French course

Lesson 139 of 240

New here? This is lesson 139 of a free 240-lesson French course.

Start hereHow this works

Phone, charger and Wi-Fi in French

Sam's phone dies at Café des Tilleuls. He needs a charger, the Wi-Fi code, and a socket.

The only free plug sits by the reserved window table. Odile will not let him use that one.

By the end, you'll say the battery is dead, borrow a charger, ask for Wi-Fi, and plug in.

Odile still keeps that table empty. Gaspard stays on two chairs next door.

By the end of this lesson

Ask for a charger, ask for the Wi-Fi, and fix a dead phone.

  • Mon téléphone est à plat.My phone is dead.
  • Je peux t'emprunter un chargeur ?Can I borrow a charger?
  • C'est quoi le code Wi-Fi ?What's the Wi-Fi code?
  • Le Wi-Fi est trop lent.The Wi-Fi is too slow.
  • Je peux me brancher ici ?Can I plug in here?
  • Ça charge, merci.It's charging, thanks.

Scene — the battery dies

Afternoon at Café des Tilleuls. Sam sits at his usual table. His phone screen goes black.

Odile is behind the zinc counter. The window table still has its blank brass sign.

Gaspard sits next to it on two chairs, café crème untouched, a tote with a baguette.

Wide afternoon interior of Café des Tilleuls with Sam small at a table over a black phone, Odile behind the zinc, and Gaspard on two chairs by the window.

Learn — charger and Wi-Fi

Six lines cover a dead phone, borrowing a charger, the Wi-Fi code, a slow connection, and plugging in.

You'll also thank someone once the battery starts to charge.

  1. Close-up of Sam's hands cupping a completely black phone just above the café table.

    Mon téléphone est à plat.

    My phone is dead.

    When to use it: Say this when your phone battery has run out.

    Téléphone takes mon because it is a masculine word.

    Say it: The final e in téléphone is silent.

  2. Sam stands at the zinc holding a dead phone toward Odile with one hand open, asking to borrow a charger.

    Je peux t'emprunter un chargeur ?

    Can I borrow a charger?

    When to use it: Ask a friend or a café regular for a charger.

    Odile gets tu now, because she has claimed you as a regular.

    Say it: T'emprunter drops the e of te.

  3. Over Sam's shoulder toward Odile as Sam points at a small router on a shelf above the zinc.

    C'est quoi le code Wi-Fi ?

    What's the Wi-Fi code?

    When to use it: Ask this to get the café Wi-Fi password.

    C'est is ce plus est, with the e dropped.

  4. High view of Sam slumped at the usual table over a dim sluggish phone, with Gaspard on two chairs by the window behind.

    Le Wi-Fi est trop lent.

    The Wi-Fi is too slow.

    When to use it: Say this when the connection crawls.

    Trop goes right before the adjective, as in trop lent.

    Say it: The en in lent is a nasal sound.

  5. Low view of Sam bent toward a wall socket with a charger cable, looking back as Odile refuses from the zinc.

    Je peux me brancher ici ?

    Can I plug in here?

    When to use it: Ask this before you plug into a socket.

    Me brancher means plug in, and me stays with the speaker.

  6. Close view of Sam sitting back and nodding as a power bank from Gaspard brings the phone back to life.

    Ça charge, merci.

    It's charging, thanks.

    When to use it: Thank someone once the battery starts filling.

    Ça is the subject here, so charge stays in this form.

Story — the window socket

Watch Sam's dead phone at the café. The free socket sits by the reserved table, and Odile will say no.

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

  1. Sam's screen is black. He looks up at Odile behind the zinc.
  2. SamMon téléphone est à plat.My phone is dead.
  3. OdileAh mince.Oh no.
  4. SamJe peux t'emprunter un chargeur ?Can I borrow a charger?
  5. OdileBien sûr, vas-y.Sure, go ahead.
  6. She slides a charger across the zinc. Sam looks at his screen again.
  7. SamC'est quoi le code Wi-Fi ?What's the Wi-Fi code?
  8. OdileLe code, c'est tilleuls2026.The code is tilleuls2026.
  9. SamLe Wi-Fi est trop lent.The Wi-Fi is too slow.
  10. The only free socket sits by the window table and its blank brass sign.
  11. SamJe peux me brancher ici ?Can I plug in here?
  12. OdileNon, tu ne peux pas. C'est réservé.No, you can't. It's reserved.
  13. Gaspard rummages in a coat pocket. He does not sit at the window. His café crème is still full.
  14. GaspardTiens, prends ma batterie externe.Here, take my power bank.
  15. SamÇa charge, merci.It's charging, thanks.

Practice — ask and plug in

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

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What do you say?

    Your phone is dead. Ask Odile, a regular, if you can borrow a charger.

  3. Fill the gap

    What's the Wi-Fi code?

    C'est quoi le ____ Wi-Fi ?

  4. What does it mean?

    Ça charge, merci.

  5. Swap the word

    You want to plug into this socket, not one over there.

    Je peux me brancher ____ ?

  6. Build the line

    The Wi-Fi is too slow.

    - .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. True or false?

    This means you may sit at the window table.

  8. What do you say?

    A close friend asks to borrow your charger, and you are happy to share.

  9. Fill the gap

    No, you can't.

    Non, tu ____ peux pas.

  10. Find the mistake

Say it — say it at the café

Now you're Sam with a dead phone at the café. 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. OdileQu'est-ce qui se passe ?What's going on?
  2. Sam (you)Your battery has run out. Tell her.

    Mon téléphone est à plat.

    My phone is dead.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Mon téléphone est à plat.My phone is dead.
Je peux t'emprunter un chargeur ?Can I borrow a charger?
C'est quoi le code Wi-Fi ?What's the Wi-Fi code?
Le Wi-Fi est trop lent.The Wi-Fi is too slow.
Je peux me brancher ici ?Can I plug in here?
Ça charge, merci.It's charging, thanks.
Next: lesson 140Packages and delivery

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep the charger and Wi-Fi lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps the dead-phone lines ready at the café.

Open Yak Cards