Dialogue
Correct yourself in French: je veux dire and ou plutôt
Follow a booking call with three small repairs. Use je veux dire for a corrected fact, ou plutôt for a changed choice and a clear read-back to finish.
- B1
- 12 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Say the first version, mark the repair with je veux dire or ou plutôt, then give the replacement a clear ending. A brief break and fresh pitch movement can help the listener hear what changed. Finish by confirming the detail that now stands.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
In this call, the customer corrects a day, changes a preference and clarifies a time. Use practice mode to hide the customer’s lines. The English cue tells you the final message to deliver.
- Secrétariat
Cabinet Martin, bonjour.
English
Dr Martin’s surgery, hello.
- Vous
Bonjour, je voudrais déplacer mon rendez-vous, s’il vous plaît.
Greet the receptionist and ask to move your appointment.
English
Hello, I’d like to move my appointment, please.
- Secrétariat
Bien sûr. Quel jour vous conviendrait ?
English
Of course. Which day would suit you?
- Vous
Mardi… je veux dire mercredi. Je suis libre mercredi.
Say Tuesday, correct it to Wednesday, then confirm Wednesday.
English
Tuesday… I mean Wednesday. I’m free on Wednesday.
- Secrétariat
Le matin ou l’après-midi ?
English
In the morning or the afternoon?
- Vous
Le matin, ou plutôt l’après-midi, après quatorze heures.
Begin with morning, then change your preference to afternoon after two.
English
In the morning, or rather in the afternoon, after two.
- Secrétariat
J’ai un créneau à quatorze heures trente.
English
I have a slot at half past two.
- Vous
Parfait. Donc, mercredi à quatorze heures quinze… pardon, à quatorze heures trente.
Read back Wednesday at 2.15, then correct the time to 2.30.
English
Perfect. So, Wednesday at quarter past two… sorry, at half past two.
- Secrétariat
Oui, mercredi à quatorze heures trente. C’est à quel nom ?
English
Yes, Wednesday at half past two. What name is it under?
- Vous
Au nom de Delmas. D-E-L-M-A-S.
Give the name Delmas and spell it.
English
Under Delmas. D-E-L-M-A-S.
- Secrétariat
Très bien, c’est noté.
English
Very good, that’s noted.
- Vous
Merci beaucoup. Au revoir !
Thank the receptionist and say goodbye.
English
Thank you very much. Goodbye!
How do you correct yourself in French?
| Marker | Job in the call | Final detail |
|---|---|---|
| je veux dire | Corrects the day said by mistake. | mercredi |
| ou plutôt | Revises the preferred option. | l’après-midi |
| pardon | Flags a slip in the read-back. | quatorze heures trente |
For the day correction, let mardi stop, say je veux dire lightly, then give mercredi a fresh start. The next sentence, je suis libre mercredi, makes the result explicit. For the time correction, repeat the whole time so the listener can replace it as a unit.
A qualification changes the strength of a claim
Le trajet est court, enfin, plus court que l’autre.
The journey is short—well, shorter than the other one.
Here enfin narrows the claim. The speaker compares two journeys rather than promising that either one is short in absolute terms.
Keep the repair marker brief and make the revised information clear. A listener should be able to repeat the final day, time or choice. If several details have changed, a complete read-back brings them together.