Explaining where the line starts | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: In a public line, one person politely explains where the line starts so another person can move to the back..

EN → FR / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Explaining where the line starts to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Excusez-moi, je crois que la file commence derrière cette femme.

ehk-syoo-ZAY mwah, zhuh krwah kuh lah feel koh-MAHNS deh-RYEHR set fahm. Excuse me, I think the line starts behind that woman.
B

Je n'avais pas compris que tout le monde faisait la queue.

zhuh nah-VEH pah kohm-PREE kuh too luh mond fuh-ZEH lah kuh. I did not realize everyone was waiting in line.
A

Ce n'est pas très clair parce que les gens sont espacés.

suh neh pah treh klehr pahrss kuh lay zhahn sohn ay-spah-SAY. It is a bit unclear because people are standing apart.
B

Alors, est-ce que je dois aller au bout de la file ?

ah-LOR, ess kuh zhuh dwah oh BOO duh lah feel? Should I go to the back, then?
A

Oui, allez-y. Tout le monde attend son tour.

wee, ah-lay-ZEE. too luh mond ah-TAHN sohn toor. Please do. Everyone has been waiting for their turn.
B

Je vais me mettre à l'arrière. Je n'ai simplement pas vu où la file commençait.

zhuh veh muh MEHTR ah lah-RYEHR. zhuh neh sahm-pluh-MAHN pah vyoo oo lah feel koh-mahn-SAY. I will move back. I just missed where the line began.
A

La fin de la file est juste après ces personnes-là.

lah fan duh lah feel eh zhoost ah-PREH say pehr-SON-lah. The end of the line is just past those people.
B

Je la vois maintenant. Je vais attendre là-bas.

zhuh lah vwah man-tuh-NAHN. zhuh veh ah-TAHNDR lah-BAH. I see it now. I will wait there.
A

Cela devrait permettre de garder l'ordre.

suh-LAH duh-VREH pehr-MEHTR duh gahr-DAY LOR-druh. That should keep the order clear.
B

J'ai mal compris la situation, mais je peux corriger ça.

zhay mahl kohm-PREE lah see-tyoo-ah-SYON, meh zhuh puh koh-ree-ZHAY sah. I misunderstood the situation, but I can fix it.

Word by Word

Excusez-moi “Excusez-moi” is a polite way to get someone's attention or say excuse me. It combines “Excusez”, meaning excuse, with “moi”, meaning me; use it before a question or request in a public place.
je “je” means I and is the subject of the speaker's thought in “je crois”. It commonly comes before a verb when the speaker describes an opinion, action, or state.
crois In “je crois que”, “crois” expresses the speaker's belief or opinion: I think. It is the form of croire used with je here, and the pattern “je crois que” introduces what the speaker believes.
que Here “que” introduces the content of the belief in “je crois que la file commence...”, meaning that. It links an opinion to the statement that follows and is useful after expressions such as “je crois”.
la “la” is the singular article used before the feminine noun “file” in “la file”. It means the here and can be placed before a known feminine singular noun.
file In “la file”, “file” means the line or queue that people are waiting in. Use it with “faire la queue” for queuing and with “le bout de la file” for the end of the line.
commence “commence” means starts in “la file commence derrière cette femme”. It is the form of commencer used with “la file”; use it to say where or when something starts.
derrière “derrière” means behind, locating the start of the line behind the woman. It is used before a noun or noun phrase to describe a position, as in “derrière cette femme”.
cette “cette” identifies one feminine person or thing, here in “cette femme”, meaning that woman. It comes directly before the feminine singular noun it identifies.
femme “femme” means woman in “cette femme”. Use it after a determiner such as “cette” when referring to a particular woman.
n'avais In “Je n'avais pas compris”, “n'avais” helps express that the speaker had not understood. It combines the negative “n'” with “avais”, and it is used together with “pas” around “compris”.
pas “pas” completes the negation in “n'avais pas compris”, meaning not. In this structure, it follows the verb element introduced by “n'”; use the pair “ne ... pas” to make a statement negative.
compris “compris” means understood or realized in “Je n'avais pas compris que tout le monde faisait la queue”. With “n'avais pas”, it expresses that the speaker had not realized the situation.
tout In “tout le monde”, “tout” contributes the idea of all, while the whole expression means everyone. This expression is useful when referring collectively to all the people involved in a situation.
le “le” is the singular article in “tout le monde”. Together with “monde”, it forms part of the expression meaning everyone.
monde In “tout le monde”, “monde” refers to people rather than to the physical world. The complete expression “tout le monde” means everyone and is used for all the people in a situation.
faisait In “faisait la queue”, “faisait” means was doing, with the whole expression meaning was waiting in line. It is the form of faire used with “tout le monde”; “faire la queue” is a common way to describe queuing.
queue In “faire la queue”, “queue” means queue or line. The complete expression is used when people are waiting their turn, especially in a public place.
Ce “Ce” introduces the situation being described in “Ce n'est pas très clair”, meaning it or this. It can refer to a situation or matter that is being evaluated.
n'est In “Ce n'est pas très clair”, “n'est” contains the negative element “n'” and the form “est”, meaning is not when combined with “pas”. This is used to make the statement about the situation negative.
très “très” means very and intensifies “clair” in “pas très clair”. It is placed before the adjective or description it strengthens.
clair “clair” means clear in “Ce n'est pas très clair”, describing the situation as not easy to understand. It can be used after “être” to describe how understandable or evident something is.
parce “parce” contributes because in the fixed conjunction “parce que”, which gives the reason for something. Here “parce que les gens sont espacés” explains why the line is unclear; use “parce que” before a reason clause.
les “les” is the plural article before “gens” in “les gens”. It means the here and is used before a known plural noun.
gens “gens” means people in “les gens sont espacés”. It refers to the people standing in the public line and is commonly used after “les” when speaking about people collectively.
sont “sont” means are in “les gens sont espacés”. It connects the subject “les gens” with the description that follows, and it is used to describe a current state or position.
espacés “espacés” describes the people as standing apart or separated in space. In “les gens sont espacés”, it follows “sont” to describe their physical arrangement.
Alors “Alors” means then or so and connects the previous explanation to the speaker's question. In this conversation, it introduces a practical conclusion about where the speaker should go.
est-ce que “est-ce que” is a question marker for a yes-or-no question in “est-ce que je dois aller...”. The three components “est”, “ce”, and “que” work together as one marker rather than carrying separate meanings in this construction; place it before a statement-order question.
dois In “je dois aller”, “dois” expresses what the speaker should or must do. It is the form of devoir used with je and is followed here by the infinitive “aller”.
aller “aller” means go in “aller au bout de la file”. It follows “dois” to express the action the speaker should take, and it can be followed by a destination introduced by “à”.
au In “au bout de la file”, “au” means to the or at the and introduces the location. It is the contracted form used in this expression before “bout”; use it to point to a destination or position.
bout In “le bout de la file”, “bout” means the end or back of the line. The pattern “le bout de” identifies the end of something, followed by the thing it belongs to.
de In “le bout de la file”, “de” links the end to the line, meaning of the. It introduces the noun that specifies what the end belongs to.
Oui “Oui” means yes and confirms that the other person should go to the back of the line. It can be used by itself as a direct answer before an instruction or clarification.
allez-y “Allez-y” means go ahead or please do here, approving the suggested action. It combines “allez”, meaning go, with “y”, pointing to the relevant place or action; use it as a polite instruction or permission.
attend In “Tout le monde attend son tour”, “attend” means waits. It is the form of attendre used with “tout le monde” and is useful for describing someone waiting for a person, place, or turn.
son In “son tour”, “son” means their in the context of each person's turn. It comes before the noun and indicates that the turn belongs to the person concerned.
tour “tour” means turn in “attend son tour”. The expression is used when someone waits until it is their turn to act, speak, or receive something.
vais In “Je vais me mettre à l'arrière” and “Je vais attendre là-bas”, “vais” helps express what the speaker is going to do. It is the form of aller used with je and is followed by an infinitive.
me In “me mettre”, “me” refers back to the speaker and shows that the speaker is placing themself. It comes before the infinitive after “vais”; use this position with a reflexive action such as “me mettre”.
mettre In “me mettre à l'arrière”, “mettre” means put or place, with “me” making the meaning place myself. It follows “vais” and can be followed by a location introduced by “à”.
à In “à l'arrière”, “à” introduces the destination or position where the speaker will place themself. It commonly comes before a location after a movement or placement expression.
l'arrière “l'arrière” means the back or rear in “me mettre à l'arrière”. The article and noun together identify the rear position of the line, where someone should stand.
simplement “simplement” means simply or just in “Je n'ai simplement pas vu...”, softening the explanation of what happened. It is placed before the negative verb phrase here to show that the omission was straightforward rather than intentional.
vu “vu” means seen in “je n'ai simplement pas vu où la file commençait”. With “n'ai ... pas”, it explains that the speaker did not notice the point where the line began.
où “où” means where and introduces the location clause “où la file commençait”. It is used to ask about or describe a place, including the place where something began.
commençait “commençait” means was beginning in “où la file commençait”. It is the form of commencer used to describe the line's beginning as part of the speaker's earlier observation.
fin “fin” means end in “La fin de la file”. The pattern “la fin de” identifies the ending point of something, here the line.
est “est” means is in “La fin de la file est juste après...”. It links the subject to its location and is used here to state where the end of the line is.
juste “juste” means just or right in “juste après ces personnes-là”, indicating a location immediately beyond them. It can be placed before a location phrase to make the position more precise.
après “après” means after or past and locates the end of the line beyond the people mentioned. It is followed here by “ces personnes-là” to identify the reference point.
ces “ces” identifies several people in “ces personnes-là”, meaning those. It comes before the plural noun it identifies and helps point out the people being indicated.
personnes-là “personnes-là” means those people, referring to the people being pointed out near the end of the line. The “-là” part adds a pointing-away or identifying sense; use the complete expression when distinguishing a particular group of people.
vois In “Je la vois maintenant”, “vois” means see and refers to recognizing the end of the line. It is the form of voir used with je and appears with “la” as the thing seen.
maintenant “maintenant” means now and marks the present moment in “Je la vois maintenant”. It is useful for contrasting what the speaker understands now with what was unclear earlier.
attendre “attendre” means wait in “Je vais attendre là-bas”. It follows “vais” to express a planned action and can be followed by a location when saying where someone will wait.
là-bas “là-bas” means over there and points to the place where the speaker will wait. It combines “là”, there, with “bas”, adding a sense of a place farther away; use it to indicate a location visible or already understood.
Cela “Cela” means that or this and refers to the agreed arrangement in “Cela devrait permettre de garder l'ordre”. It can serve as the subject when commenting on an action or situation just mentioned.
devrait “devrait” expresses should in “Cela devrait permettre...”, presenting the result as a reasonable expectation. It is the form of devoir used with “cela” and is followed here by the infinitive “permettre”.
permettre In “permettre de garder l'ordre”, “permettre” means make it possible or allow. It is followed by “de” and an infinitive to describe the action that becomes possible.
garder In “garder l'ordre”, “garder” means keep or maintain, referring to maintaining the order of the line. It follows “permettre de” and takes “l'ordre” as the thing being maintained.
l'ordre “l'ordre” means the order in “garder l'ordre”, referring to the correct sequence of people in the line. Use it after “garder” when describing the preservation of an orderly arrangement.
J'ai “J'ai” means I have in “J'ai mal compris la situation”. It combines “J'”, the shortened form of je before a vowel, with “ai”; here it begins the expression used to say that the speaker misunderstood something.
mal In “J'ai mal compris”, “mal” means badly or incorrectly and changes “compris” into misunderstood. It is placed before the past participle to describe an incorrect understanding.
situation “situation” means situation in “J'ai mal compris la situation”. It names the circumstances the speaker misunderstood and can follow a verb such as “comprendre” as its object.
mais “mais” means but and contrasts the speaker's misunderstanding with the ability to correct it. It links two statements when the second one limits or changes the effect of the first.
peux In “je peux corriger ça”, “peux” means can and expresses the speaker's ability to fix the problem. It is the form of pouvoir used with je and is followed by the infinitive “corriger”.
corriger “corriger” means correct or fix in “je peux corriger ça”. It follows “peux” to name the action the speaker is able to take and can be used with the thing being corrected.
ça “ça” means that or it and refers to the situation or mistake just mentioned in “corriger ça”. It is a common informal object pronoun for referring back to an understood matter.

Grammar Points

devoir + infinitif

Je dois aller à l'arrière.

zhuh dwah ah-LAY ah lah-RYEHR.

I have to go to the back.

After dois, the next verb stays in the infinitive: aller. Devoir expresses obligation.

se mettre à + lieu

Je dois me mettre à l'arrière.

zhuh dwah muh MEHTR ah lah-RYEHR.

I have to move to the back.

Me mettre is a reflexive infinitive: me refers back to the speaker, as in “put myself” or “move myself”.

French Vocabulary

Alors adv
ah-LOR then, so
clair adj
klehr clear
commence verb
koh-MAHNS starts, begins
crois verb
krwah think, believe
derrière prep
deh-RYEHR behind
espacés adj
ay-spah-SAY spread out, standing apart
Excusez-moi phrase
ehk-syoo-ZAY mwah Excuse me
faisait la queue phrase
fuh-ZEH lah kuh was waiting in line
femme noun
fahm woman
file noun
feel line, queue
queue noun
kuh queue, line
tout le monde pron
too luh mond everyone

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

That should keep the order clear.

Show AnswerCela devrait permettre de garder l'ordre.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

queue, line

Show Answerqueue

woman

Show Answerfemme

think, believe

Show Answercrois

behind

Show Answerderrière