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Lesson 132 of 240

New here? This is lesson 132 of a free 240-lesson French course.

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Bad signal in French

Sam misses Inès on the metro, then tries her back on the walk-up stairs, where the line keeps dropping.

At Café des Tilleuls, Gaspard means to call Sam and dials the café by mistake.

You'll say you missed a call, the line is bad, you've got no signal, and you'll call back later.

Inès gets tu. Keep ne in je n'ai plus de réseau.

By the end of this lesson

Talk about missed calls, bad signal, and calling back.

  • Tu m'entends ?Can you hear me?
  • La ligne est mauvaise.The line is bad.
  • J'ai raté ton appel.I missed your call.
  • J'ai bien eu ton message.I got your message.
  • Je n'ai plus de réseau.I've got no signal.
  • Je te rappelle plus tard.I'll call you back later.

Scene — the line drops

Sam is on the worn wooden stairs of his fourth-floor walk-up, phone to his ear. Inès is on the other end.

The signal dies between floors. Later he walks into Café des Tilleuls. Gaspard sits at the next table with his unfinished café crème, trying to call Sam.

A wide view up the worn wooden stairwell of a Paris walk-up, with Sam paused mid-flight, phone to his ear.

Learn — missed calls and signal

Six lines cover a bad line, a missed call, a message you did get, no signal, and calling back later.

You'll also ask if the other person can hear you.

  1. Close-up of a phone pressed to Sam's ear on the wooden stairs, the other hand cupping it to listen.

    Tu m'entends ?

    Can you hear me?

    When to use it: Ask this on a call when the other person sounds far away.

    Use tu with Inès; she is a close friend.

    Say it: The e of me drops, so m'entends is one word.

  2. Profile of Inès in a bright office holding a phone away from her ear and checking the dead line.

    La ligne est mauvaise.

    The line is bad.

    When to use it: Say this when a call crackles or keeps cutting out.

    Ligne takes la, so the adjective is mauvaise, not mauvais.

  3. An unfinished café crème on a marble table, with Gaspard soft in the background holding a phone to his ear.

    J'ai raté ton appel.

    I missed your call.

    When to use it: Say this when you could not pick up in time.

    Appel is masculine, so it is ton appel, not ta.

    Say it: J'ai is je plus ai, said as one beat.

  4. Sam stepping into the café looking at his phone, Gaspard calling from the next table, and Odile lifting the café receiver.

    J'ai bien eu ton message.

    I got your message.

    When to use it: Say this to confirm a text or voicemail arrived.

    Bien here means you really did get it, not well.

  5. Low-angle view of Sam on a half-landing holding a phone high toward a window, hunting for a signal.

    Je n'ai plus de réseau.

    I've got no signal.

    When to use it: Say this when your phone has no bars left.

    Keep the ne; n'ai plus means you have none left.

    Say it: The e of ne drops before ai.

  6. High-angle view from a landing above as Sam lowers his phone and turns to continue down the stairs.

    Je te rappelle plus tard.

    I'll call you back later.

    When to use it: Promise a later call when you cannot talk now.

    Te is for a friend; a new person would get vous.

Story — the café rings

Watch Sam call Inès back on the stairs, then see Gaspard dial the café by mistake.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Sam is on the walk-up stairs. He calls Inès back.
  2. InèsTu m'entends ?Can you hear me?
  3. SamLa ligne est mauvaise.The line is bad.
  4. InèsOui, mais ça coupe.Yes, but it keeps cutting out.
  5. SamJ'ai raté ton appel. J'ai bien eu ton message.I missed your call. I got your message.
  6. InèsTu es où ?Where are you?
  7. SamDans l'escalier. Je te rappelle plus tard.On the stairs. I'll call you back later.
  8. InèsD'accord.Okay.
  9. SamJe n'ai plus de réseau.I've got no signal.
  10. Later at Café des Tilleuls. Odile picks up the café phone. Gaspard has his own phone to his ear at the next table.
  11. GaspardSam ? Tu m'entends ?Sam? Can you hear me?
  12. OdileAllô ? C'est le café.Hello? This is the café.
  13. GaspardExcuse-moi.Excuse me.
  14. OdileCe n'est pas grave.That's okay.

Practice — hear me or not

Eleven short exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    Tu m'entends ?Drop the English here
    La ligne est mauvaise.Drop the English here
    Je n'ai plus de réseau.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Tell Inès that you didn't pick up when she called.

  4. Fill the gap

    The line is bad.

    La ligne est ____.

  5. What does it mean?

    Je n'ai plus de réseau.

  6. Swap the word

    You cannot talk now. Tell Inès you will ring her later.

    Je te rappelle plus ____.

  7. Pick the reply

    Inès says:

    Tu as reçu mon texto ?

    Did you get my text?

    And you reply with:

  8. Build the line

    I got your message.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  9. Find the mistake

  10. True or false?

    This asks what time it is.

  11. What do you say?

    You called the café by mistake, and Odile picked up. Apologize to her as a familiar regular.

Say it — call her back

Now you're Sam calling Inès back on the stairs. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. InèsAllô ?Hello?
  2. Sam (you)Check that she can hear you on this call.

    Tu m'entends ?

    Can you hear me?

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Tu m'entends ?Can you hear me?
La ligne est mauvaise.The line is bad.
J'ai raté ton appel.I missed your call.
J'ai bien eu ton message.I got your message.
Je n'ai plus de réseau.I've got no signal.
Je te rappelle plus tard.I'll call you back later.
Next: lesson 133Looking for a flat

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these phone lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps missed-call lines ready when the signal drops.

Open Yak Cards