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Lesson 232 of 240

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Reading notices and signs in French

Sam stops on the stairs of his walk-up. A paper is taped to the wall, and Inès is already reading over his shoulder.

Lefebvre's door is shut. The syndic, not the landlord, is the one to call.

You will read a building notice, a hallway rule, a shop sign, and a short apology.

These lines stay on paper. You do not say them at the café counter.

By the end of this lesson

Read a building notice, a sign, and a short formal message.

  • Avis aux résidents.Notice to residents.
  • Prière de ne pas encombrer le hall.Please do not block the hallway.
  • En cas de question, contactez le syndic.If you have a question, contact the building manager.
  • Nous vous prions de nous en excuser.Please accept our apologies.
  • Fermé jusqu'à nouvel ordre.Closed until further notice.
  • Un préavis d'un mois est exigé.One month's notice is required.

Scene — the paper on the stairs

Late morning on the fourth-floor landing. Sam's mustard backpack hangs on one shoulder. A typed sheet is taped to the mottled wall, no readable print in the picture.

Inès is two steps below, still in her denim jacket. Lefebvre's door is closed. The stairwell smells of floor polish.

Wide view of Sam on the landing beside a blank taped sheet while Inès stands a few steps below and a closed apartment door stays shut.

Learn — notices and signs

Six written lines from notices and signs. You will see who they address, what they forbid, and where to write.

One is an apology. One names a one-month notice.

  1. Close-up of Sam's hand beside the blank sheet taped to the mottled wall on the landing.

    Avis aux résidents.

    Notice to residents.

    When to use it: You see this at the top of a paper for people in the building.

    This heading names the people who live in the building.

    Say it: The s at the end of Avis is silent.

  2. High-angle view of Inès on the stairs, open palm toward the stairwell as she looks down toward the hall.

    Prière de ne pas encombrer le hall.

    Please do not block the hallway.

    When to use it: You see this on a sign that asks people not to block a shared space.

    Prière de followed by a verb is how a notice asks you not to do something.

    Say it: The en at the start of encombrer is a nasal sound.

  3. Over-the-shoulder view of Sam on the landing facing the blank wall sheet and the closed door.

    En cas de question, contactez le syndic.

    If you have a question, contact the building manager.

    When to use it: You see this when a notice tells you whom to write to.

    The syndic is the building manager, not the landlord at the door.

    Say it: The z at the end of contactez is silent.

  4. Close-up of Inès on the steps with the head dipped in apology and one hand on the banister.

    Nous vous prions de nous en excuser.

    Please accept our apologies.

    When to use it: You see this in a short formal note that apologises on paper.

    The paper keeps vous because it speaks to residents as a group.

    Say it: The s in vous links into prions as a z.

  5. Detail of a closed door with a blank brass plate, Sam halted and soft in the background beside a taped sheet.

    Fermé jusqu'à nouvel ordre.

    Closed until further notice.

    When to use it: You see this on a door when a place is shut with no return date.

    Jusqu'à nouvel ordre means the sign gives no date for reopening.

    Say it: The e of jusque drops in jusqu'à.

  6. Low-angle view of Inès on the stairs looking up at the landing sheet with a firm stance.

    Un préavis d'un mois est exigé.

    One month's notice is required.

    When to use it: You see this on a lease notice that names how early you must warn.

    Préavis is the warning you must give, here set at one month.

    Say it: The s at the end of mois is silent.

Story — lefebvre has gone

Sam and Inès stop on the stairs. The notice is for residents, not for Lefebvre.

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

  1. The landing is quiet. A sheet is taped to the wall. Lefebvre's door stays shut.
  2. InèsT'as vu le papier ? Lis-le, j'ai encore les yeux fermés.Have you seen the paper? Read it, my eyes are still shut.
  3. SamAvis aux résidents.Notice to residents.
  4. InèsÇa s'adresse à nous. Continue.That's aimed at us. Go on.
  5. SamPrière de ne pas encombrer le hall.Please do not block the hallway.
  6. InèsC'est interdit, les vélos sur le palier. Encore.It's not allowed, bikes on the landing. Again.
  7. SamEn cas de question, contactez le syndic.If you have a question, contact the building manager.
  8. InèsLe syndic, pas Lefebvre. Lui, il est déjà parti.The building manager, not Lefebvre. He already left.
  9. SamIl y a un autre mot. Nous vous prions de nous en excuser.There's another line. Please accept our apologies.
  10. InèsPour les travaux, je parie. Ils s'excusent toujours trop tard.For the building work, I bet. They always apologise too late.
  11. They go down past the shoe-repair shop. A blank card hangs on the door.
  12. SamFermé jusqu'à nouvel ordre.Closed until further notice.
  13. InèsC'est fermé. J'avais des semelles à récupérer.It's closed. I had soles to pick up.
  14. At the letterboxes, another sheet, smaller, still with no readable print.
  15. InèsEt ça, c'est pour ceux qui veulent partir.And that one's for people who want to leave.
  16. SamUn préavis d'un mois est exigé.One month's notice is required.
  17. InèsDonc tu restes, ou tu préviens un mois avant.So you stay, or you give a month's warning first.
  18. SamJe relis. Avis aux résidents. Réunion jeudi. Hall libre.I'm reading it again. Notice to residents. Meeting Thursday. Hall kept clear.
  19. InèsC'est écrit là, deux fois. T'as compris.It's written there, twice. You've got it.
  20. SamBon. Je note le syndic, pas le propriétaire.Right. I'll note the building manager, not the landlord.
  21. InèsEt tu ranges ton sac. Le hall, tu as lu.And you put your bag away. You read the bit about the hall.

Practice — what the paper says

Eleven short tasks wait here. You will listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay on the wording of the notices, not café talk.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    Avis aux résidents.Drop the English here
    Fermé jusqu'à nouvel ordre.Drop the English here
    Un préavis d'un mois est exigé.Drop the English here

    English

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

  3. Fill the gap

    Please do not block the hallway.

    Prière de ne pas ____ le hall.

  4. What do you say?

    You are reading the residents' notice. It tells you who to write to if you have a question.

  5. What does it mean?

    Nous vous prions de nous en excuser.

  6. Build the line

    Closed until further notice.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Swap the word

    The lease paper names how early you must warn: one month.

    Un préavis d'un ____ est exigé.

  8. True or false?

    This line means a place is shut.

  9. Find the mistake

  10. What do you say?

    Inès points at the residents' notice on the stair wall. Tell her the words are on that paper.

  11. True or false?

    This line allows you to leave a bike in the hallway.

Say it — read it out

You are Sam on the stairs. Inès wants the notices read out loud.

When it is your turn, tap the microphone. Tap play first if you want to hear the line.

  1. InèsLis le titre.Read the heading.
  2. Sam (you)Read the heading. It speaks to people in the building.

    Avis aux résidents.

    Notice to residents.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Avis aux résidents.Notice to residents.
Prière de ne pas encombrer le hall.Please do not block the hallway.
En cas de question, contactez le syndic.If you have a question, contact the building manager.
Nous vous prions de nous en excuser.Please accept our apologies.
Fermé jusqu'à nouvel ordre.Closed until further notice.
Un préavis d'un mois est exigé.One month's notice is required.
Next: lesson 233Say thanks properly

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