French · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 8 of 12

Plans and invitations

Faire des projets

Suggest something to do, accept or turn down an invitation, change a plan, and use y to mean “there”.

11 lines, with a translation of each

In this chapter you'll learn to

Suggest an outing with ça te dit and et si on…
Accept, decline and change a plan
Use y to mean “there”

Listen

Théo and Jade are friends in Bordeaux. Théo phones Jade to suggest an evening out. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.

Speed:

Hide translations (test yourself)

Théo
Salut, Jade. Ça te dit d'aller à un concert samedi soir ?
Hi, Jade. Do you fancy going to a concert on Saturday evening?
Jade
Quel concert ?
Which concert?
Théo
Un concert de jazz, dans un parc. C'est gratuit.
A jazz concert, in a park. It's free.
Jade
Samedi, je ne peux pas. Je dois aller à l'anniversaire de ma cousine.
I can't on Saturday. I have to go to my cousin's birthday party.
Théo
Dommage. Et si on allait au cinéma vendredi ?
Shame. How about going to the cinema on Friday?
Jade
Vendredi, oui, je veux bien. On y va à quelle heure ?
Friday, yes, I'd like that. What time shall we go?
Théo
Le film commence à vingt heures trente. On se retrouve devant le cinéma à vingt heures ?
The film starts at 8.30 pm. Shall we meet in front of the cinema at eight?
Jade
Ah, attends… Vendredi, je finis le travail à dix-neuf heures quarante-cinq. On dit plutôt vingt heures quinze ?
Oh, wait… On Friday I finish work at 7.45 pm. Shall we say 8.15 instead?
Théo
Pas de problème. Je vais réserver les places ce soir.
No problem. I'll book the seats tonight.
Jade
Super. Et après le film, on pourra manger quelque chose.
Great. And after the film we can get something to eat.
Théo
Bonne idée. À vendredi.
Good idea. See you on Friday.

Understand

Suggesting and answering

To suggest something to a friend, ask + infinitive? (Do you fancy…?). With , it's Ça vous dit de… ? Another very common way is + the imparfait: (How about going to the cinema?). Here the imparfait isn't about the past: it just makes the suggestion gentle.

You can also simply use with a rising voice: (Shall we go to the cinema?)

French	English
	I'd like that. Yes, please.
	I'd love to.
	Sorry, I can't.
	I'm not free.
	Another time?
	Shall we say eight o'clock instead?
	What a shame.

Y: there

means “there”. It replaces a place you've just mentioned, usually after , , , or : (Yes, I'm going.) English often leaves “there” out, but French needs .

Like and , goes before the verb, or before the infinitive: , . is an everyday phrase: “Shall we go?” or “Let's go.”

Tu vas chez tes parents ? — Oui, j'y vais samedi.Are you going to your parents'? — Yes, I'm going on Saturday.
Le cinéma ? On y va à pied.The cinema? We'll walk there.
Je ne peux pas y aller.I can't go.
On y va ?Shall we go?

Talking about plans

For plans, French uses three tenses, a bit like English. The present works for timetables and fixed arrangements: The near future ( + infinitive) is the usual way to say what you've decided to do:

The (chapter 6) is also correct for plans, especially further ahead, and it's the normal choice for predictions:

More in the grammar: The near future: aller + infinitive · The futur simple: will · The imparfait: describing the past · The pronouns y and en

New words

ça te dit de… ?do you fancy…?, how about…? (to a friend)
le concertconcert
le parcpark
gratuit / gratuitefree (no cost) · means free (not busy, not taken)
l'anniversairebirthday, birthday party · masculine
dommageshame, pity
et si on… ?how about…?, shall we…? · + imparfait: …
je veux bienI'd like that, yes please
on y vashall we go?, let's go
se retrouverto meet (up)
attendswait (to a friend) · from (A1 chapter 7)
plutôtrather, instead

Practise

1.Your friend suggests a film, and you'd like to go. What do you say?
2.Complete the suggestion: “How about going to the beach?”
Et si on à la plage ?
How about going to the beach?
3.Replace with one word.
Tu vas au cinéma ? — Oui, j' vais ce soir.
Are you going to the cinema? — Yes, I'm going tonight.
4.Where does go? “I'm going to go there tomorrow.”
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.
Do you fancy going to the cinema?
6.Match the French with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.

0 of 6 exercises done.

Say it out loud

Ça te dit d'aller au cinéma ?

Do you fancy going to the cinema?

Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.

Check

Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.

1.What does mean?
2.Jade says What does she mean?
3.In , what does mean?
4.Which sentence is a suggestion?
5.How does a woman say “Sorry, I can't”?

0 of 5 answered.