Finding the right queue for detailed help | Learn French in English

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Use Finding the right queue for detailed help to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Excusez-moi, est-ce la file pour obtenir de l'aide avec une demande compliquée ?

ehk-skyoo-ZAY mwah, ess luh FEEL poor ohb-tuh-NEER duh LED avek oon duh-MAHND kohm-plee-KAY? Excuse me, is this the line for help with a complicated request?

Cette file est pour les questions simples, pas pour les demandes détaillées.

SEHT FEEL eh poor lay kehss-TYOHN SAHMP-pl, pah poor lay duh-MAHND day-tah-YAY. This line is for simple questions, not detailed requests.

Le panneau n'était pas très clair, alors je ne savais pas où attendre.

luh pah-NOH neh-TAY pah tray KLAIR, ah-LOR zhuh nuh sah-VAY pah oo ah-TAHND. The sign is confusing, so I was not sure where to wait.

Pour obtenir une aide détaillée, faites la queue près du guichet principal.

poor ohb-tuh-NEER oon ED day-tah-YAY, FEHT lah KUH preh dew gee-SHAY pran-see-PAHL. For detailed help, join the line near the main desk.

Est-ce que je dois demander à l'accueil avant de changer de file ?

ess kuh zhuh DWAH duh-mahn-DAY ah lah-KUH-y ah-VAHN duh shahn-ZHAY duh FEEL? Should I ask at reception before I move?

Dites-leur ce dont vous avez besoin.

DEET-LER suh dohn voo zah-VAY buh-ZWAN. Tell them what you need.

Ils peuvent vous indiquer le bon endroit.

eel PUHV voo-zan-dee-KAY luh BOHN ahn-DROOAH. They can point you to the right place.

Je ne veux pas attendre dans la mauvaise file.

zhuh nuh VUH pah ah-TAHND dahn lah moh-VEHZ FEEL. I do not want to wait in the wrong line.

Cela arrive souvent parce que le panneau n'est pas très clair.

suh-LAH ah-REEV soo-VAHN parss kuh luh pah-NOH nay pah tray KLAIR. It happens often because the sign is not very clear.

Je vais d'abord demander, puis rejoindre la bonne file.

zhuh VAY dah-BOR duh-mahn-DAY, PWEE ruh-ZHWAN-DR luh BUN FEEL. Let me ask first, then join the correct queue.

Cela devrait vous éviter d'attendre plus longtemps.

suh-LAH duh-VRAY voo-zay-vee-TAY dah-TONDR ploo lohn-TAHN. That should help you avoid extra waiting.

Word by Word

Excusez-moi Excusez-moi means excuse me in this polite opening. Excusez supplies the form used to address someone politely, and moi identifies the person being addressed; together, Excusez-moi is a reusable way to get someone's attention.

est-ce Est-ce introduces a yes-or-no question, here asking whether this is the correct line. In est-ce, est and ce work together as a question frame, as in est-ce la file.

la La marks file as a specific feminine singular noun: the line. In la file, it comes directly before the noun it identifies.

file File means line or queue in this service-area context. It is used with a determiner in expressions such as la file and cette file.

pour Pour introduces the purpose of the line in pour obtenir de l'aide: for getting help. With pour followed by an infinitive, it explains what something is intended for.

obtenir Obtenir means to obtain or get in pour obtenir de l'aide, referring to getting help. The reusable pattern here is obtenir de l'aide, meaning to get help.

de De in obtenir de l'aide introduces what is obtained: help. It belongs to the expression obtenir de l'aide, rather than expressing a separate location or direction.

l'aide L'aide means the help being sought in the first question. The l' is the shortened article before aide, and l'aide follows de in obtenir de l'aide.

avec Avec means with and connects the help to the request in aide avec une demande compliquée. It is used here before a noun phrase describing what the request involves.

une Une introduces demande as one nonspecific feminine singular request: a request. It appears directly before the noun in une demande compliquée.

demande Demande means request in demande compliquée, referring to what the person needs help with. It can be followed by an adjective that describes the request, as in demande compliquée.

compliquée Compliquée describes the request as complicated in une demande compliquée. Its form matches the feminine noun demande, and the adjective follows that noun.

Cette Cette identifies file as this specific line in Cette file. It comes before the feminine singular noun it points out.

les Les marks questions and demandes as plural, specific nouns: the questions and the requests. It is placed before the plural noun, as in les questions simples.

questions Questions means questions in les questions simples. It is used with a plural determiner and can be described by an adjective placed after it.

simples Simples describes the questions as simple in les questions simples. It follows questions and gives the type of questions handled by this line.

pas Pas marks the negative contrast in pas pour les demandes détaillées: not for detailed requests. Here it follows the positive statement Cette file est pour les questions simples, so the full contrast is this line is for simple questions, not detailed requests.

demandes Demandes means requests in les demandes détaillées. It is plural because the sentence contrasts a category of detailed requests with simple questions.

détaillées Détaillées describes demandes as detailed in les demandes détaillées. Its form matches the plural noun demandes, and it follows that noun.

Le Le marks panneau as a specific masculine singular noun: the sign. In Le panneau, it appears directly before the noun.

panneau Panneau means sign or notice in Le panneau n'était pas très clair. In this dialogue, it is the sign whose instructions are difficult to understand.

n'était N'était says that the sign was not clear in Le panneau n'était pas très clair. It combines the negative ne with était, while pas completes the negative expression n'était pas.

très Très intensifies clair in n'était pas très clair, giving the meaning very clear. It is placed directly before the adjective it strengthens.

clair Clair describes the sign as clear in n'était pas très clair. With très and the negative expression, the dialogue says that the sign was not very clear.

alors Alors links the unclear sign to the speaker's result: so I was not sure where to wait. It can connect a situation with what follows as its consequence, as in alors je ne savais pas.

je Je means I and identifies the speaker in je ne savais pas où attendre. It normally comes before the verb phrase describing the speaker's action or state.

ne Ne is the first negative marker in je ne savais pas où attendre. It works together with pas to make the statement negative; ne alone does not carry the complete negation here.

savais Savais expresses knowing or being sure in je ne savais pas où attendre. With ne and pas, the speaker says they did not know where to wait.

où Où means where in où attendre, introducing the place the speaker is trying to identify. It can be followed by an infinitive to express where an action should take place.

attendre Attendre means to wait in où attendre. It is also used later in attendre dans la mauvaise file, where the following phrase specifies where the waiting would happen.

aide Aide means help in obtenir une aide détaillée. Here it is the service being requested, and it is directly modified by détaillée.

détaillée Détaillée describes aide as detailed in une aide détaillée. It follows aide and specifies the kind of help available at the other line.

faites Faites is used in the instruction faites la queue, the French expression for joining or standing in a queue. Here faites supplies the action and la queue names the queue; the complete expression carries the meaning join the line.

queue Queue means queue or line in faites la queue. In this expression, it names the queue that the listener is instructed to join.

près Près locates the line near the main desk in près du guichet principal. It is followed here by du guichet principal to specify what the line is near.

du Du marks the location as near the guichet in près du guichet principal. It is the contracted form of de and le before the masculine singular noun guichet.

guichet Guichet means service desk or counter in le guichet principal. In the dialogue, it is the main desk near which the correct line is located.

principal Principal describes guichet as the main or principal desk in le guichet principal. It follows the noun and identifies which desk is meant.

que Que completes the question frame Est-ce que je dois demander..., which asks whether the speaker should ask first. In this construction, est-ce introduces the question and que connects it to the clause je dois demander.

dois Dois expresses must or should in Est-ce que je dois demander, asking whether the speaker ought to ask at reception. It is followed here by the infinitive demander.

demander Demander means to ask in demander à l'accueil. The reusable pattern demander à someone is used here to identify the person or place being asked.

à À marks the place or recipient connected with asking in demander à l'accueil. Here it introduces the reception desk where the speaker may ask.

l'accueil L'accueil means reception or the front desk in demander à l'accueil. The l' is the shortened article before accueil, and the phrase identifies where the speaker should ask.

avant Avant means before in avant de changer de file. It places the action of changing lines after the action of asking in the sequence of events.

changer Changer means to change in avant de changer de file. It appears after avant de and specifies the action the speaker may take after asking.

Dites-leur Dites-leur means tell them in this instruction. Dites supplies the command to tell, and leur identifies the people receiving the information; the hyphen joins the verb and the pronoun.

ce Ce in ce dont vous avez besoin introduces what is needed, rather than referring to a particular object as this. Together with dont and vous avez besoin, it means what you need.

dont Dont links ce to the expression vous avez besoin in ce dont vous avez besoin. Because the expression is avoir besoin de, dont represents the thing needed after de.

vous Vous means you in vous avez besoin and vous indiquer. In this dialogue it addresses the person politely and also appears as the person receiving directions in vous indiquer.

avez Avez means have in vous avez besoin. It forms the expression avoir besoin de, used here to say what someone needs.

besoin Besoin means need in vous avez besoin de. The reusable expression avoir besoin de introduces the thing or help that someone needs.

Ils Ils means they in Ils peuvent vous indiquer le bon endroit. It refers to the people at reception who can direct the speaker.

peuvent Peuvent expresses can or are able to in Ils peuvent vous indiquer. It is followed by the infinitive indiquer to describe what they are able to do.

indiquer Indiquer means to point out or direct in vous indiquer le bon endroit. The pattern indiquer quelque chose à quelqu'un is used here to direct someone to the right place.

bon Bon describes endroit as the right or correct place in le bon endroit. Its form matches the masculine singular noun endroit and it comes before that noun.

endroit Endroit means place in le bon endroit. In the dialogue, it is the correct place to which the reception staff can direct the speaker.

veux Veux expresses want in Je ne veux pas attendre, stating that the speaker does not want to wait. It is followed by the infinitive attendre to name the action the speaker does not want.

dans Dans means in and locates the waiting in dans la mauvaise file. It is followed by the noun phrase naming the line where the waiting would occur.

mauvaise Mauvaise describes file as the wrong line in la mauvaise file. Its form matches the feminine singular noun file and it comes before that noun.

Cela Cela means that or it in Cela arrive souvent. Here it refers to the situation just discussed, namely ending up in the wrong line.

arrive Arrive means happens in Cela arrive souvent. It describes an event occurring and is modified by souvent to say that it happens frequently.

souvent Souvent means often in Cela arrive souvent. It indicates how frequently the situation happens and is placed after the verb here.

parce Parce is used with que in parce que le panneau n'est pas très clair to introduce the reason. The complete expression parce que means because; parce alone does not express the full reason here.

n'est N'est says that the sign is not clear in le panneau n'est pas très clair. It combines ne with est, while pas completes the negative expression n'est pas.

vais Vais expresses a planned next action in Je vais d'abord demander. Together with demander, it means I am going to ask.

d'abord D'abord means first in Je vais d'abord demander. It marks asking as the first step before joining the correct line.

puis Puis means then in puis rejoindre la bonne file. It links the next action to the previous one and shows that joining the line comes after asking.

rejoindre Rejoindre means to join in rejoindre la bonne file. It is used with a direct object naming the queue or group being joined.

bonne Bonne describes file as the right or correct line in la bonne file. Its form matches the feminine singular noun file and it comes before that noun.

devrait Devrait expresses should or is expected to in Cela devrait vous éviter d'attendre plus longtemps. It presents avoiding extra waiting as the expected result of asking first.

éviter Éviter means to avoid in vous éviter d'attendre plus longtemps. The pattern éviter de followed by an infinitive describes an action that someone can avoid.

d'attendre D'attendre means to wait in éviter d'attendre plus longtemps. It is de followed by attendre, forming the action that the speaker should avoid.

plus Plus contributes the meaning longer in d'attendre plus longtemps. Together with longtemps, it compares the duration of waiting with a shorter amount of time.

longtemps Longtemps means for a long time in d'attendre plus longtemps. With plus, the phrase means to wait longer or for more time.

Grammar Points

avoir besoin de + infinitif

Vous avez besoin de changer de file.

voo zah-VAY buh-ZWAN duh shahn-ZHAY duh FEEL.

You need to change lines.

After avoir besoin de, use de before an infinitive: avoir besoin de changer.

impératif + leur

Dites-leur de faire la queue.

DEET-LER duh FEHR lah KUH.

Tell them to queue.

In a positive command, leur follows the verb with a hyphen: dites-leur.

French Vocabulary

aide noun

ED help

alors adv

ah-LOR so; then

clair adj

KLAIR clear

compliqué adj

kohm-plee-KAY complicated compliquée

demande noun

duh-MAHND request

détaillé adj

day-tah-YAY detailed détaillées

excusez-moi phrase

ehk-skyoo-ZAY mwah excuse me

Used to politely get someone's attention.

file noun

FEEL line; queue

La file pour obtenir de l'aide.

obtenir verb

ohb-tuh-NEER to obtain; to get

panneau noun

pah-NOH sign; panel

question noun

kehss-TYOHN question questions

simple adj

SAHM-pl simple simples

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Tell them what you need.

Show Answer

Dites-leur ce dont vous avez besoin.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to obtain; to get

Show Answer

obtenir

request

Show Answer

demande

detailed

Show Answer

détaillées

line; queue

Show Answer

file