Dialogue
Parler, dire or raconter? Practise a catch-up conversation
Talk about a trip, pass on a message and tell what happened. Practise parler, dire and raconter in a French dialogue with prompts and translations.
- A2
- 12 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Parler covers speaking and talking about a topic. Dire introduces the words or message; raconter gives an account of what happened. All three can belong in one conversation.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
| Verb | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| parler | parler à / avec quelqu’un ; parler de quelque chose | Je parle de mon voyage avec Zoé. |
| dire | dire quelque chose à quelqu’un ; dire que… | Je dis à Zoé que le voyage était agréable. |
| raconter | raconter quelque chose à quelqu’un | Je raconte mon voyage à Zoé. |
Catch up with Zoé
You are meeting Zoé after a trip. In practice mode, use the English cues to say your part. Notice how a general topic becomes a specific message, then an anecdote.
- Zoé
Salut ! Tu veux me parler de ton week-end ?
English
Hi! Would you like to tell me about your weekend?
- You
Oui, j’ai passé le week-end chez ma sœur.
Say you spent the weekend with your sister.
English
Yes, I spent the weekend at my sister’s.
- Zoé
Comment va-t-elle ?
English
How is she?
- You
Elle va bien. Elle dit qu’elle a un nouveau travail.
Say she is well and say that she has a new job.
English
She’s well. She says she has a new job.
- Zoé
Vous avez parlé de son travail ?
English
Did you talk about her work?
- You
Oui, et elle m’a raconté sa première journée.
Say yes, then mention the story of her first day.
English
Yes, and she told me about her first day.
- Zoé
Raconte ! Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé ?
English
Tell me! What happened?
- You
Elle est arrivée très tôt, mais il n’y avait personne.
Say she arrived early but nobody was there.
English
She arrived very early, but nobody was there.
- Zoé
Et ensuite ?
English
And then?
- You
Un collègue lui a dit que l’équipe commençait à neuf heures.
Say a colleague told her the team started at nine.
English
A colleague told her the team started at nine.
- Zoé
Elle était en avance !
English
She was early!
- You
Oui ! Maintenant, elle connaît les horaires.
Agree, and say she now knows the hours.
English
Yes! Now she knows the hours.
What is the difference between parler, dire and raconter?
Parle-moi de ton voyage.Tell me about your trip.
Focus: the trip as a topic of conversation
On peut parler du voyage après le dîner.
We can talk about the trip after dinner.
Dis-moi à quelle heure tu pars.Tell me what time you are leaving.
Focus: a specific piece of information
Elle me dit qu’elle part à huit heures.
She tells me she is leaving at eight.
Raconte-moi ton voyage.Tell me about your trip.
Focus: the account of the trip and its events
D’abord, nous avons raté le train.
First, we missed the train.
English “tell me about your trip” can fit both parle-moi de ton voyage and raconte-moi ton voyage. The first opens a topic; the second invites the story. For a name or a fact, use dire: Dis-moi ton nom.
| je | nous | vous | ils / elles |
|---|---|---|---|
| dis | disons | dites | disent |