feminine singular noun.

qualité qualité means “quality” in la qualité de l’air. Here it refers to the condition of the air. Use it with de to describe the quality of something, as in la qualité de l’air.

de de means “of” in la qualité de l’air. The same form appears before respirer in plus sain que de respirer, where it introduces the action used for comparison. Use de to link a noun to what it concerns or to introduce an infinitive action.

pourrait pourrait means “might” or “could” in la qualité de l’air pourrait être mauvaise. It presents poor air quality as possible rather than certain. Use it before an infinitive when expressing a possible situation.

être être means “to be” after pourrait in pourrait être mauvaise. It links the possible situation to the description mauvaise. Use it after a form expressing possibility when describing what something might be.

mauvaise mauvaise means “bad” or “poor” in pourrait être mauvaise. It describes the quality of the air as being poor. Use it as an adjective when describing a feminine singular noun such as qualité.

Dans Dans means “in” in Dans ce cas, where the whole expression means “in this situation” or “then.” It responds to the information given in the previous sentence. Use Dans ce cas when drawing a conclusion from a situation.

ce ce means “this” or “that” before cas in ce cas. It points to the situation just mentioned. Use it before a masculine singular noun in expressions such as Dans ce cas.

cas cas means “case” or “situation” in Dans ce cas. The expression refers to the poor air-quality situation under discussion. Use it when referring to a particular situation or circumstance.

faire faire means “to do” in faire de l’exercice dehors, which means “to exercise outside.” Here it introduces the activity being discussed. Use it in the expression faire de l’exercice when talking about exercising.

l’exercice l’exercice means “the exercise” in faire de l’exercice dehors. The l’ is the shortened form of the article before exercice. Use it with faire in faire de l’exercice to refer to exercise as an activity.

dehors dehors means “outside” in faire de l’exercice dehors and marcher dehors. It identifies the outdoor location of the activity. Use it after an action when saying that the action happens outside.

n’est n’est means “is not” in n’est peut-être pas une bonne idée. It begins the negative statement about outdoor exercise. With pas, it expresses that something is not the case.

peut-être peut-être means “perhaps” or “maybe” in n’est peut-être pas une bonne idée. It softens the statement by showing uncertainty. Use it when you want to present an opinion or possibility cautiously.

pas pas means “not” in n’est peut-être pas une bonne idée. Together with n’est, it completes the negative expression. Use it with a negative verb form when saying that something is not so.

une une means “a” before the feminine singular noun idée in une bonne idée. It introduces one possible idea or option. Use it before a feminine singular noun.

bonne bonne means “good” in une bonne idée. It describes the idea as suitable or advisable in the situation. Use it as an adjective with a feminine singular noun such as idée.

idée idée means “idea” in une bonne idée. The phrase refers to a possible course of action. Use it when evaluating or suggesting an idea, as in une bonne idée.

Je Je means “I” in Je comptais courir and Je pourrais aller à la salle de sport. It identifies the speaker as the subject of the statement. Use Je before a verb when talking about your own action, plan, or opinion.

comptais comptais means “was planning” or “intended” in Je comptais courir. It describes a plan the speaker had made. Use it before an infinitive, as in comptais courir, to state what you intended to do.

courir courir means “to run” in comptais courir dans le parc. It names the planned exercise activity. Use it after a verb such as comptais when describing an intention to run.

le le means “the” before the masculine singular noun parc in le parc. It identifies a specific park. Use it before a masculine singular noun.

parc parc means “park” in le parc. It is the outdoor place where the speaker planned to run. Use it when referring to a public green or recreational area.

Si Si means “if” in Si la pollution vous gêne. It introduces a condition for the advice that follows. Use Si before a situation that must be considered before giving a suggestion.

pollution pollution means “pollution” in Si la pollution vous gêne. It is the condition that may bother the person. Use it when discussing polluted surroundings or air conditions.

vous vous means “you” in la pollution vous gêne. It can address one person formally or more than one person. Here it identifies the person affected by the pollution. Use it before the verb when addressing someone in this way.

gêne gêne means “bothers” or “causes inconvenience” in la pollution vous gêne. The pollution is the thing causing the problem, and vous is the person affected. Use it in a pattern where a thing or situation bothers someone.

choisissez choisissez means “choose” in choisissez plutôt un entraînement en intérieur. It gives a direct recommendation to select an indoor workout. This form can address one person formally or several people. Use it before the option being recommended.

plutôt plutôt means “rather” or “instead” in choisissez plutôt un entraînement en intérieur. It directs the listener toward an alternative to outdoor exercise. Use it with a recommendation when choosing one option instead of another.

un un means “a” before the masculine singular nouns entraînement and masque in un entraînement and Un masque. It introduces one workout or one mask. Use it before a masculine singular noun.

entraînement entraînement means “workout” or “training” in un entraînement en intérieur. It refers to the exercise session suggested as an alternative. Use it when talking about a planned training session or workout.

en en means “in” in en intérieur. It places the workout in an indoor setting. Use it in this expression when contrasting an indoor activity with one done outside.

intérieur intérieur means “indoors” or “inside” in en intérieur. It identifies the setting of the alternative workout. Use it with en to describe an activity carried out indoors.

pourrais pourrais means “could” in Je pourrais aller à la salle de sport. It presents going to the gym as a possible option. Use it before an infinitive when suggesting what you might do.

aller aller means “to go” after pourrais in pourrais aller à la salle de sport. It names the possible movement toward the gym. Use it after pourrais to describe a possible destination or action.

à à means “to” in aller à la salle de sport. It introduces the destination of the movement. Use it after aller before a destination.

salle salle means “room” or “hall” in salle de sport. The full expression salle de sport refers to a gym or sports facility. Use salle in expressions that name a particular room or venue.

sport sport means “sport” in salle de sport. Together with salle de, it identifies the place as a sports facility or gym. Use it in this expression when referring to a place for exercise.

même même means “even” in même si c’est moins relaxant que le parc. With si, it contributes to the concessive meaning “even if” or “although.” Use même si when acknowledging a drawback while maintaining the main point.

c’est c’est means “it is” in même si c’est moins relaxant que le parc. It introduces the speaker’s evaluation of the indoor option. Use it before a description or judgment about something.

moins moins means “less” in moins relaxant que le parc. It makes the comparison negative in degree: the gym feels less relaxing. Use moins + adjective + que when comparing two things.

relaxant relaxant means “relaxing” in moins relaxant que le parc. It describes the feeling associated with the gym compared with the park. Use it to describe an activity or place that helps someone relax.

que que means “than” in moins relaxant que le parc and plus sain que de respirer. In jusqu’à ce que l’air s’améliore, it introduces the time clause. Use que in comparative expressions and in clauses introduced by expressions such as jusqu’à ce que.

S’entraîner S’entraîner means “training” or “exercising” in S’entraîner à l’intérieur. The infinitive presents indoor exercise as the subject being evaluated. Use it to talk about exercising in a particular setting.

l’intérieur l’intérieur means “the inside” or “indoors” in à l’intérieur. The l’ is the shortened form of the article before intérieur. Use à l’intérieur when identifying an indoor location.

est est means “is” in S’entraîner à l’intérieur est plus sain. It links the activity to the evaluation that follows. Use it to connect a subject with a description or comparison.

plus plus means “more” in plus sain que de respirer. It makes the comparison favorable to indoor training. Use plus with an adjective and que when saying that one thing has more of a quality than another.

sain sain means “healthy,” and in plus sain it contributes the meaning “healthier.” It describes indoor training in comparison with breathing polluted air. Use it when evaluating an activity or choice in relation to health.

respirer respirer means “to breathe” in de respirer un air pollué. It names the action being compared with indoor training. Use it after de when introducing this action in the comparison.

air air means “air” in un air pollué. Here it refers to the air affected by pollution. Use it when describing the surrounding air or its condition.

pollué pollué means “polluted” in un air pollué. It describes the air as containing pollution. Use it as an adjective with air when discussing poor air quality.

Est-ce Est-ce is part of Est-ce que, which introduces the yes-or-no question Est-ce que je devrais porter un masque. It marks the sentence as a question, while devrais expresses the request for advice. Use Est-ce que at the beginning of a direct question.

devrais devrais means “should” in je devrais porter un masque. It asks whether wearing a mask would be advisable. Use it before an infinitive when asking about the appropriate action for yourself.

porter porter means “to wear” in porter un masque. It describes having the mask on as clothing or equipment. Use it before an item when talking about wearing that item.

masque masque means “mask” in porter un masque and Un masque peut aider. It is the protective item being discussed. Use it when referring to a mask in the context of going outside.

dois dois means “need to” or “must” in si je dois marcher dehors. It expresses a necessity that may require the person to walk outside. Use it before an infinitive when stating that an action is necessary.

marcher marcher means “to walk” in marcher dehors. It names the outdoor activity that may be necessary. Use it before or with a location expression such as dehors.

peut peut means “can” or “may” in Un masque peut aider. It presents help as a possibility rather than a certainty. Use it before an infinitive to express possible ability or effect.

aider aider means “to help” in peut aider. It describes the possible benefit of the mask in the situation. Use it after peut to state what may help.

les les means “the” before the plural noun conseils in les conseils de santé locaux. It identifies the health advice being discussed. Use it before a plural noun.

conseils conseils means “advice” or “recommendations” in les conseils de santé locaux. It refers to guidance about health and safety. Use it with de santé when discussing health advice.

santé santé means “health” in conseils de santé. It specifies the subject of the advice. Use it after de when identifying advice related to health.

locaux locaux means “local” in conseils de santé locaux. It describes the health advice as connected to the local area. Use it to identify something associated with the place where the speaker is.

peuvent peuvent means “can” or “may” in peuvent recommander. Its plural form matches the plural subject conseils. Use it before an infinitive to describe what several people or things may do.

recommander recommander means “to recommend” in peuvent recommander des précautions supplémentaires. It describes the advice as suggesting extra safety measures. Use it after peuvent when stating what advice may recommend.

des des introduces the plural noun précautions in des précautions supplémentaires. It refers to precautions without specifying one particular item. Use des before a plural noun when referring to an unspecified quantity.

précautions précautions means “precautions” in des précautions supplémentaires. It refers to measures taken for safety. Use it when discussing steps intended to reduce risk in a situation.

supplémentaires supplémentaires means “additional” or “extra” in précautions supplémentaires. It shows that these precautions are added to the usual measures. Use it with a plural noun when identifying extra items or steps.

Reporter Reporter means “to postpone” in Reporter la course jusqu’à ce que l’air s’améliore. It presents delaying the run as the safer decision. Use it before an activity or event that will happen later instead.

course course means “run” in Reporter la course. It refers to the planned running activity in this dialogue. Use it when talking about a running session or run.

jusqu’à jusqu’à means “until” in jusqu’à ce que l’air s’améliore. It marks the point that must be reached before the postponed run takes place. Use it in this construction to connect an action with a future condition.

s’améliore s’améliore means “improves” or “gets better” in l’air s’améliore. It describes the air changing to a better condition. Use it when waiting for a situation to become better.

sûr sûr means “safe” in plus sûr. With plus, the expression means “safer” than the alternative. Use it when comparing the safety of two possible actions.

Cela Cela means “that” or “this” in Cela évite que l’exercice ne devienne un autre problème de santé. It refers to the preceding decision to postpone the run. Use Cela at the start of a sentence to connect a previous action with its consequence.

évite évite means “avoids” or “prevents” in Cela évite que l’exercice ne devienne un autre problème de santé. It says that the decision prevents an unwanted result. Use it when describing an action that keeps a result from happening.

ne ne appears in évite que l’exercice ne devienne and helps frame the result being prevented after éviter que. Here it is not paired with pas to form an ordinary negative statement. Use this form when describing a possible result that a preventing action keeps from occurring.

devienne devienne means “becomes” or “turns into” in que l’exercice ne devienne un autre problème de santé. It describes the unwanted result that is being prevented. Use it in a clause about something becoming a particular condition or thing.

autre autre means “another” or “other” in un autre problème de santé. It identifies a further problem in addition to the original concern. Use it before a singular noun when referring to an additional item.

problème problème means “problem” in un autre problème de santé. It names the unwanted health consequence that the decision is intended to avoid. Use it with de santé when specifying a health-related problem.

Grammar Points

pourrait + infinitif

La pollution pourrait gêner la respiration.

lah poh-loo-SYOHN poo-RAY ZHAY-NAY lah ray-spee-rah-SYOHN.

Pollution could bother breathing.

« Pourrait » exprime une possibilité ou une conséquence possible, et se combine avec l’infinitif.

comptais + infinitif

Je comptais courir dans le parc.

zhuh kohn-TAY koo-REER dahn luh PARK.

I was planning to run in the park.

« Comptais » est l’imparfait de « compter » et indique une intention ou un projet passé.

French Vocabulary

air noun

AIR air

L’air semble lourd aujourd’hui.

compter verb

kohn-TAY to plan; to intend comptais

Je comptais courir dans le parc.

courir verb

koo-REER to run

Je comptais courir dans le parc.

dehors adv

duh-OR outside; outdoors

Faire de l’exercice dehors n’est peut-être pas une bonne idée.

faire de l’exercice phrase

fair duh leg-ZAIR-seess to exercise

Faire de l’exercice dehors n’est peut-être pas une bonne idée.

lourd adj

LOOR heavy

L’air semble lourd aujourd’hui.

mauvais adj

moh-VAY bad; poor mauvaise

La qualité de l’air pourrait être mauvaise.

parc noun

PARK park

Je comptais courir dans le parc.

pollution noun

poh-loo-SYOHN pollution

Si la pollution vous gêne, choisissez plutôt un entraînement en intérieur.

pouvoir verb

poo-VWAR can; might pourrait

La qualité de l’air pourrait être mauvaise.

qualité noun

kah-lee-TAY quality

La qualité de l’air pourrait être mauvaise.

sembler verb

sahm-BLAY to seem semble

L’air semble lourd aujourd’hui.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I was planning to run in the park.

Show Answer

Je comptais courir dans le parc.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to seem

Show Answer

semble

outside; outdoors

Show Answer

dehors

quality

Show Answer

qualité

heavy

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lourd