About This Lesson
Use Pausing a gym membership during recovery to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
J'ai besoin de suspendre mon abonnement pendant ma convalescence.
zhay buh-ZWAN duh suhs-PAHN-druh mohn ah-bon-uh-MAHN pahn-DAHN mah kon-vah-leh-SAHNSS. I need to pause my membership while I recover.
B
Vous pouvez demander une suspension temporaire à l'aide d'un formulaire succinct.
voo poo-VAY duh-mahn-DAY oon suhs-pahn-SYON tahm-poh-RAIR ah LED duhn for-myoo-LAIR sahn-SEKT. You can request a temporary freeze with a short form.
A
Je peux fournir un justificatif, mais je préférerais garder les détails privés.
zhuh puh foohr-NEER uhn zhoos-tee-fee-KAHF, may zhuh pray-fay-ruh-RAY gahr-DAY lay day-TAHY pree-VAY. I can provide documentation, but I would rather keep the details private.
B
Le formulaire demande seulement une confirmation de base, pas les détails du diagnostic.
luh for-myoo-LAIR duh-MAHND suhl-MAHN oon kon-feer-mah-SYON duh BAHSS, pah lay day-TAHY dyag-noh-STEEK. The form only needs basic confirmation, not diagnosis details.
A
Cela me facilite la tâche pour le remplir.
suh-LAH muh fah-see-LEET lah TAHSH poor luh rahm-PLEER. That makes it easier for me to fill out.
B
Une fois la demande examinée, la suspension de l'abonnement peut commencer.
oon FWAH lah duh-MAHND egz-ah-mee-NAY, lah suhs-pahn-SYON duh lah-bon-uh-MAHN puh koh-mahn-SAY. Once the request is reviewed, the membership freeze can begin.
A
Mon accès sera-t-il réactivé automatiquement ensuite ?
mohn-nahk-SAY suh-rah-TEEL ray-ahk-tee-VAY oh-toh-mah-TEEK-mahn ahn-SWEET? Will my access restart automatically afterward?
B
Oui, sauf si vous demandez une prolongation avant cela.
wee, soh[f] SEE voo duh-mahn-DAY oon proh-long-gah-SYON ah-VAHN suh-LAH. It will, unless you request an extension before then.Word by Word
J'ai
In "J'ai besoin de suspendre...", this is the first-person form of "avoir" used to express a need. The reusable pattern is "J'ai besoin de" followed by an infinitive or a noun.
besoin
In "J'ai besoin de suspendre...", "besoin" means need. It works with "avoir" and "de", as in the reusable pattern "J'ai besoin de + infinitive".
de
In "J'ai besoin de suspendre", "de" links the noun expressing need to the action that is needed. A common reuse pattern is "avoir besoin de + infinitive".
suspendre
In "besoin de suspendre mon abonnement", "suspendre" means to pause the membership temporarily. It is an infinitive after "de" and expresses the action the speaker needs to take.
mon
In "mon abonnement", "mon" means my and identifies the membership as belonging to the speaker. The same possessive form appears before another noun in "Mon accès".
abonnement
In "mon abonnement", "abonnement" refers to the speaker's gym membership. It can be reused for a service or membership that someone has and may suspend or extend.
pendant
In "pendant ma convalescence", "pendant" marks the period during which something happens. It is used before a time period or event, here the speaker's recovery.
ma
In "ma convalescence", "ma" means my and identifies the recovery period as belonging to the speaker. It is placed directly before the noun it determines.
convalescence
In "pendant ma convalescence", "convalescence" means the period of recovery after illness or treatment. The expression is useful when describing an activity that is paused during recovery.
Vous
In "Vous pouvez demander...", "Vous" means you and is the subject being addressed. It can refer to one addressed person or to more than one person, depending on the context.
pouvez
In "Vous pouvez demander...", "pouvez" expresses that the person addressed can or is able to make the request. It is followed here by the infinitive "demander".
demander
In "pouvez demander une suspension temporaire", "demander" means to request something. The reusable pattern is "demander + a noun", here "demander une suspension temporaire".
une
In "une suspension temporaire", "une" introduces one singular item and corresponds to a. It comes directly before the noun phrase being requested.
suspension
In "une suspension temporaire", "suspension" means a pause or temporary stopping of the membership. It names the administrative measure being requested.
temporaire
In "une suspension temporaire", "temporaire" means temporary and limits the suspension to a period rather than making it permanent. It describes the type of suspension being requested.
à
In "à l'aide d'un formulaire succinct", "à" forms part of the expression meaning with the help of. The reusable expression is "à l'aide de" followed by the means or assistance used.
l'aide
In "à l'aide d'un formulaire succinct", "l'aide" means help or assistance. Together with "à" and "de", it introduces the thing used to help accomplish an action.
d'un
In "à l'aide d'un formulaire", "d'un" means of a and introduces the form used as assistance. It is the contracted form of "de" and "un".
formulaire
In "d'un formulaire succinct", "formulaire" means a form that someone completes to make a request. It is a common object after verbs such as request, complete, or submit.
succinct
In "un formulaire succinct", "succinct" means brief or concise. It tells the listener that the form requires only a small amount of information.
Je
In "Je peux fournir...", "Je" means I and is the subject of the speaker's statement. It is used before the verb describing what the speaker can do.
peux
In "Je peux fournir un justificatif", "peux" expresses the speaker's ability or possibility to provide something. It is followed by the infinitive "fournir".
fournir
In "peux fournir un justificatif", "fournir" means to provide or supply. The reusable pattern is "fournir + a document or other item".
un
In "un justificatif", "un" introduces one singular item and corresponds to a. It appears directly before the document being offered.
justificatif
In "fournir un justificatif", "justificatif" means a supporting document or proof for a request. It refers to something supplied to confirm the basis of the request.
mais
In "mais je préférerais garder...", "mais" introduces a contrast with the willingness to provide documentation. It connects two parts of a statement when the second part limits or changes the first.
préférerais
In "je préférerais garder les détails privés", "préférerais" means would prefer and presents the speaker's preference in a softened way. It is useful when making a request without stating it too directly.
garder
In "préférerais garder les détails privés", "garder" means to keep or retain. The reusable pattern is "garder + an object + an adjective", here keeping the details private.
les
In "les détails privés", "les" means the and introduces a plural noun phrase. It refers to the particular details that the speaker does not want to disclose.
détails
In "les détails privés", "détails" means details or specific information. Here it refers to the information about the speaker's situation, especially information beyond the basic confirmation.
privés
In "les détails privés", "privés" means private and describes the details as information the speaker wants to keep undisclosed. It is used after "garder" to describe the state in which the object should remain.
Le
In "Le formulaire demande...", "Le" means the and introduces the specific form already being discussed. It is placed before the noun that acts as the subject.
demande
In "Le formulaire demande seulement...", "demande" means asks for or requires. The form is the subject, and the requested information follows the verb.
seulement
In "demande seulement une confirmation de base", "seulement" means only and limits what the form requires. It is placed before the information that is required.
confirmation
In "une confirmation de base", "confirmation" means confirmation. Here it is the limited information that the form requires instead of detailed medical information.
base
In "confirmation de base", "base" contributes the meaning basic or elementary. The expression describes confirmation that does not include extensive details.
pas
In "pas les détails du diagnostic", "pas" marks the information that is excluded from the request. It contrasts with the confirmation that is required after "seulement".
du
In "les détails du diagnostic", "du" means of the and links the details to the diagnosis. It is the contracted form of "de" and "le".
diagnostic
In "les détails du diagnostic", "diagnostic" refers to the diagnosis whose details are not required. It is used after "détails" to specify what those details would concern.
Cela
In "Cela me facilite la tâche", "Cela" means that or this and refers to the previous explanation about the limited information required. It functions as the subject of the following statement.
me
In "Cela me facilite la tâche", "me" means to me and identifies the person who benefits from the easier task. The reusable pattern is "Cela me facilite..." when something makes an activity easier for the speaker.
facilite
In "Cela me facilite la tâche", "facilite" means makes easier. It expresses that the preceding situation reduces the difficulty of the task for the speaker.
la
In "la tâche", "la" means the and introduces the specific task under discussion. It appears before the noun in the fixed expression "faciliter la tâche".
tâche
In "Cela me facilite la tâche", "tâche" means task. The expression describes something that makes a particular task easier for someone.
pour
In "pour le remplir", "pour" introduces the purpose of the easier task. Before an infinitive, it commonly means in order to.
remplir
In "pour le remplir", "remplir" means to fill out, referring to the form. It is an infinitive after "pour", and "le" represents the form being completed.
fois
In "Une fois la demande examinée", "fois" contributes the meaning once or after. The expression introduces the point at which the reviewed request allows the next action to happen.
examinée
In "Une fois la demande examinée", "examinée" means reviewed or examined and describes the request after it has been checked. Its form matches the noun "demande" in this expression.
l'abonnement
In "la suspension de l'abonnement", "l'abonnement" means the membership or subscription already being discussed. The form begins with the elided article "l'" before the noun.
peut
In "la suspension de l'abonnement peut commencer", "peut" indicates that the suspension is able or permitted to begin once the request has been reviewed. It is followed by the infinitive "commencer".
commencer
In "peut commencer", "commencer" means to begin or start. It follows "peut" as the action that becomes possible after the review.
accès
In "Mon accès sera-t-il réactivé...", "accès" means access, specifically the member's ability to use the facility. It is the thing whose status is being asked about.
sera-t-il
In "Mon accès sera-t-il réactivé...?", "sera-t-il" asks will it be and places the subject pronoun after the future verb in a question. This inversion pattern is used to ask about a future state.
réactivé
In "sera-t-il réactivé", "réactivé" means reactivated or restored after the pause. Together with "sera-t-il", it asks whether access will start working again automatically.
automatiquement
In "réactivé automatiquement", "automatiquement" means automatically, without the member needing to make another request at that point. It describes how the reactivation will occur.
ensuite
In "réactivé automatiquement ensuite", "ensuite" means afterward or then. It places the reactivation after the temporary suspension period.
Oui
In "Oui, sauf si...", "Oui" confirms that the access will be reactivated automatically. It is a direct affirmative answer to the preceding question.
sauf
In "sauf si vous demandez...", "sauf" introduces an exception to the automatic reactivation. The reusable pattern is "sauf si + clause", meaning unless a condition occurs.
si
In "sauf si vous demandez...", "si" introduces the condition that creates the exception. It corresponds to if within the larger expression meaning unless.
demandez
In "si vous demandez une prolongation", "demandez" means request or ask for, with "vous" as the subject. The reusable pattern is "vous demandez + a noun" for stating what someone requests.
prolongation
In "demandez une prolongation", "prolongation" means an extension of the current period. Here it is the additional time the member may request before reactivation.
avant
In "avant cela", "avant" means before and places one event earlier than another. It is commonly used before a time or event being referred to.
Grammar Points
avoir besoin de + nom
J'ai besoin d'un formulaire.
zhay buh-ZWAN duhn for-myoo-LAIR.I need a form.
After avoir besoin, use de (d' before a vowel) before the thing needed.
Je préférerais + infinitif
Je préférerais garder les détails privés.
zhuh pray-fay-ruh-RAY gahr-DAY lay day-TAHY pree-VAY.I would prefer to keep the details private.
The conditional form préférerais expresses a polite or less direct preference.
French Vocabulary
à l'aide de
prep
ah LED duh
with the help of; by means of
à l'aide d'un formulaire
abonnement
noun
ah-bon-uh-MAHN
membership; subscription
mon abonnement
avoir besoin de
phrase
ah-VWAHR buh-ZWAN duh
to need
ai besoin de
J'ai besoin de suspendre mon abonnement
convalescence
noun
kon-vah-leh-SAHNSS
recovery; convalescence
pendant ma convalescence
demander
verb
duh-mahn-DAY
to request; to ask for
demander une suspension temporaire
formulaire
noun
for-myoo-LAIR
form
un formulaire succinct
fournir
verb
foohr-NEER
to provide
fournir un justificatif
justificatif
noun
zhoos-tee-fee-KAHF
supporting document; proof
un justificatif
succinct
adj
sahn-SEKT
brief; concise
un formulaire succinct
suspendre
verb
suhs-PAHNdruh
to suspend; to pause
suspendre mon abonnement
suspension
noun
suhs-pahn-SYON
suspension; freeze
une suspension temporaire
temporaire
adj
tahm-poh-RAIR
temporary
une suspension temporaire
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
temporary
Show Answer
temporairemembership; subscription
Show Answer
abonnementform
Show Answer
formulaireto suspend; to pause