New here? This is lesson 135 of a free 240-lesson French course.
What's in the flat in French
Sam takes Inès up the four flights to his walk-up on rue des Tilleuls. There is no lift, and Gaspard has followed them up the stairs.
The water heater is out, a socket is dead, and the shutters will not move.
You'll name what the flat has, what it lacks, and what is broken.
Gaspard will need two chairs before he can sit.
By the end of this lesson
Name things in the flat and say what is broken or missing.
- Il y a un frigo.There's a fridge
- Il n'y a pas de lave-linge.There's no washing machine
- Le chauffe-eau est en panne.The water heater is out of order
- Cette prise ne marche pas.This socket doesn't work
- Les volets sont coincés.The shutters are stuck
- Il manque des rideaux.There are no curtains
Scene — four flights up
Sam's fourth-floor walk-up, above the shoe-repair shop. There is no lift. Inès is at the door with her green bag.
Gaspard has climbed the stairs too. He fills the landing and will need two chairs once he is inside.
The kitchen is small. A fridge stands in the corner. The water heater on the wall is cold.
Learn — fridge and faults
Six lines name what the flat has and what is missing or out of order.
You'll point at a fridge, a dead socket, stuck shutters, and a water heater that will not heat.
Il y a un frigo.
There's a fridge
When to use it: Say this when you name a fridge in a kitchen or a flat.
Un goes with frigo because it is a masculine noun.
Il n'y a pas de lave-linge.
There's no washing machine
When to use it: Say this when a flat has no washing machine.
After pas, French uses de, not un, before the thing that is missing.
Say it: The n' in n'y is an elision of ne before y.
Le chauffe-eau est en panne.
The water heater is out of order
When to use it: Say this when the water heater does not work.
En panne means out of order, said as one piece after est.
Say it: The an in panne is a nasal sound.
Cette prise ne marche pas.
This socket doesn't work
When to use it: Say this when this wall socket gives no power.
Ne and pas sit around the verb marche.
Les volets sont coincés.
The shutters are stuck
When to use it: Say this when the shutters will not open or close.
Sont is plural because volets is more than one.
Say it: The s in Les links into volets as a z sound.
Il manque des rideaux.
There are no curtains
When to use it: Say this when the windows have no curtains.
Il manque takes des when more than one thing is missing.
Say it: The x in rideaux is silent.
Story — two chairs
Watch Sam show Inès around the walk-up. The water heater is out, and Gaspard needs two chairs.
The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.
- Inès is on the fourth-floor landing with her green bag.
InèsC'est au quatrième étage.It's on the fourth floor.
SamIl n'y a pas d'ascenseur.There's no lift.- Sam opens the door. The kitchen is on the left.
- SamIl y a un frigo.There's a fridge.
- InèsIl n'y a pas de lave-linge.There's no washing machine.
- She tries the tap. The water stays cold.
- SamLe chauffe-eau est en panne.The water heater is out of order.
- InèsCette prise ne marche pas.This socket doesn't work.
- SamLes volets sont coincés.The shutters are stuck.
- InèsIl manque des rideaux.There are no curtains.
- Gaspard fills the doorway, tote in his arms.
- SamAssieds-toi.Sit down.
- Sam pulls a second chair. Gaspard sits on both.
GaspardCette prise ne marche pas.This socket doesn't work.
Practice — what is missing
Eleven short exercises wait here. You'll listen, fill a gap, swap a word, and build a line.
They stay on the flat, so you keep naming what works and what does not.
0 of 11 done
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Match the pairs
French
Le chauffe-eau est en panne.Drop the English hereCette prise ne marche pas.Drop the English hereLes volets sont coincés.Drop the English hereEnglish
What do you say?
What do you say?
Inès tries the bathroom tap. The water stays cold.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
There's no washing machine
Il n'y a pas ____ lave-linge.
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
Cette prise ne marche pas.
Swap the word
Swap the word
The window shutters will not move at all.
Les volets sont ____.
Build the line
Build the line
This socket doesn't work
.
Tap the words in order.
Pick the reply
Inès says:
Pick the reply
Il n'y a rien aux fenêtres ?
There's nothing at the windows?
And you reply with:
True or false?
True or false?
Sam's building has a lift.
What do you say?
What do you say?
You and Inès stop on the landing and look at the door.
Pick the reply
Gaspard says:
Pick the reply
Je suis fatigué.
I'm tired.
And you reply with:
Say it — show her around
Now you're Sam in the walk-up with Inès. 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.
- InèsTu as un frigo ?Do you have a fridge?
- Sam (you)Tell her there is a fridge.
Tell her there is a fridge.
Il y a un frigo.
There's a fridge
0 of 6 said
Recap — what you can say now
| French | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Il y a un frigo. | There's a fridge | |
| Il n'y a pas de lave-linge. | There's no washing machine | |
| Le chauffe-eau est en panne. | The water heater is out of order | |
| Cette prise ne marche pas. | This socket doesn't work | |
| Les volets sont coincés. | The shutters are stuck | |
| Il manque des rideaux. | There are no curtains |
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Want to keep these flat lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.
A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps the fridge and the faults ready.
Open Yak Cards