Text conversation
Calling your aunt in French: leave a simple family update
Send your aunt a short French family update after a missed call. Choose clear replies about who is home, who is at work and when to call again.
- A1
- 3 replies to choose
- Phone-style thread
- Learn this in the A1 notebook →
In short
Name the people first, then use nous sommes for yourself and someone else or ils sont for other people: Sami et moi, nous sommes à la maison. Mes parents sont au travail. In a short update, an explicit name or family noun keeps the pronoun clear.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Maya sees a missed call from her aunt, tante Inès. She follows up by text. Maya and her brother Sami are at home; their parents are at work. The parents finish at six, and Inès can call at half past six. Use those facts to choose each reply in the chat.
- Coucou Maya ! J’ai essayé de vous appeler. Vous êtes à la maison ?Hi Maya! I tried to call you. Are you at home?
Say that you and Sami are at home.
- Et tes parents, ils sont là aussi ?And your parents, are they there too?
Explain that your parents are at work.
- Ils finissent à quelle heure ?What time do they finish?
The parents finish at six in the evening.
- Je peux vous appeler à dix-huit heures et demie ?Can I call you at half past six?
- Oui, c’est très bien. À tout à l’heure !
Oui, c’est très bien. À tout à l’heure !
Yes, that’s very good. Speak to you later!
Who belongs in nous?
In Sami et moi, nous sommes à la maison, nous includes Maya because she is speaking, plus Sami. In Mes parents sont au travail. Ils finissent à dix-huit heures, ils refers to the parents and excludes Maya. The named group immediately before the pronoun gives the listener a clear reference.
| People | French update |
|---|---|
| Maya alone | Je suis à la maison. |
| Maya and Sami | Nous sommes à la maison. |
| The parents | Ils sont au travail. |
À la maison means at home. Au travail means at work. These are location phrases with être; do not use avoir simply because the sentence describes a family member. Age needs avoir, but a location update needs the matching être form: je suis, nous sommes, ils sont.
End with the next useful detail
The last message accepts the suggested call time. À tout à l’heure suits a conversation that will continue later the same day. If you cannot talk at the proposed time, give one alternative: Tu peux appeler à dix-neuf heures ? A specific time lets your aunt answer the practical question without guessing when the family will be available.