Confirming Delay Information and Where to Wait | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. L'annonce dit qu'il y a un retard, mais elle n'explique pas pourquoi.

   The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.

   L'annonce

   the announcement

   dit

   says

   qu'il y a

   that there is

   retard

   delay

   n'explique pas

   does not explain

   pourquoi

   why

   More detail

   L'annonce means “the announcement.” annonce is a feminine singular noun; its base form is annonce, and the definite article is la before a consonant but becomes l' before the vowel sound here: l'annonce. This form identifies the announcement as a specific one in context. dit is the present-tense, third-person singular form of dire (“to say”): je dis, il/elle dit. Here it introduces the content of what the announcement says. Example: Elle dit la vérité. — “She tells the truth.” qu'il y a introduces an existential statement, “that there is.” qu' is que before the vowel sound in il; il y a is the fixed French expression used to say that something exists or is present. Example: Je vois qu'il y a un problème. — “I see that there is a problem.” retard is the masculine singular noun “delay.” The full noun phrase is un retard; un marks it as an indefinite noun phrase, but the sentence itself does not assert a numerical count. Example: Le train a du retard. — “The train is delayed.” n'explique pas means “does not explain.” The verb is expliquer; explique is its present-tense, third-person singular form. French commonly places negation around the conjugated verb: ne + verb + pas. Before a vowel sound, ne is shortened to n', giving n'explique pas. Example: Elle n'explique pas le problème. — “She does not explain the problem.” pourquoi asks for a reason and means “why.” It can appear in a direct question, as in Pourquoi part-il ? — “Why is he leaving?”, or inside an indirect question, as here: expliquer pourquoi — “explain why.” Together, L'annonce dit qu'il y a un retard says that the announcement reports the existence of a delay. mais connects this with a contrast: elle n'explique pas pourquoi says that the announcement does not give the reason. The full utterance therefore means: “The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.”

2. Je pense qu'ils vérifient le train avant de laisser les gens monter à bord.

   I think they are checking the train before letting people board.

   pense

   think

   qu'ils

   that they

   vérifient

   check

   train

   train

   avant de

   before doing

   laisser

   let; allow

   gens

   people

   monter

   get on; board

   à bord

   on board

   More detail

   pense comes from penser (“to think”). Here it is the first-person singular present form: je pense = “I think.” A useful pattern is penser que + clause: Je pense qu’il est prêt. — “I think he is ready.” qu’ils combines que (“that”) with ils (“they”). The shortened form qu’ appears before the vowel sound in ils. Ils is a plural subject pronoun; the translation identifies the people carrying out the checking as “they.” vérifient comes from vérifier (“to check; inspect”). It is the present indicative form for ils/elles: ils vérifient. After penser que in this affirmative statement, French uses the indicative here, presenting the checking as the speaker’s understanding of what is happening. Ils vérifient les billets. — “They are checking the tickets.” train is the noun “train”; in the sentence it appears with the masculine singular article le. The phrase vérifier le train means “check the train,” with le train as the thing being checked. French nouns are learned with their article: le train. avant de introduces an action that happens earlier than another action: avant de + infinitive = “before doing …”. In this sentence, the infinitive’s understood subject is the same group referred to by ils: they check first, before letting people board. Avant de partir, elle ferme la porte. — “Before leaving, she closes the door.” laisser means “to let” or “to allow.” With another verb in the infinitive, laisser + infinitive expresses allowing someone or something to perform that action. Here laisser les gens monter means “let people board,” not simply “leave” in the sense of abandoning something. Laissez-le entrer. — “Let him come in.” gens is a plural noun meaning “people.” It refers here to the people who are allowed to board; the sentence does not specify their identities. Les gens is a common expression for “people” or “the people.” monter is the infinitive “to go up,” and in a transport context it can mean “to get on” or “to board.” The following à bord makes the boarding meaning clear. Elle monte dans le bus. — “She gets on the bus.” à bord is the fixed expression “on board” or “aboard.” Together, monter à bord means “get on board,” here referring to boarding the train. Unlike monter alone, this expression makes the destination or transport context explicit. Taken together, Je pense que introduces the speaker’s opinion, ils vérifient le train states what the identified “they” are checking, and avant de laisser les gens monter à bord places the permission to board afterward. The whole utterance therefore means: “I think they are checking the train before letting people board.”

3. Est-ce qu'on devrait rester ici ou chercher un autre quai ?

   Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?

   Est-ce qu'on

   question opener with “we”

   devrait

   should; ought to

   rester

   stay; remain

   ici

   here

   ou

   or

   chercher

   look for; search

   autre

   another; different

   quai

   platform

   More detail

   Est-ce qu'on is a common way to form a yes/no question in French. Here, on means “we” because the fixed translation identifies the speakers as the people deciding together. In other contexts, on can refer more generally to people or someone, so its exact referent comes from context. The apostrophe joins que and on because que comes before a vowel sound. devrait is the conditional present of devoir, whose basic form is devoir (“to have to” or “must”). In this sentence, devoir in the conditional expresses a suggestion or question about what would be advisable: “should.” The form devrait agrees with the singular subject on; it is not the infinitive. For comparison, on doit rester means “we have to stay,” while on devrait rester means “we should stay.” rester is an infinitive meaning “to stay” or “to remain.” After the conjugated form devrait, French uses the infinitive: on devrait rester = “we should stay.” Example: Nous devrions attendre. — “We should wait.” ici means “here,” referring to the relevant place where the speakers are. It is an invariable place adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. Example: Restez ici. — “Stay here.” ou connects alternatives and means “or.” It introduces the second option in this question. Do not confuse it with où, written with an accent, which means “where” in questions such as Où allez-vous ? — “Where are you going?” chercher means “to look for” or “to search for.” It is another infinitive coordinated with rester: rester ... ou chercher ... presents two possible actions. Example: Je cherche mes clés. — “I am looking for my keys.” autre means “another” or “different.” It is an adjective modifying quai; in un autre quai, it describes a platform other than the one currently under consideration. Its feminine form is autre as well, while the plural form is autres: un autre train, d'autres trains. quai is a masculine noun meaning “platform” here, specifically a transport platform. The indefinite article un marks it as a nonspecific singular noun; it does not by itself assert a numerical count as a separate idea. The plural is quais. Example: Nous attendons sur le quai. — “We are waiting on the platform.” Together, Est-ce qu'on devrait rester ici asks whether staying in the current place is advisable. ou chercher un autre quai adds the alternative of looking for a different platform. The complete meaning is: “Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?”

4. Reste à proximité pour l'instant. Si ça change, le personnel indiquera où aller.

   Stay close for now. If it changes, staff will say where to go.

   Reste

   Stay

   à proximité

   nearby

   pour l'instant

   for now

   change

   changes

   le personnel

   the staff

   indiquera

   will indicate

   où aller

   where to go

   More detail

   Reste means “stay” here. It is the imperative of rester for one person addressed with tu; the subject is therefore understood rather than written. The ordinary present form is tu restes, while the imperative is reste. Example: Reste ici. — “Stay here.” à proximité means “nearby” or “close by.” It is a reusable location expression: à introduces the location, and proximité is the noun meaning proximity. Example: La gare est à proximité. — “The station is nearby.” pour l'instant means “for now” or “at the moment.” It limits the instruction to the current period; it does not state how long that period will last. Example: Attends pour l'instant. — “Wait for now.” change means “changes” here. It is the third-person singular present form of changer. In Si ça change, French uses the present after si for a possible condition; the future appears in the other clause. Example: Si le plan change, on partira. — “If the plan changes, we will leave.” le personnel means “the staff.” Personnel is a noun here, preceded by the definite article le; grammatically, this collective noun is singular, even though it can refer to multiple staff members. Example: Le personnel répondra. — “The staff will answer.” indiquera means “will indicate” or, in this context, “will say/tell.” It is the third-person singular future form of indiquer: indiquer → il/elle indiquera. The future marks the staff’s expected action after the condition is met. Example: Le panneau indiquera la sortie. — “The sign will indicate the exit.” où aller means “where to go.” Où asks about a place, and aller is the infinitive “to go.” Together, this is an indirect question or destination expression; the person who will go is not stated in these words. Example: Je ne sais pas où aller. — “I don’t know where to go.” The utterance is assembled as follows: Reste à proximité gives the instruction to stay close, and pour l'instant limits it to now. Si ça change introduces the condition “if it changes,” while le personnel indiquera où aller says that the staff will then indicate where to go. The whole meaning is: “Stay close for now. If it changes, staff will say where to go.”

5. J'ai des bagages, donc je ne veux pas continuer à me déplacer.

   I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.

   J'ai

   I have

   bagages

   luggage

   donc

   so

   ne … pas

   not

   veux

   want

   continuer

   continue; keep going

   me déplacer

   move around

   More detail

   J'ai is the first-person singular present form of avoir (“to have”). The apostrophe is the normal contraction of je before a vowel: je ai becomes j'ai. For example, J'ai une question. means “I have a question.” bagages is the plural noun “luggage” or “bags.” In this sentence, des bagages presents luggage as what the speaker has; des is a plural indefinite article, not a stated numerical count. The singular is un bagage, while the plural form is des bagages. donc links the situation to its consequence and means “so” or “therefore.” It introduces the result of having luggage here. ne ... pas is the French negative pattern around the conjugated verb. In this utterance, ne comes before veux and pas after it, so the negated verb phrase means “do not want.” In less formal spoken French, ne may be omitted, but ne ... pas is the complete standard pattern shown here. veux is the first-person singular present form of vouloir, “to want.” Je veux means “I want,” and je ne veux pas means “I do not want.” After vouloir, an infinitive can state the action wanted or not wanted: Je veux partir. means “I want to leave.” continuer is the infinitive “to continue” or “to keep going.” Here it follows veux, so je ne veux pas continuer means “I do not want to continue.” The infinitive remains continuer rather than taking a personal ending because veux carries the person and tense. me déplacer is the pronominal infinitive “to move around” or “to get around.” me is the first-person form referring to the subject je; it is not a separate object identified by the surrounding context. With continuer à, the pattern continuer à + infinitive means “continue to ...”: Je continue à marcher. means “I continue walking.” Together, J'ai des bagages states that the speaker has luggage. donc connects that situation to its consequence, and je ne veux pas continuer à me déplacer says that the speaker does not want to keep moving around. The complete meaning is: “I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.”

6. Je vais demander s'ils peuvent nous aider si nous devons changer de quai.

   I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.

   Je vais

   I am going to

   demander

   ask

   s'ils peuvent

   whether they can

   nous

   us

   aider

   help

   si nous devons

   if we need to

   changer

   change; switch

   quai

   platform

   More detail

   Je vais uses the first-person singular present form of aller plus an infinitive to form the near future: je vais demander means “I am going to ask.” This pattern expresses a planned or imminent action; je vais by itself means “I am going,” while the following infinitive supplies the action. demander means “to ask.” After a verb such as demander, French can introduce an indirect yes/no question with si: demander si... means “ask whether/if...”. This si is different from the conditional si in si nous devons..., which means “if.” Example: Je vais demander s'il est prêt. — “I am going to ask whether he is ready.” s'ils peuvent contains si plus ils, written with elision as s'ils; here it introduces the indirect question “whether they can.” peuvent is the third-person plural present form of pouvoir (“can, be able to”): ils peuvent, elle peut. The form agrees with ils, not with the person who will ask. nous is the object pronoun “us” here. With aider, it identifies the people receiving help: ils peuvent nous aider means “they can help us.” French object pronouns normally come before the infinitive in this pattern. The same form nous can also mean “we” in other grammatical roles, so its role here comes from its position and from aider. aider is the infinitive “to help.” Its useful pattern is aider quelqu'un — “help someone”; with a pronoun, aider quelqu'un becomes nous aider, “help us.” Example: Elle veut aider son voisin. — “She wants to help her neighbor.” si nous devons begins the condition “if we need to” in the fixed meaning. devons is the first-person plural present form of devoir, whose meaning here is necessity or obligation: nous devons. Compare je dois (“I must/need to”) and ils doivent (“they must/need to”). Example: Nous devons partir. — “We need to leave.” changer is the infinitive “to change” or, in this travel context, “to switch.” In changer de quai, the construction means “change/switch platforms.” The infinitive is used because it follows devons: nous devons changer, “we need to switch.” quai means “platform” in this railway context. In the construction changer de quai, French uses de before the singular noun without an article: literally “change of platform,” idiomatically “change platforms.” The noun itself is masculine: un quai; that gender is not expressed by the form in this phrase. Putting the chunks together, Je vais demander says “I am going to ask”; s'ils peuvent nous aider says “whether they can help us”; and si nous devons changer de quai gives the condition “if we need to switch platforms.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.”

7. Ça nous aiderait si le changement avait lieu au dernier moment.

   That would help if the change comes at the last minute.

   Ça

   That / it

   nous

   us

   aiderait

   would help

   si

   if

   changement

   change

   avait lieu

   took place / happened

   dernier

   last

   moment

   moment

   More detail

   Ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” or “it.” Here it is the subject of aiderait; the fixed translation supports the reading “That would help.” It does not identify a more specific noun as its referent. nous is the object pronoun “us.” In Ça nous aiderait, it marks the people who would receive the help. Other forms in the same role include me (“me”), te (“you,” singular informal), and les (“them”). aiderait is the third-person singular conditional present of aider, “to help.” The useful chain is aider → aiderait (“would help”). The conditional presents the result as dependent on the condition introduced by si. Example: Cela aiderait beaucoup. — “That would help a lot.” si introduces the condition: “if.” In this sentence, the condition is si le changement avait lieu..., while the possible result is Ça nous aiderait. French commonly uses the conditional in the result clause and the imperfect after si for this kind of hypothetical relation. changement is the noun “change.” Its base form is changement; with the article, le changement is masculine singular. It refers here to the change mentioned in the sentence, without adding a more specific type of change. Example: Le changement est important. — “The change is important.” avait lieu is the fixed expression avoir lieu, “to take place” or “to happen.” avait is the third-person singular imperfect of avoir; lieu is the noun in this expression. Together, they describe the possible event in the condition: “took place” or, in this hypothetical structure, “were to take place.” Do not interpret avait here as simple possession. dernier is the masculine singular form of the adjective dernier, “last.” It agrees with the masculine singular noun moment, not with changement. The feminine singular form is dernière, as in la dernière fois (“the last time”). moment is the noun “moment” or “time.” In au dernier moment, it forms the time expression “at the last minute.” au is the contraction of à and le: à + le dernier moment becomes au dernier moment. As a whole, Ça nous aiderait means “That would help us.” The condition si le changement avait lieu au dernier moment means “if the change took place at the last minute.” Together: “That would help if the change comes at the last minute.” The French wording uses an imperfect-and-conditional hypothetical pattern, so it presents the late change as a condition rather than asserting that it will happen.

8. Une fois qu'ils auront mis à jour l'affichage, nous pourrons nous déplacer sans avoir à deviner.

   Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.

   Une fois qu'ils

   Once they

   auront … mis à jour

   will have updated

   l'affichage

   the display

   pourrons

   will be able to

   nous déplacer

   move around

   sans avoir à

   without having to

   deviner

   guess

   More detail

   Une fois qu'ils means “once they”. Une fois que introduces a situation that must happen first; qu' is the elided form of que before a vowel. ils is a third-person plural subject form; this sentence does not identify exactly who or what it refers to. Example: Une fois qu'ils seront prêts, nous commencerons. — “Once they are ready, we will start.” auront mis à jour is the future perfect, or futur antérieur, of mettre à jour, “to update”. auront is the third-person plural future form of avoir, and mis is the past participle of mettre; à jour completes the fixed expression. This form presents the updating as completed before the later action. Example: Quand elle aura mis à jour le fichier, je le lirai. — “When she has updated the file, I will read it.” l'affichage means “the display” here. l' is the elided singular definite article before a vowel, and affichage is a masculine noun. The article does not express a numeric quantity. Example: L'affichage est lisible. — “The display is readable.” pourrons is the first-person plural future form of pouvoir, “to be able to”. Its subject is the separate form nous immediately before it. Example: Nous pourrons partir demain. — “We will be able to leave tomorrow.” nous déplacer means “to move around” or “to move from place to place”. déplacer is an infinitive, and nous is the reflexive clitic form used with the pronominal verb se déplacer for a first-person plural subject. After pouvoir, the following verb remains in the infinitive. Example: Nous devons nous déplacer rapidement. — “We have to move quickly.” sans avoir à expresses “without having to”. sans is followed here by the infinitive avoir, and avoir à introduces an action that would otherwise be necessary. The infinitive construction has no separately stated subject; here its understood subject is supplied by the surrounding clause. Example: Elle est partie sans avoir à attendre. — “She left without having to wait.” deviner is the infinitive “to guess”. In avoir à deviner, it names the action that would otherwise be necessary. Example: Nous pouvons répondre sans deviner. — “We can answer without guessing.” Together, Une fois qu'ils auront mis à jour l'affichage sets a completed prerequisite: they will have updated the display. nous pourrons nous déplacer says that we will then be able to move around, and sans avoir à deviner says this can happen without needing to guess. The whole utterance is therefore: “Once they update the display, we can move without guessing.”