Checking in for a clinic visit | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. J'ai rendez-vous à la clinique.

   I have a clinic appointment.

   J'ai

   I have

   rendez-vous

   appointment

   à la

   at the

   clinique

   clinic

   More detail

   J'ai is the contraction of je (“I”) and ai, the first-person singular present form of avoir (“to have”). French uses this form in expressions such as J'ai un livre. — “I have a book.” The apostrophe appears because je is shortened before the vowel sound in ai. rendez-vous is a masculine noun meaning an appointment or arranged meeting. Its singular and plural spelling is the same: un rendez-vous / des rendez-vous. Here, the fixed translation identifies the intended sense as a clinic appointment, not simply any meeting. à la combines à (“at/to”) with the feminine singular definite article la (“the”). The article agrees with the following noun; it does not itself express a numerical quantity. For example, à la gare means “at the station.” clinique is a feminine noun meaning “clinic.” The feminine gender is shown by the accompanying article in la clinique; the noun itself names the medical location. A related example is une clinique — “a clinic,” with the indefinite article used when the clinic is not presented as a specifically identified one. Together, J'ai rendez-vous à la clinique means “I have an appointment at the clinic.” The pattern J'ai rendez-vous à/au/chez ... can be reused for appointments: the location form changes according to the place being named. Here, à la clinique specifies that location.

2. Mais je ne sais pas vraiment quoi faire en premier.

   But I am not sure what to do first.

   Mais

   But

   je

   I

   ne sais pas

   do not know

   vraiment

   really

   quoi

   what

   faire

   to do

   en premier

   first

   More detail

   Mais means “but” and links this utterance to something already understood, such as the speaker’s appointment situation. It usually introduces a contrast or limitation. je is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” It refers to the speaker. French subject pronouns are normally required with a conjugated verb: je sais means “I know.” Before a vowel sound, je can contract to j’, as in j’ai in the supplied context. ne sais pas is the negative form of sais, the first-person singular present form of savoir (“to know”). In standard written French, negation surrounds the conjugated verb: je ne sais pas. In everyday speech, ne is often omitted, but it is present in this utterance. Savoir is used here for knowing information or knowing what action to take; connaître is generally used for being acquainted with a person, place, or thing. vraiment means “really” or “truly.” Here it strengthens the lack of knowledge: the speaker is not really sure what action should come first. It can also modify an affirmative statement, as in Je comprends vraiment (“I really understand”). quoi is the question word “what.” In quoi faire, it asks which action to do. French commonly places quoi before an infinitive in this pattern: Je ne sais pas quoi choisir means “I don’t know what to choose.” faire is the infinitive “to do.” Its base form is faire; a common present-tense form is je fais (“I do” or “I am doing”). After savoir in this sentence, it remains an infinitive because quoi faire is an embedded question meaning “what to do.” en premier means “first,” specifically marking the first step in an order. It modifies the action expressed by faire: the issue is which action to do first. D’abord is another common way to say “first” or “to begin with,” but it is a separate expression. Together, je ne sais pas quoi faire means “I don’t know what to do.” Adding vraiment gives “I am not really sure what to do,” and en premier specifies the order: “what to do first.” With Mais at the beginning, the complete utterance means: “But I am not sure what to do first.”

3. Commencez à l'accueil et montrez-leur votre carte d'assurance.

   Start at reception and show them your insurance card.

   Commencez

   start; begin

   l'accueil

   reception

   montrez-leur

   show them

   votre

   your

   carte

   card

   assurance

   insurance

   More detail

   Commencez is the polite or plural imperative of commencer (“to start, begin”). It addresses one person formally or more than one person. The imperative gives a direct instruction: Commencez ici. — “Start here.” l'accueil means “reception” here, the place or desk where a visitor first reports. The noun is accueil; l' is the elided form of le before a vowel sound. In à l'accueil, à marks the place: “at reception.” montrez-leur is the imperative of montrer (“to show”) followed by the indirect-object pronoun leur (“to them”). The hyphen is standard when an object pronoun follows an affirmative imperative. Montrez-leur le document. — “Show them the document.” votre means “your” when the possessed noun is singular. It agrees with the thing possessed, not with the number or gender of the possessor; the same form is used with a singular masculine or feminine noun. For example, votre formulaire means “your form.” carte means “card.” It is a feminine noun, but the possessive in votre carte is determined by the singular number of carte, so votre is used rather than a plural possessive. assurance means “insurance.” In carte d'assurance, d' is the elided form of de before the vowel sound in assurance; the phrase means “insurance card.” The pattern carte de/d' + noun can identify the type or purpose of a card, as in carte de transport — “transport card.” Together, Commencez à l'accueil gives the instruction “Start at reception,” and montrez-leur votre carte d'assurance adds “show them your insurance card.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Start at reception and show them your insurance card.”

4. Est-ce que je devrai remplir un formulaire avant de voir l'infirmière ?

   Will I need to fill out a form before I see the nurse?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   devrai

   will need to

   remplir

   fill out

   un formulaire

   a form

   avant de

   before

   voir

   see

   l'infirmière

   the nurse

   More detail

   Est-ce que turns the following statement into a yes-or-no question. It is a reusable question pattern placed at the beginning: Est-ce que + statement. It does not itself mean “will” or add a quantity. devrai is the first-person singular future form of devoir, “to have to” or “to need to.” Here it expresses a future need: “I will need to.” A useful contrast is je dois, “I have to / I need to” for a present obligation, and je devrai, “I will have to / will need to” for a future one. remplir is the infinitive “to fill out” here. After a form of devoir, the second verb stays in the infinitive: je devrai remplir means “I will need to fill out.” Example: Je dois remplir ce document. — “I have to fill out this document.” un formulaire means “a form.” formulaire is a masculine noun, so its singular indefinite article is un; the article is not by itself a claim that there is exactly one form. Its plural is des formulaires, “forms.” avant de introduces an action that happens earlier than another action. It is followed by an infinitive: avant de + infinitive. Example: Lisez avant de signer. — “Read before signing.” voir is the infinitive “to see.” In this sentence, avant de voir means “before seeing.” Because the translation identifies the questioner as the person who will see the nurse, the understood subject of this infinitive is the same je expressed earlier. The infinitive itself does not show person or number. l'infirmière means “the nurse.” infirmière is the feminine form of the profession noun; the corresponding masculine form is infirmier. The article la is elided to l' before the vowel sound at the start of infirmière; this spelling does not remove the noun's feminine grammatical form. Together, Est-ce que makes a yes-or-no question, je devrai remplir un formulaire asks about a future need to complete a form, and avant de voir l'infirmière sets the time relationship: the form-filling would happen before seeing the nurse. The complete intended meaning is a question about whether the speaker will need to complete a form before seeing the nurse.

5. Probablement, surtout si c'est votre première visite.

   Probably, especially if this is your first visit.

   Probablement

   Probably

   surtout

   especially

   si

   if

   c'est

   this is

   votre

   your

   première

   first

   visite

   visit

   More detail

   Probablement is an adverb meaning “probably.” It expresses likelihood rather than certainty. Example: Il viendra probablement demain. — “He will probably come tomorrow.” surtout means “especially” here. It highlights the condition introduced by si, so the situation is presented as particularly likely under that condition. Example: Elle travaille surtout le matin. — “She works especially in the morning.” si introduces a condition: “if.” In this sentence, it connects the possible situation with the condition that follows. Example: Si vous avez une question, demandez. — “If you have a question, ask.” c'est is the fixed form ce + est: literally “this/that is” in this use. est is the present-tense form of être (“to be”) for a third-person singular subject, while ce is a demonstrative pronoun. Here, the fixed translation supports “this is.” Example: C'est important. — “This is important.” votre means “your” before a singular noun. It is used whether “your” refers to one person or to more than one person; vos is used before a plural noun. It does not itself state a numerical count. Example: Votre réponse est claire. — “Your answer is clear.” première is the feminine singular form of the ordinal adjective premier, meaning “first.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun visite; the masculine singular form is premier, as in le premier jour (“the first day”). Ordinal adjectives identify position in a sequence. visite is a feminine noun meaning “visit.” Its gender is shown by forms around it, such as the feminine adjective première; the noun itself names the visit, not the person making it. Example: La visite commence à neuf heures. — “The visit begins at nine o’clock.” Together, si c'est votre première visite means “if this is your first visit.” The adjective première agrees with visite, and surtout gives this condition special emphasis. Adding Probablement produces the complete meaning: “Probably, especially if this is your first visit.”

6. Est-ce que je dois ensuite attendre dans la salle d'attente principale ?

   Should I wait in the main waiting room after that?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   je dois

   I should / must

   ensuite

   after that

   attendre

   to wait

   salle d'attente

   waiting room

   principale

   main

   More detail

   Est-ce que introduces a yes-or-no question in French. It does not itself mean “should”; it marks the following statement as a question. The same pattern is reusable with other subjects and verbs: Est-ce que vous venez ? means “Are you coming?” je dois comes from devoir, “to have to” or “must.” dois is the present-tense form for je; the subject pronoun is included here, so the phrase means “I have to” or, in this question, “should I / must I.” The form changes with the subject: je dois, vous devez. Example: Je dois partir. — “I have to leave.” ensuite means “after that” or “then.” It places the waiting after an earlier step or event. Example: Ensuite, nous entrons. — “After that, we go in.” attendre is the infinitive “to wait.” After devoir, French uses the infinitive: je dois attendre means “I have to wait.” The infinitive remains attendre rather than taking a subject ending. Example: Vous devez attendre ici. — “You have to wait here.” salle d'attente is the noun phrase “waiting room.” It is literally a room associated with waiting, and d'attente is built from attente, the noun related to waiting. The apostrophe in d'attente reflects the elision of de before a vowel sound. Example: La salle d'attente est calme. — “The waiting room is quiet.” principale means “main” here. It is the feminine singular form of principal, agreeing with the feminine singular noun salle: la salle principale. The adjective is not based on salle; principale is the agreeing adjective form. Example: l'entrée principale — “the main entrance.” Together, Est-ce que je dois asks whether the speaker is required or expected to do something; ensuite places that action afterward; and attendre dans la salle d'attente principale specifies waiting in the main waiting room. The whole utterance means: “Should I wait in the main waiting room after that?”

7. Restez-y, sauf si l'accueil vous envoie ailleurs.

   Stay there unless reception sends you somewhere else.

   Restez-y

   Stay there

   sauf si

   unless

   l'accueil

   reception

   envoie

   sends

   ailleurs

   elsewhere

   More detail

   Restez-y means “stay there.” Restez is the imperative of rester for vous, used here as a polite singular command or a command to several people. The final -ez is the vous form; it is not a marker of past time. y is a pronoun referring to a place already understood, so the pattern restez-y can be reused for “stay there.” sauf si introduces the condition that limits the command: “unless.” It is a reusable connector meaning that the main action applies except in the situation stated afterward. l'accueil means “reception” here, understood as the reception service or desk. l' is the elided form of the masculine singular definite article le before a vowel sound; the noun itself is accueil. French writes l'accueil, not le accueil, in this environment. envoie means “sends” in this sentence. It is the third-person singular present form of envoyer (“to send”), with l'accueil as its subject: l'accueil envoie = “reception sends.” The verb envoyer has a spelling change from y to i in forms such as j'envoie, il/elle envoie, and ils/elles envoient; compare vous envoyez, which keeps y in the spelling. ailleurs is the adverb “elsewhere” or “somewhere else.” It describes a different place without naming that place. It can be reused in patterns such as aller ailleurs (“go somewhere else”) or être ailleurs (“be elsewhere”). Together, Restez-y gives the instruction “stay there.” sauf si introduces the exception, and l'accueil vous envoie ailleurs means “reception sends you somewhere else”: vous is the person or people being sent, while l'accueil is the sender. The complete utterance therefore means “Stay there unless reception sends you somewhere else.”

8. Je suis nerveux quand je ne connais pas la procédure.

   I feel nervous when I do not know the procedure.

   Je suis

   I am / I feel

   nerveux

   nervous

   quand

   when

   ne connais pas

   do not know

   procédure

   procedure

   More detail

   Je suis means “I am” and is the first-person singular present form of être (“to be”). French commonly uses être with a feeling adjective, so Je suis nerveux corresponds naturally to “I feel nervous” here. The form changes with the subject: je suis, vous êtes, ils sont. nerveux means “nervous” here. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective; with a feminine singular subject, the form is nerveuse, while masculine plural is also nerveux and feminine plural is nerveuses. The adjective agrees with the person described, not with je as an unchanging pronoun. Example: Elle est nerveuse. — “She is nervous.” quand introduces the time or condition that explains when the main situation occurs: “when.” It is followed here by the clause je ne connais pas la procédure. Example: Je suis calme quand je comprends. — “I am calm when I understand.” ne connais pas is the negative form of connaître, “to know” in the sense of being familiar with a person, place, subject, or procedure. The form connais is present tense with je; French standard negation places ne before the verb and pas after it: je ne connais pas. In the fixed sentence, this means “I do not know” or “I am not familiar with.” Example: Je ne connais pas cette adresse. — “I do not know this address.” procédure means “procedure.” It is a feminine noun, as shown by the full noun phrase la procédure; the article is not included in the selected quote. The definite article la presents the procedure as a specific, identifiable one in this context. Example: Je connais la procédure. — “I know the procedure.” Together, Je suis nerveux states the speaker’s nervous feeling, and quand je ne connais pas la procédure specifies when that feeling occurs. The complete meaning is: “I feel nervous when I do not know the procedure.”

9. C'est normal. Vous pouvez demander au personnel de vous expliquer chaque étape.

   That is normal. You can ask the staff to explain each step.

   C'est

   That is

   normal

   normal

   Vous pouvez

   you can

   demander

   ask

   personnel

   staff

   expliquer

   explain

   chaque

   each

   étape

   step

   More detail

   C’est is the contraction of ce + est: “this/that is.” Here, ce is the neutral demonstrative subject referring to the situation being discussed, not to a specifically named noun. Est is the present form of être for this subject. In a reusable pattern, C’est + adjective gives an evaluation: C’est important means “That is important.” Normal means “normal” here. It is an adjective in the masculine singular form, agreeing with the neutral singular subject ce in this expression. Its feminine singular form is normale: une situation normale means “a normal situation.” Vous pouvez means “you can.” Pouvez is the present form of pouvoir for vous, which can address one person formally or more than one person. Pouvoir + infinitive expresses ability or permission depending on context; here it presents asking the staff as an available action: Vous pouvez attendre means “You can wait.” Demander means “to ask.” French commonly uses demander quelque chose à quelqu’un for asking someone for something, and demander à quelqu’un de faire quelque chose for asking someone to do something. In this sentence, the person being asked is introduced by au personnel (à + le), and the requested action is introduced by de. Personnel means “staff” here: the people working in the relevant service. It is a masculine singular noun in form, even though it can refer collectively to several employees. The contraction au in au personnel is à + le; it marks the staff as the people addressed or asked. Expliquer means “to explain.” It is an infinitive after de, in the pattern demander à quelqu’un de + infinitive: Je lui demande de répéter means “I ask him/her to repeat.” In vous expliquer, vous is the person who receives the explanation; it is not the person doing the explaining. Chaque means “each” or “every.” It is an invariable determiner: it is used with a singular noun, as in chaque jour (“each day”) and chaque personne (“each person”). It does not itself state a particular numerical count. Étape means “step” or “stage” in a process. It is a feminine noun, so chaque étape uses the feminine article form une when an indefinite article is needed: une étape importante means “an important step.” The plural is les étapes (“the steps”). Together, C’est normal reassures the listener that the situation is normal. Vous pouvez demander au personnel de vous expliquer chaque étape then says that the listener can ask the staff to explain every step to them. The structure is: C’est + evaluation; vous pouvez + infinitive; demander à quelqu’un de + infinitive.

10. J'arriverai tôt pour avoir assez de temps pour remplir les documents.

    I will arrive early so I have enough time for the paperwork.

    J'arriverai

    I will arrive

    tôt

    early

    pour avoir

    in order to have

    assez de

    enough

    temps

    time

    pour remplir

    in order to fill out

    documents

    documents; paperwork

    More detail

    J'arriverai means “I will arrive” here. It is the first-person singular future form of arriver (“to arrive”): j'arriverai = “I will arrive.” The je form is shortened to j' before a vowel sound. For example: J'arriverai demain. — “I will arrive tomorrow.” tôt means “early.” It is an adverb, so it describes when the arrival happens rather than changing to agree with a noun. Its opposite is tard (“late”): Je viendrai tôt, pas tard. — “I will come early, not late.” pour avoir expresses purpose: “in order to have.” avoir is the infinitive “to have,” and after pour, the infinitive can state the purpose of the subject’s action. For example: Je pars tôt pour avoir du temps. — “I leave early in order to have time.” assez de means “enough” before the noun that follows. assez indicates a sufficient amount or degree, and de links it to the noun: assez de temps = “enough time.” This pattern is also used with plural nouns, as in assez de documents — “enough documents.” temps means “time” in this sentence. It is a masculine noun, but its written form is the same in the singular and plural; the surrounding determiner or quantity expression supplies the relevant number information. For example: J'ai peu de temps. — “I have little time.” pour remplir again expresses purpose, this time “in order to fill out.” remplir is the infinitive “to fill” or, with forms, “to fill out.” In this sentence, it refers to completing the paperwork. For example: Je dois remplir ce formulaire. — “I have to fill out this form.” documents means “documents” here, with the fixed translation using the natural context-specific equivalent “paperwork.” It is the plural of document; the final -s is not pronounced. un document means “a document,” while des documents means “documents.” Together, J'arriverai tôt states that the speaker will arrive early. pour avoir assez de temps gives the purpose of arriving early: having sufficient time. pour remplir les documents specifies what that time is for—filling out the documents. The whole utterance therefore means: “I will arrive early so I have enough time for the paperwork.”

11. Avoir plus de temps devrait rendre le rendez-vous moins précipité.

    Extra time should make the appointment feel less rushed.

    Avoir

    to have

    plus de temps

    more time

    devrait

    should

    rendre

    to make

    rendez-vous

    appointment

    moins précipité

    less rushed

    More detail

    Avoir is the infinitive of avoir, “to have.” Here it begins an infinitive clause functioning as the subject: “having.” The infinitive does not show a person or tense by itself. Example: Avoir du temps aide. — “Having time helps.” plus de temps means “more time.” plus de expresses a greater amount; temps is a masculine noun meaning “time,” and in this meaning it is normally uncountable. Compare assez de temps (“enough time”) and moins de temps (“less time”). Example: Nous avons plus de temps aujourd'hui. — “We have more time today.” devrait is the third-person singular conditional form of devoir. In this sentence, devoir expresses an expectation or recommendation, giving the meaning “should.” The singular form agrees with the singular infinitive clause Avoir plus de temps, rather than with rendez-vous. Example: Cela devrait aider. — “That should help.” rendre is the infinitive “to make” or “to cause something to become a state.” After devrait, the following verb remains in the infinitive. A useful pattern is rendre + object + adjective: La pause rend le travail plus facile. — “The break makes the work easier.” rendez-vous is a masculine noun meaning “appointment” here. It can also refer to a scheduled meeting or arranged meeting in other contexts; the intended sense in this sentence is fixed by the translation. Its written form is the same in the plural, although a plural determiner or agreement can show number in a fuller phrase. moins précipité means “less rushed.” moins forms a comparison of lower degree, while précipité is the adjective carrying the meaning “rushed” here. The adjective is masculine singular, matching masculine singular rendez-vous; its feminine singular form is précipitée, and its plural forms include précipités and précipitées according to the noun’s gender and number. Example: La réunion est moins précipitée. — “The meeting is less rushed.” Together, Avoir plus de temps is the subject, meaning “Having more time.” devrait rendre means “should make,” and le rendez-vous moins précipité means “the appointment less rushed.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Having more time should make the appointment feel less rushed.”