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Complet, relâche, reporté: French performance notices

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Read twenty French performance-notice expressions, distinguishing sold out, a scheduled day off, postponement, cancellation and the stated ticket instructions.

In short

Complet means sold out; relâche means no performance is scheduled that day; reporté means postponed; annulé means cancelled. Each describes a different status. For a postponement, check whether a new date exists and what the notice says about your ticket.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Empty seats and curved balconies inside the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.
Auditorium of the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris, photographed in 2013. Resized and converted to WebP. Derivative shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). Coyau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

A venue may be open while a particular show is sold out, or schedule a day without performances. Neither situation automatically means the whole season is cancelled. Read the subject of the label: the séance, spectacle, venue or booking may have different statuses.

Whether a performance happens

completsold outLa séance de vendredi est complète.
relâchea scheduled day with no performanceLe théâtre indique « relâche » le lundi.
reporté, reportéepostponedLa représentation est reportée au 18 mai.
annulé, annuléecancelledLa séance de ce soir est annulée.
maintenu, maintenuegoing ahead as scheduledLe spectacle de samedi est maintenu.

Booking status

réservation nécessairebooking requiredLa rencontre est gratuite, mais la réservation est nécessaire.
sans réservationwithout bookingL’exposition se visite sans réservation.
une liste d’attentea waiting listVous pouvez demander une place sur la liste d’attente.
des places remises en ventetickets made available for sale againQuelques places seront remises en vente à midi.
une confirmation de réservationa booking confirmationPrésentez votre confirmation de réservation à l’entrée.

Times and access

ouverture des portesdoors openOuverture des portes à 19 h, début à 19 h 30.
début du spectaclestart of the showLe début du spectacle est fixé à vingt heures.
placement libreunreserved seatingLe placement est libre dans cette salle.
places numérotéesnumbered seatsLes billets indiquent le numéro de votre place.
accès après le débutentry after the startConsultez les conditions d’accès après le début du spectacle.

Read the follow-up instruction

nouvelle date à annoncernew date to be announcedLe concert est reporté ; nouvelle date à annoncer.
conserver son billetto keep one’s ticketLe message demande de conserver son billet pour la nouvelle date.
modalités de remboursementrefund procedure or conditionsLes modalités de remboursement figurent dans le courriel.
se renseigner auprès deto ask for information fromVeuillez vous renseigner auprès de la billetterie.
sous réserve de modificationsubject to changeLe programme est annoncé sous réserve de modification.

An expected non-performance day

Relâche in a theatre schedule indicates a day when that production is not being performed. It is not simply a synonym for a last-minute cancellation. A box office or another part of the building may have its own opening hours, which the word does not establish.

A later date may still be unknown

Reporté au 18 mai supplies a replacement date. Reporté, nouvelle date à annoncer does not. Do not write the old date into your calendar as confirmed merely because a new one has not been published. Keep the organiser’s current notice or ask the billetterie for the missing instruction.

Question 1No account needed
A show is complet. What does that describe?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Tickets for that showing are sold out.. Complet gives ticket availability for the stated showing.

Question 2No account needed
What is relâche in the schedule?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

A scheduled day without that performance. It concerns the absence of a scheduled performance on that day.

Question 3No account needed
The notice says reporté, nouvelle date à annoncer. What remains unknown?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The replacement date. The announcement explicitly leaves the new date to be published.

A status label does not by itself provide a refund policy, ticket validity rule or late-entry permission. Those details need the notice’s instructions. A precise question is Mon billet restera-t-il valable pour la nouvelle date ? rather than an assumption that every venue handles changes identically.

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