Phrasebook
French self-correction phrases: leave one clear final message
Practise pardon, je veux dire and je parle de to repair a date, clarify a person or keep an uncertain detail open in French conversation.
- B1
- 12 phrases
- 4 situations
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Use pardon to replace a slip, je veux dire to restate your meaning and je parle de to name an unclear person or thing. Finish with the detail the listener should keep. If you still need to check a fact, say so clearly.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Replace the wrong day
The speaker knows the date. The repair replaces Tuesday with Wednesday.
Say the idea again more clearly
The second phrase explains what “earlier” means in this plan.
Name the person behind a pronoun
The pronoun is grammatical. The added role makes its reference clear.
Leave an uncertain date open
The listener needs to know that a check is still pending.
Listen for the detail that survives the repair
| Repair | Ask the listener |
|---|---|
| A replaced day | Quel jour avez-vous retenu ? |
| A clearer time limit | Avant quelle heure faut-il commencer ? |
| A named person | De qui est-ce que je parle ? |
| A pending check | Est-ce que le jour est confirmé ? |
Practise one exchange with the phrase list visible, then hide your lines. Ask your partner to give the final detail back to you. If they keep the first version, repeat the correction as a complete short sentence. For an uncertain date, the successful message is that confirmation is still due.