Verb drill
Study a French dialogue transcript: follow, cover and adapt
Work through a café transcript, trace each question and reply, then complete eight gaps. Reuse the request patterns with clear English cues.
- A2
- 8 answers
- Checked all at once
- Accents count
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
First identify what each question asks for, then read the reply beside it. Cover one line, give your own reply and reveal the model. Finally, change a detail while keeping the construction: Je voudrais un café becomes Je voudrais un thé.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
- Server
Bonjour, qu’est-ce que je vous sers ?
Hello, what can I get you?
- Customer
Je voudrais un café noir, s’il vous plaît.
I’d like a black coffee, please.
- Server
Avec du sucre ?
With sugar?
- Customer
Non merci, pas de sucre. Je prends aussi une tartine avec du beurre et de la confiture.
No thanks, no sugar. I’ll also have a slice of bread with butter and jam.
- Server
De la confiture de fraise ou d’abricot ?
Strawberry or apricot jam?
- Customer
D’abricot, merci. Et un verre d’eau, s’il vous plaît.
Apricot, thank you. And a glass of water, please.
- Server
Autre chose ?
Anything else?
- Customer
Non, c’est tout. Merci.
No, that’s all. Thank you.
| Question | What the reply supplies |
|---|---|
| Qu’est-ce que je vous sers ? | An order: black coffee. |
| Avec du sucre ? | A preference: no sugar. |
| De fraise ou d’abricot ? | A choice: apricot. |
| Autre chose ? | A closing response: that is all. |
Four anchors in the transcript
Find:
How do you study a French dialogue transcript?
| Job | Pattern | New example |
|---|---|---|
| Request | Je voudrais + noun | Je voudrais un thé. |
| Decline an ingredient | pas de + noun | Pas de lait, merci. |
| Ask for a quantity | un verre de + noun | Un verre de jus d’orange, s’il vous plaît. |
In the exercise, use the English cues to recover the missing words. Keep the article with the noun. For the jam choice, the server has already said de la confiture; the short answer supplies d’abricot. Straight and curly apostrophes are both accepted.
1 · Complete the transcript patterns
- Je un thé, s’il vous plaît. (would like: vouloir, je)
- Non merci, pas sucre. (of: after pas)
- Je aussi une tartine. (will have: prendre, je)
- Une tartine avec beurre. (some: masculine singular)
- Une tartine avec confiture. (some: feminine singular)
- — De fraise ou d’abricot ? — , merci. (apricot: complete the short reply)
- Et un verre , s’il vous plaît. (of water)
- Non, c’est . Merci. (all)
Try one complete variation
Now order tea, decline milk and choose strawberry jam. Keep the server’s questions beside your replies and change each reply that depends on the new choice. In the course lesson, use the matching recording to compare a short stretch with the transcript.