By the end of this lesson you'll be able to answer the phone, ask for someone, leave a message, and spell your name or give a number.
Answering and asking
A professional phone call usually uses vous, and short set phrases. Commands come from the lesson on the imperative, and you can make a request with pouvoir from the lesson on pouvoir, vouloir and devoir, in the inverted style from the lesson on yes/no questions.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Allô ? | ah-LOH | Hello? (on the phone) |
| C'est … à l'appareil. | seh … ah lah-pah-RAY | This is … speaking. |
| Qui est à l'appareil ? | kee eh ah lah-pah-RAY | Who's calling? |
| C'est de la part de qui ? | seh duh lah par duh KEE | Who's calling, please? |
| Je voudrais parler à… | zhuh voo-dreh par-LAY ah | I'd like to speak to… |
| Ne quittez pas. | nuh kee-tay PAH | Hold the line. |
| Je vous passe… | zhuh voo PAHSS | I'll put you through to…Fixed phrase for now. |
Je vous passe… is a fixed phrase for now, and you can use it with a name: Je vous passe Madame Roche.
Allô ? Oui, bonjour.
Hello? Yes, good morning.
C'est Karim à l'appareil.
This is Karim speaking.
Je voudrais parler à Madame Roche, s'il vous plaît.
I'd like to speak to Mrs Roche, please.
When things don't go to plan
Sometimes the person isn't available, or the line isn't good.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? | poo-vay voo ray-pay-TAY, seel voo PLEH | Can you repeat that, please? |
| Pouvez-vous rappeler plus tard ? | poo-vay voo rah-play plew TAR | Can you call back later? |
| occupé / occupée | oh-kew-PAY | busy (man / woman) |
| absent / absente | ap-SAHN / ap-SAHNT | away, out (man / woman) |
| en réunion | ahn ray-ew-NYOHN | in a meeting |
| Vous vous trompez de numéro. | voo voo trohn-pay duh new-may-ROH | You've got the wrong number.Fixed phrase for now. |
Monsieur Martin est en réunion.
Mr Martin is in a meeting.
Madame Roche est absente.
Mrs Roche is out.
Occupé and absent are adjectives, so they match the person.
Leaving a message
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| laisser un message | leh-say uhn meh-SAHZH | to leave a message |
| le répondeur | luh ray-pohn-DUHR | the answering machine, voicemail |
| un message vocal | uhn meh-sahzh voh-KAHL | a voice message |
| un SMS / un texto | uhn ess-em-ESS / uhn tek-STOH | a text messageBoth are common. |
Je voudrais laisser un message.
I'd like to leave a message.
J'ai un SMS de Paul.
I have a text from Paul.
Un SMS and un texto mean the same thing, and both are common. Your own short messages can follow the patterns in the lesson on writing a short message.
Names and numbers
To give your name, spell it using the letters from the lesson on the alphabet and accents. Comment ça s'écrit ? (How do you spell that?) is the usual question.
French phone numbers are read in pairs, using the numbers from the lesson on numbers 21 to 100. So 06 12 34 56 78 is zéro six, douze, trente-quatre, cinquante-six, soixante-dix-huit.
A model call
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Allô, bonjour. | Hello, good morning. |
| Bonjour, je voudrais parler à Madame Roche, s'il vous plaît. | Hello, I'd like to speak to Mrs Roche, please. |
| C'est de la part de qui ? | Who's calling, please? |
| C'est Paul Martin à l'appareil. | This is Paul Martin speaking. |
| Ne quittez pas. Je vous passe Madame Roche. | Hold the line. I'll put you through to Mrs Roche. |
Taking a message
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Madame Roche est en réunion. | Mrs Roche is in a meeting. |
| Je peux laisser un message ? | Can I leave a message? |
| Oui, bien sûr. | Yes, of course. |
| Pouvez-vous rappeler plus tard ? | Can you call back later? |
| Oui. Mon numéro, c'est le zéro six, vingt-deux, quarante-cinq, dix, trente. | Yes. My number is 06 22 45 10 30. |
| Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? | Can you repeat that, please? |
What's next
Next, the review of this unit brings together jobs, c'est and il est, savoir and connaître, and how to talk about time.