Shared Equipment Etiquette at the Gym | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Shared Equipment Etiquette at the Gym to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

J’ai remarqué que plusieurs machines étaient réservées en y laissant des serviettes pendant longtemps.

zhay ruh-mar-KAY kuh ploo-ZYUR ma-SHEEN ay-TEH ray-zair-VAY ahn ee lay-SAHN day sair-VYET pahn-DAHN lon-TAHN. I noticed several machines were being reserved with towels for a long time.

Cela peut être frustrant, surtout quand la salle de sport est bondée.

suh-LAH puh EH-truh frew-STRAHN, sir-TOO kahn lah sahl duh spor ay bohn-DAY. That can be frustrating, especially when the gym is busy.

Je ne voulais pas confronter directement qui que ce soit.

zhuh nuh voo-LAY pah kon-fron-TAY dee-rekt-MAHN kee kuh suh SWAH. I did not want to confront anyone directly.

Le personnel peut faire un rappel général sans viser qui que ce soit en particulier.

luh pair-soh-NEL puh fair uhn rah-PEL zhay-nay-RAL sahn vee-ZAY kee kuh suh SWAH ahn par-tee-kyoo-LYAY. Staff can give a general reminder without singling anyone out.

Ce serait moins agressif.

suh suh-RAY mwahn ah-gray-SEEF. That would feel less aggressive.

Je peux faire une annonce et surveiller plus souvent la salle de sport.

zhuh puh fair oon ah-NONSS ay seer-vay-YAY ploo soo-VAHN lah sahl duh spor. I can make an announcement and monitor the gym floor more often.

Cela devrait améliorer l’accès sans créer de tension.

suh-LAH duh-VRAY ah-may-lee-oh-RAY lak-SAY sahn cray-AY duh tahn-SYON. That should improve access without creating tension.

Merci de le signaler à nouveau si la même chose continue de se produire.

mair-SEE duh luh see-nyah-LAY ah noo-VOH see lah mem shohz kon-tee-NYOO duh suh proh-DWEER. Please report it again if the same thing keeps happening.

Word by Word

J’ai J’ai is the form used with remarqué to say I noticed in this dialogue. It is reusable in J’ai + a past participle when reporting something you have noticed or done.

remarqué Remarqué means noticed here: the speaker observed the machines being reserved with towels. It is the past-participle form related to remarquer and is reusable after J’ai in statements such as J’ai remarqué que…

que Que introduces the content of what the speaker noticed: several machines were being reserved. It is commonly used after verbs such as remarquer to introduce a full clause, as in remarquer que + clause.

plusieurs Plusieurs means several, referring here to more than one machine. It is placed before the plural noun plusieurs machines and can be reused with other plural nouns when giving an imprecise number.

machines Machines means machines, specifically the gym machines being reserved in this dialogue. It is the plural form of machine and can be reused after plusieurs or other quantity words.

étaient Étaient helps express that the machines were in the state of being reserved at that time. It is a form of être used with réservées in étaient réservées, a useful pattern for describing an ongoing past state or action.

réservées Réservées means reserved here, describing the machines as being held for someone. It is the feminine plural form related to réserver and agrees with machines in étaient réservées.

en En introduces the gerund construction en y laissant, meaning by leaving towels there. The pattern en + a present participle can explain how an action is carried out or what happens while doing it.

y Y refers to the place or equipment where the towels are left, understood here as the machines. In en y laissant des serviettes, it means there or on them and can be reused before a verb when referring back to a place.

laissant Laissant means leaving in the exact construction en y laissant des serviettes. It is the present-participle form related to laisser and is used after en to describe the accompanying action.

des Des introduces the plural noun serviettes as some towels or towels in general. The pattern des + plural noun is useful when referring to an unspecified amount of plural items.

serviettes Serviettes means towels, the items left on the machines to reserve them. It is the plural form of serviette and can be reused with quantity or article words such as des serviettes.

pendant Pendant expresses the duration for which the towels remain there: for a long time. It is used before a duration expression, as in pendant longtemps, when describing how long an action or situation lasts.

longtemps Longtemps means a long time in pendant longtemps. This expression is useful for emphasizing that an action or situation continues for an extended duration.

Cela Cela refers to the situation just described and means that or it in That can be frustrating. It can be reused as a pronoun referring back to a previously mentioned situation, especially before a verb.

peut Peut means can here, expressing that the situation may be frustrating. It is a form of pouvoir used before an infinitive, as in peut être, to describe a possible quality or result.

être Être means be in peut être frustrant. It is the infinitive used after peut and is reusable after modal expressions when describing what something can be.

frustrant Frustrant means frustrating, describing the situation of machines being unavailable. It is used after être in peut être frustrant and can describe a situation, event, or arrangement that causes frustration.

surtout Surtout means especially, highlighting the condition that makes the situation more frustrating. It can be placed before a clause or detail to give that point extra emphasis.

quand Quand means when and introduces the situation in which the problem is especially frustrating. It is reusable before a clause that gives the time or circumstances for an event.

la La is the definite article before salle in la salle de sport, meaning the gym or sports facility. It is reused before a specific feminine noun, as in la salle.

salle Salle means room or facility here, and salle de sport refers to the gym. The pattern salle de + activity or purpose is useful for naming a type of facility.

de De links salle with sport in salle de sport, expressing the facility’s purpose or type. The pattern noun + de + noun is commonly used to describe what a place or thing is for.

sport Sport identifies the purpose of the salle in salle de sport, namely exercise or sports. This exact expression is useful when referring to a gym or sports facility.

bondée Bondée means crowded here, describing the gym when many people are using it. It is the feminine form related to bondé and matches salle in la salle de sport est bondée.

Je Je means I and identifies the speaker who did not want to confront anyone. It is placed before the verb, as in Je ne voulais pas…, when stating the speaker’s intention or feeling.

ne Ne is one part of the negation ne…pas in Je ne voulais pas, meaning did not or did not want. It normally works together with pas around the conjugated verb in a complete negative statement.

voulais Voulais means wanted in Je ne voulais pas, expressing the speaker’s past intention. It is a past form related to vouloir and is reusable with an infinitive to state what someone wanted or did not want to do.

pas Pas completes the negation ne…pas in Je ne voulais pas, making the meaning did not want. The pattern ne + conjugated verb + pas is the basic way to negate a statement.

confronter Confronter means confront here, referring to addressing a person directly about the equipment. It is the infinitive after voulais and can be reused after verbs that express wanting or refusing an action.

directement Directement means directly, specifying how the speaker did not want to confront anyone. It is an adverb that can be placed with an action to describe the manner in which it is done.

qui que ce soit Qui que ce soit means anyone or anybody here, within the negative expression Je ne voulais pas confronter directement qui que ce soit. The whole expression is used for an unspecified person: qui contributes who, que links the expression, ce means this or that, and soit is the form used in the expression; the reusable pattern is ne…pas + qui que ce soit.

Le Le is the definite article before personnel in Le personnel, meaning the staff. It is reused before a specific masculine singular noun or a collective noun referring to a defined group.

personnel Personnel means staff here, referring to the gym employees who can give the reminder. It is a collective noun and can be used with a definite article when referring to the staff of a particular place.

faire Faire means make or give in faire un rappel, the expression used for giving a reminder. It is the infinitive after peut and is reusable in faire + noun expressions for carrying out an action.

un Un introduces rappel as a single, unspecified reminder in un rappel général. The pattern un + singular noun is useful when referring to one item or action without identifying a particular one.

rappel Rappel means reminder here, specifically a general reminder about equipment etiquette. It is used in faire un rappel, a practical expression for giving people a reminder about a rule or behavior.

général Général means general, describing a reminder addressed to everyone rather than to one identified person. It follows rappel in un rappel général and can be reused after a noun to describe its broad, non-specific scope.

sans Sans means without and introduces the action that is avoided: singling anyone out. It is used before an infinitive in sans viser and can be reused to describe an action done without another action taking place.

viser Viser means target or single out here, referring to identifying one person as responsible. It is the infinitive after sans and can be reused in sans viser quelqu’un when describing an action that avoids targeting a person.

particulier Particulier contributes the meaning particular in the exact expression en particulier, so qui que ce soit en particulier means anyone in particular. This expression is useful when emphasizing that no specific individual is being singled out.

Ce Ce means that or it in Ce serait moins agressif, referring back to the general reminder. It is used before serait to point to a previously mentioned idea or action.

serait Serait means would be, presenting the proposed reminder as a possible result or evaluation. It is a form of être used with an adjective in serait moins agressif, a reusable pattern for describing a hypothetical quality.

moins Moins means less in moins agressif, reducing the degree of the following description. The pattern moins + adjective is useful when comparing the intensity of a quality.

agressif Agressif means aggressive here, describing how the proposed approach might feel to people. It is used after serait and can describe the tone or manner of an action or communication.

peux Peux means can here, as the staff member offers to take action. It is a form of pouvoir used before infinitives such as faire and surveiller to state what the speaker is able or willing to do.

une Une introduces annonce as one announcement in une annonce. The pattern une + singular noun is useful when referring to one unspecified feminine noun.

annonce Annonce means announcement here, referring to a message made for the whole gym. It appears in faire une annonce, a reusable expression for making an announcement.

et Et means and, joining the two actions faire une annonce and surveiller la salle de sport. It is used to connect words, phrases, or coordinated actions.

surveiller Surveiller means monitor here, referring to watching the gym floor more often. It is an infinitive coordinated with faire after peux and can be reused for monitoring a place, activity, or situation.

plus Plus modifies souvent in plus souvent and makes the frequency higher: more often. This pattern is useful when saying that an action will happen with increased frequency.

souvent Souvent means often, and plus souvent means more often in this dialogue. It is an adverb of frequency that can be placed with a verb to describe how regularly an action happens.

devrait Devrait means should here, expressing an expected positive result rather than a guarantee. It is used before the infinitive améliorer in devrait améliorer, a useful pattern for predicting or recommending an outcome.

améliorer Améliorer means improve, referring to making access better. It is the infinitive after devrait and can be reused with a direct object, as in améliorer l’accès.

l’accès L’accès means access here, referring to people’s ability to use the shared equipment. It is the contracted form of le before accès and can be reused after améliorer to name what becomes easier or better available.

créer Créer means create here, referring to bringing about tension. It is the infinitive after sans in sans créer de tension and can be reused after sans to describe an avoided result.

tension Tension means tension in créer de tension, referring to interpersonal friction at the gym. The expression sans créer de tension is useful when describing a way to solve a problem without causing conflict.

Merci Merci functions as please in Merci de le signaler, making the request polite. The pattern Merci de + infinitive is useful when asking someone courteously to take an action.

signaler Signaler means report here, referring to informing staff about the problem again. It is the infinitive after de in Merci de le signaler and can be reused when reporting an issue or situation.

à À is part of the exact expression à nouveau, which means again here. It should be learned with nouveau in this expression rather than translated as to by itself.

nouveau Nouveau contributes again in the expression à nouveau, meaning to report it again. This exact expression is reusable when asking for an action to be repeated.

si Si means if and introduces the condition under which the listener should report the problem again. It is placed before a clause describing a possible condition or circumstance.

même Même means same in la même chose, referring back to the identical problem. It is placed before the noun in this expression and can be reused to identify something as unchanged or identical.

chose Chose means thing in la même chose, meaning the same thing. This noun is commonly used with an article and an adjective, as in la même chose.

continue Continue means continues here, saying that the same thing keeps happening. It is a form related to continuer and is used with the subject la même chose in the condition si la même chose continue de se produire.

se Se is the pronoun used with produire in se produire, forming the expression meaning happen or occur. It belongs with the infinitive in this construction and is used when an event is described as taking place.

produire Produire means happen or occur in the exact expression se produire. The pattern se produire is useful for describing an event or situation that takes place, as in la même chose continue de se produire.

Grammar Points

continuer de + infinitif

continuer de se produire

kon-tee-NYOO duh suh proh-DWEER

to keep happening

After continuer, French commonly uses de before an infinitive: continuer de se produire.

accord de l’adjectif

machines réservées

ma-SHEEN ray-zair-VAY

reserved machines

réservées agrees with the feminine plural noun machines; English adjectives do not change.

French Vocabulary

bondée adj

bohn-DAY crowded

la salle de sport est bondée

confronter verb

kon-fron-TAY confront

Je ne voulais pas confronter directement qui que ce soit

directement adv

dee-rekt-MAHN directly

confronter directement

frustrant adj

frew-STRAHN frustrating

Cela peut être frustrant

machines noun

ma-SHEEN machines

plusieurs machines

pendant longtemps phrase

pahn-DAHN lon-TAHN for a long time

en y laissant des serviettes pendant longtemps

personnel noun

pair-soh-NEL staff

Le personnel peut faire un rappel général

plusieurs det

ploo-ZYUR several

plusieurs machines

remarqué verb

ruh-mar-KAY noticed

J’ai remarqué que plusieurs machines étaient réservées.

réservées verb

ray-zair-VAY reserved

les machines étaient réservées

salle de sport phrase

sahl duh spor gym

quand la salle de sport est bondée

serviettes noun

sair-VYET towels

en y laissant des serviettes

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

That would feel less aggressive.

Show Answer

Ce serait moins agressif.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

noticed

Show Answer

remarqué

several

Show Answer

plusieurs

frustrating

Show Answer

frustrant

machines

Show Answer

machines