Dialogue
Rester or laisser: stay here, leave your bag here
Practise rester and laisser in a flat-viewing dialogue. Compare a person staying, an object left behind and laisser followed by an infinitive.
- A2
- 10 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Rester means to stay or remain: je reste ici. Laisser means to leave something or let someone do something: je laisse mon sac ici; laissez-moi regarder.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
You are viewing a flat with an agent. Your friend is waiting in the entrance. In practice mode, say your lines from the English cues, then reveal the French.
- Agent
Vous pouvez entrer. Votre ami vient aussi ?
English
You can come in. Is your friend coming too?
- You
Non, il reste dans l’entrée.
Say your friend is staying in the entrance.
English
No, he’s staying in the entrance.
- Agent
Vous pouvez poser vos affaires sur cette chaise.
English
You can put your things on this chair.
- You
Merci. Je laisse mon sac ici.
Thank the agent and say where you are leaving your bag.
English
Thank you. I’ll leave my bag here.
- Agent
Voici le salon. Il donne sur la cour.
English
Here is the sitting room. It overlooks the courtyard.
- You
La fenêtre reste ouverte toute la journée ?
Ask whether the window stays open all day.
English
Does the window stay open all day?
- Agent
Non, je la laisse ouverte pendant la visite.
English
No, I’m leaving it open during the viewing.
- You
Laissez-moi regarder la cuisine, s’il vous plaît.
Ask to look at the kitchen.
English
Let me look at the kitchen, please.
- Agent
Bien sûr. Je reste ici avec votre ami.
English
Of course. I’ll stay here with your friend.
- You
D’accord. Je reviens dans une minute.
Agree and say you will be back in a minute.
English
All right. I’ll be back in a minute.
| French | Focus |
|---|---|
| Mon ami reste dans l’entrée. | My friend is the person staying. |
| Je laisse mon sac dans l’entrée. | My bag is what I leave there. |
| La fenêtre reste ouverte. | The window stays in an open state. |
| Je laisse la fenêtre ouverte. | I leave the window in that state. |
Four things in the flat
Find:
What is the difference between rester and laisser?
Laisse-moi finir ma phrase.
Let me finish my sentence.
Use laisser + person + infinitive, with no à or de before the infinitive.
For departure, say je pars. Compare je reste au bureau (I stay at the office), je laisse mon sac au bureau (I leave my bag at the office) and je pars du bureau (I leave the office). In the past: Léa est restée but Léa a laissé son sac.