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Lesson 235 of 240

New here? This is lesson 235 of a free 240-lesson French course.

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Let it rest in French

Late afternoon at Café des Tilleuls. Gaspard starts on the postcard again, and Odile lifts a hand before the story grows.

You will close a topic with grace: wrap it up, skip the details, and park the rest for another day.

This is not a jump to the next item. You leave the subject where it is, and the brass sign stays put.

By the end, you can stop a talk kindly and still sound finished.

By the end of this lesson

Close a topic with grace.

  • Donc voilà, c'est à peu près tout.So yeah, that's basically it.
  • Je ne veux pas t'ennuyer avec les détails.I don't want to bore you with the details.
  • Enfin bref, on a fait le tour.Anyway, enough said.
  • On en restera là pour aujourd'hui.We'll leave it there for today.
  • Ce n'est pas le moment d'en débattre.Now's not the time to argue it.
  • On remet ça à plus tard, d'accord ?We'll pick this up later, all right?

Scene — the sign stays

Sam is at the zinc counter with Odile. Gaspard sits on two chairs at the table next to the window, café crème unfinished.

The blank brass sign is still on the window table. Gaspard starts on the postcard again. Odile already has a hand up.

Sam and Odile stand at the zinc counter with Odile's hand already raised, while Gaspard sits by the window with an unfinished café crème, a blank brass plate, and a postcard.

Learn — close it with grace

Six lines help you wrap a subject, skip the extra detail, and leave the rest for another day.

You stay on this topic until you close it; you do not jump to the next one.

  1. Sam stands at the zinc with both palms open toward Odile as he wraps the account up.

    Donc voilà, c'est à peu près tout.

    So yeah, that's basically it.

    When to use it: Say this when you have finished summing something up.

    Donc voilà wraps what you just said; à peu près tout means you covered the main bits.

    Say it: In c'est à, the t links as a t.

  2. Sam's hand flicks the leftover details aside on the zinc counter.

    Je ne veux pas t'ennuyer avec les détails.

    I don't want to bore you with the details.

    When to use it: Use this to skip extra detail without sounding rude.

    t'ennuyer is the tu form; with a stranger you would say vous ennuyer.

    Say it: In t'ennuyer, the e of te is dropped.

  3. Seen over Odile's shoulder, Sam flattens both hands on the zinc as if the subject is closed.

    Enfin bref, on a fait le tour.

    Anyway, enough said.

    When to use it: Use this to stop covering the same ground.

    Enfin bref shows you are wrapping up, not opening a new point.

  4. Odile stands in profile behind the zinc with one palm forward at chest height, ending the subject for the day, while Sam is half-turned at the counter.

    On en restera là pour aujourd'hui.

    We'll leave it there for today.

    When to use it: Use this to park a topic until another day.

    Restera looks ahead, so you stop now and leave the rest.

  5. Odile turns from the counter toward Gaspard at the window, palm out, as he hunches over a blank postcard.

    Ce n'est pas le moment d'en débattre.

    Now's not the time to argue it.

    When to use it: Use this when arguing would not help right now.

    d'en points back to the topic already on the table.

    Say it: d'en glues de and en; the e is dropped.

  6. Odile leans across the zinc with head tilted and one finger lifted, checking they will pick this up later.

    On remet ça à plus tard, d'accord ?

    We'll pick this up later, all right?

    When to use it: Use this to delay a topic and check they agree.

    Remet ça means you pick this same point up later, not a new one.

    Say it: In d'accord, de loses its e before a.

Story — she lifts a hand

Watch Odile stop Gaspard before the postcard story grows. She does not take the sign off the table.

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

  1. Late light on the zinc. Gaspard looks toward the postcard behind the bar.
  2. GaspardLa carte derrière le bar. Je me demandais encore qui l'avait laissée.The postcard behind the bar. I was wondering again who left it.
  3. OdileGaspard, pas maintenant.Gaspard, not now.
  4. GaspardJe disais seulement que le dessin me rappelle un matin d'été.I was only saying the drawing reminds me of a summer morning.
  5. He glances at the window table. The blank brass sign is still there. He stays on his two chairs.
  6. SamTu veux en parler un peu plus ?Do you want to talk about it a bit more?
  7. GaspardJe ne veux pas t'ennuyer avec les détails.I don't want to bore you with the details.
  8. OdileOn ne va pas rentrer dans les détails.Let's not get into the details.
  9. GaspardDonc voilà, c'est à peu près tout.So yeah, that's basically it.
  10. OdileEnfin bref, on a fait le tour.Anyway, enough said.
  11. SamJe pense qu'on a fait le tour.I think we've covered it.
  12. GaspardOn en reste là pour l'instant.Let's leave it there for now.
  13. OdileOn en restera là pour aujourd'hui.We'll leave it there for today.
  14. Odile lifts a hand, palm out. Gaspard's café crème is still unfinished.
  15. GaspardEt la table près de la fenêtre ?And the table by the window?
  16. OdileCe n'est pas le moment d'en débattre.Now's not the time to argue it.
  17. SamOn remet ça à plus tard, d'accord ?We'll pick this up later, all right?
  18. GaspardD'accord.All right.
  19. OdileBien. La table reste comme elle est.Good. The table stays as it is.
  20. GaspardBon. Moi, je reste ici.Right. I'll stay here.

Practice — park it for today

Ten short exercises wait here. You will listen, build, fill a gap, and pick the line that closes the talk.

They stay focused on wrapping a subject, not on starting a new one.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What do you say?

    You sketched the lease to Gaspard, a friend. You want him to know you are skipping the extra bits so you will not bore him.

  3. What does it mean?

    Enfin bref, on a fait le tour.

  4. Fill the gap

    We'll leave it there for today.

    On en restera là pour ____.

  5. Swap the word

    Gaspard wants to argue about the window table. You shut that down without a fight.

    Ce n'est pas le moment d'en ____.

  6. Build the line

    We'll pick this up later, all right?

    ,  ?

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Match the pairs

    French

    Donc voilà, c'est à peu près tout.Drop the English here
    Enfin bref, on a fait le tour.Drop the English here
    On en restera là pour aujourd'hui.Drop the English here

    English

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

  8. Pick the reply

    Gaspard says:

    Tu veux que je te raconte encore la carte postale ?

    Do you want me to tell you the postcard story again?

    And you reply with:

  9. True or false?

    This parks the topic for now, not for good.

  10. Find the mistake

Say it — leave it there

Now you're Sam at the counter. Gaspard is circling the postcard again. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and close the topic.

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

  1. OdileTu nous racontes le bail, alors ?So are you telling us about the lease?
  2. Sam (you)Sum it up: that is basically all of it.

    Donc voilà, c'est à peu près tout.

    So yeah, that's basically it.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Donc voilà, c'est à peu près tout.So yeah, that's basically it.
Je ne veux pas t'ennuyer avec les détails.I don't want to bore you with the details.
Enfin bref, on a fait le tour.Anyway, enough said.
On en restera là pour aujourd'hui.We'll leave it there for today.
Ce n'est pas le moment d'en débattre.Now's not the time to argue it.
On remet ça à plus tard, d'accord ?We'll pick this up later, all right?
Next: lesson 236Retelling the year

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

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

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your graceful closers ready when a talk has gone far enough.

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