French · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 2 of 12
Travel and hotels
À l'hôtel
Check in at a hotel, ask about breakfast, make polite requests with pourriez-vous and explain a small problem in your room.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Check in and say how long you're staying
- Ask for things politely with pourriez-vous
- Explain a problem in your room
Listen
Patrick Lemoine arrives at a small hotel in Avignon in the evening. A few minutes later, he comes back down to reception. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Receptionist
Bonsoir, monsieur.
Good evening.
Patrick
Bonsoir, madame. J'ai réservé une chambre pour deux nuits, au nom de Lemoine.
Good evening. I've booked a room for two nights, in the name of Lemoine.
Receptionist
Oui… Monsieur Lemoine, du 14 au 16 mai. C'est la chambre 21, au deuxième étage. Voici votre clé.
Yes… Mr Lemoine, from 14 to 16 May. It's room 21, on the second floor. Here's your key.
Patrick
Merci. Le petit-déjeuner est compris ?
Thank you. Is breakfast included?
Receptionist
Oui, il est servi de sept heures à dix heures, dans la salle à côté.
Yes, it's served from seven to ten, in the room next door.
Patrick
Excusez-moi, madame. Il y a un problème dans ma chambre : la climatisation ne marche pas.
Excuse me. There's a problem in my room: the air conditioning isn't working.
Receptionist
Oh, je suis désolée. Vous voulez changer de chambre ? La 25 est libre.
Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like to change rooms? Room 25 is free.
Patrick
Oui, merci. Et est-ce que vous pourriez réserver un taxi pour le 16 au matin ?
Yes, thank you. And could you book a taxi for the morning of the 16th?
Receptionist
Bien sûr. À quelle heure ?
Of course. What time?
Patrick
À huit heures, pour aller à la gare.
At eight, to go to the station.
Receptionist
Très bien. Voici la clé de la 25. Bonne soirée, monsieur.
Very good. Here's the key to room 25. Have a good evening.
Understand
Polite requests: pourriez-vous… ?
In a hotel or a shop, the polite way to ask someone to do something is + infinitive (could you…?), or, a little more formally, + infinitive. + infinitive is fine too, just less formal.
To ask whether you can do or have something, say + infinitive (could I…?). and come from . Like , they are polite forms of a tense called the conditional. For now, learn them as fixed phrases.
- Est-ce que vous pourriez réserver un taxi ?Could you book a taxi?
- Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?Could you repeat that, please?
- Est-ce que je pourrais avoir une autre serviette ?Could I have another towel?
- Est-ce que je pourrais changer de chambre ?Could I change rooms?
Nights, dates and floors
For dates, say (from 14 to 16 May). For the length of your stay, use : , .
Floors are counted as in Britain: the ground floor is , then comes (first floor), (second floor) and so on. To make these order words, add -ième to the number: , . Numbers ending in -e drop it: , . Watch out for (fifth) and (ninth), and “first” is .
| French | English |
|---|---|
| a room for two people | |
| for three nights | |
| from 14 to 16 May | |
| on the ground floor | |
| on the first floor | |
| on the second floor | |
| on the fourth floor |
Explaining a problem
Start with or …, then say what's wrong. means “to walk”, but for machines it means “to work”: (The wifi isn't working).
To say that something is missing, use : (There are no towels). As you know from A1, becomes after a negative.
- La douche ne marche pas.The shower isn't working.
- Le chauffage ne marche pas.The heating isn't working.
- Il n'y a pas de serviettes dans la salle de bains.There are no towels in the bathroom.
More in the grammar: French numbers: from 0 to a million · The conditional: je voudrais, si j'avais…
New words
- réserverto book, to reserve · : I've booked
- la nuitnight
- au nom de…in the name of…
- du… au…from… to… (with dates)
- l'étagefloor, storey · masculine:
- le petit-déjeunerbreakfast
- compris / compriseincluded
- il est serviit's served
- la salleroom (for meals or meetings) · a bedroom is
- la climatisationair conditioning
- ne marche pasisn't working
- changer de chambreto change rooms
- est-ce que vous pourriez… ?could you…? (polite)
- bonne soiréehave a good evening
Practise
1.You want the receptionist to book a taxi for you. What's the most polite way to ask?
2.Complete: “a room from 14 to 16 May”.
A room from 14 to 16 May.
3.Complete: “The air conditioning isn't working.”
The air conditioning isn't working.
4.Your room is . Where is it?
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I've booked a room for two nights.
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
J'ai réservé une chambre au nom de Martin.
I've booked a room in the name of Martin.
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.
0 of 5 answered.