Sentence builder
Ask for advice in French without asking someone to decide for you
Build eight French requests for useful advice: ask for an opinion, relevant experience or comparison criteria while keeping responsibility for the decision.
- B1
- 8 sentences to build
- Tap the tiles
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Ask for a defined contribution: ton avis sur ces deux options, ton expérience de ce cours or les critères utiles pour comparer. Then keep the decision explicit if needed: Je prendrai la décision après avoir comparé les informations. A useful request tells the listener how their experience can help.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
The builder gives eight model formulations. Reassemble the supplied words to match each cue. Other natural French word orders or expressions can exist; this exercise practises the particular model given. The communicative aim is to request a useful piece of help rather than delegate the whole choice.
Tap the words in the right order. Tap a placed word to send it back.
Ask for an opinion about these two options.
Ask what the person thought of this training course.
Ask how the person chose their placement.
Ask which criteria seem useful for comparing the schedules.
Ask for the person’s experience of this kind of class.
State that you will decide after comparing the information.
Ask which questions the person would ask in your position.
Explain how the person’s experience would help you ask more precise questions.
An opinion needs an object
Ton avis sur ces deux options names what you want the other person to compare. Ton avis on its own can be useful when the context is already clear, but a new conversation often needs the issue stated. The cue about schedules asks for criteria, so the person can explain how to think about the choice rather than merely name their favourite.
Ask what the person actually knows
Comment tu as choisi ton stage requests an account of their own process. Ton expérience de ce type de cours asks for relevant first-hand information. Neither question assumes that the other person knows every condition in your situation. Their answer can help you identify what to ask the provider next.
| Request | Useful answer it invites |
|---|---|
| Ton avis sur ces deux options | A comparison from the listener’s perspective |
| Ce que tu as pensé de cette formation | Their experience of the course |
| Comment tu as choisi ton stage | Their decision process |
| Quels critères te semblent utiles | Factors worth considering |
| Quelles questions poserais-tu ? | Questions to ask before deciding |
State the next step in your own voice
Je prendrai la décision… keeps the final action with the speaker. Après avoir comparé les informations explains what happens first. Ton expérience m’aiderait… then gives the adviser a meaningful role without making them responsible for an outcome they cannot control.
J’ai surtout besoin de ton expérience du trajet. Je déciderai ensuite selon mes horaires.
I mainly need your experience of the journey. I’ll then decide according to my schedule.
Before asking for advice, choose whether you need an opinion, an experience, a comparison method or a question to investigate. Naming that contribution makes it easier for the other person to help within what they know.