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Lesson 46 of 240

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Keys from the landlord in French

Sam needs the keys to his fourth-floor walk-up on rue des Tilleuls. Monsieur Lefebvre waits in the doorway with a heavy ring, already half turned toward the street.

He will name the door code, the floor, and the missing lift, then go.

By the end, you can take the keys, catch those facts, and ask where the letterbox is and how it opens.

Keep vous with him. He is the landlord, not a friend.

By the end of this lesson

Receive keys and ask the landlord simple questions.

  • Voilà les clés.Here are the keys.
  • C'est le code de la porte.That's the door code.
  • C'est au quatrième étage.It's on the fourth floor.
  • Il n'y a pas d'ascenseur.There's no lift.
  • Où est la boîte aux lettres ?Where's the letterbox?
  • Comment on ouvre ?How do you open it?

Scene — the doorway

The street door on rue des Tilleuls is open. Monsieur Lefebvre stands on the step with a heavy ring of old keys and a small paper in his other hand.

Behind him, a worn wooden staircase goes up. There is no lift. A row of metal letterboxes sits in the hall. Sam has his mustard backpack on one shoulder.

Monsieur Lefebvre stands on the open street-door step with a heavy key ring and a small paper, Sam waits on the pavement with a backpack, and a worn wooden staircase and metal letterboxes show in the hall behind him.

Learn — keys and the floor

Six short lines cover the keys, the door code, the fourth floor, and the missing lift.

You also get two questions: where the letterbox is, and how you open it.

  1. Monsieur Lefebvre stands on the doorstep and holds out a heavy ring of old keys toward Sam.

    Voilà les clés.

    Here are the keys.

    When to use it: Say this when you hand someone their keys.

    Learn it as one piece when the keys change hands.

    Say it: The s in clés is silent.

  2. Monsieur Lefebvre holds up a small blank paper beside the open street door while Sam looks on.

    C'est le code de la porte.

    That's the door code.

    When to use it: Say this when you show someone the door code.

    Learn it as one piece for the numbers on the door.

  3. Monsieur Lefebvre stands on the worn wooden staircase pointing up toward the upper landings while Sam looks up from below.

    C'est au quatrième étage.

    It's on the fourth floor.

    When to use it: Say this to tell someone it is on the fourth floor.

    Learn it as one piece for the fourth floor.

    Say it: The final e in étage is silent.

  4. From above, Monsieur Lefebvre stands in the hall beside the staircase with both palms open toward the empty wall while Sam faces him.

    Il n'y a pas d'ascenseur.

    There's no lift.

    When to use it: Say this when a building has no lift.

    Learn it as one piece when there is no lift.

    Say it: De becomes d' before ascenseur.

  5. A row of metal letterboxes fills the hall wall while Sam looks toward them and Monsieur Lefebvre stands soft in the background.

    Où est la boîte aux lettres ?

    Where's the letterbox?

    When to use it: Ask this when you need to find the letterbox.

    Learn it as one piece to find the letterbox.

    Say it: The x in aux is silent.

  6. Sam leans in toward one metal letterbox with a hand near the lock.

    Comment on ouvre ?

    How do you open it?

    When to use it: Ask this when you do not know how something opens.

    Learn it as one piece to ask how it opens.

    Say it: The t in Comment links into on.

Story — already leaving

Watch Sam take the keys in the doorway. Lefebvre names the floor and turns to go.

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

  1. Monsieur Lefebvre stands on the step with the key ring.
  2. Monsieur LefebvreBonjour.Hello.
  3. SamBonjour.Hello.
  4. Monsieur LefebvreVoilà les clés.Here are the keys.
  5. He presses a small paper into Sam's hand.
  6. Monsieur LefebvreC'est le code de la porte.That's the door code.
  7. SamComment on ouvre ?How do you open it?
  8. Monsieur LefebvreVous entrez le code sur le clavier.You enter the code on the keypad.
  9. He glances at the worn wooden stairs, already turning.
  10. Monsieur LefebvreC'est au quatrième étage.It's on the fourth floor.
  11. Monsieur LefebvreIl n'y a pas d'ascenseur.There's no lift.
  12. SamOù est la boîte aux lettres ?Where's the letterbox?
  13. Monsieur LefebvreC'est ici.It's here.
  14. He is already on the pavement.
  15. SamMerci.Thank you.
  16. Monsieur LefebvreAu revoir.Goodbye.

Practice — code and letterbox

Ten quick exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, fill a gap, build a line, and swap a word.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What do you say?

    Monsieur Lefebvre is in the doorway. You have not said hello yet.

  3. Fill the gap

    That's the door code.

    C'est le ____ de la porte.

  4. What does it mean?

    C'est au quatrième étage.

  5. Build the line

    There's no lift.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  6. What do you say?

    You need to find the letterbox in the hall. Ask Lefebvre.

  7. Swap the word

    You have the letterbox in front of you. Ask how it opens.

    Comment on ____ ?

  8. What do you say?

    Monsieur Lefebvre just put the keys in your hand.

  9. Match the pairs

    French

    Voilà les clés.Drop the English here
    C'est au quatrième étage.Drop the English here
    Il n'y a pas d'ascenseur.Drop the English here

    English

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

  10. True or false?

    Say this when you first meet the landlord in the doorway.

Say it — take the keys

Now you're Sam in the doorway with the keys. 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. Monsieur LefebvreBonjour.Hello.
  2. Monsieur LefebvreVoilà les clés.Here are the keys.
  3. Sam (you)He also gave you a slip of paper. Confirm what it is.

    C'est le code de la porte.

    That's the door code.

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Voilà les clés.Here are the keys.
C'est le code de la porte.That's the door code.
C'est au quatrième étage.It's on the fourth floor.
Il n'y a pas d'ascenseur.There's no lift.
Où est la boîte aux lettres ?Where's the letterbox?
Comment on ouvre ?How do you open it?
Next: lesson 47Your phone number

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A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps the door code ready.

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