Make the next turn useful
A successful role-play is a small joint task. One person lacks information; the other can supply it. You ask, listen, repair a misunderstanding and check the result. A grammatically correct sentence is not enough if it ignores what the other person just said. Use the fictional role cards below to practise a complete exchange rather than reciting isolated phrases.
Work in pairs. Each person reads only their own card at first; cover the other card or copy the two cards onto separate sheets. Choose your opening, complete the exchange without the model, then compare your outcome with the supplied facts. Swap roles for a second attempt. The room arrangements, lending conditions and schedules are invented for these activities.
Four moves that carry the conversation
| Job | Possible French wording | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Ask for a missing detail | Où se trouve la salle ? À quelle heure commence l’activité ? | Ask a question the other role can answer. |
| Request clarification | Vous avez dit mardi ou mercredi ? | Name the uncertainty instead of pretending to understand. |
| Correct politely | Non, mercredi, à quinze heures. | Supply the correct detail directly. |
| Confirm the outcome | D’accord : mercredi à quinze heures, dans la petite salle. | Repeat the information needed for the next action. |
Use vous when the role is an unfamiliar visitor speaking to an attendant. Use tu for the friends in the third case. These are the relationships chosen for practice, not universal rules for every French-speaking setting. Keep the chosen form consistent within each exchange.
Worked case 1: find the exhibition room
| Role | Private information and goal |
|---|---|
| A: visitor | You are looking for an exhibition of woven objects. Your old leaflet says room 8. You need the current room and a clear route from the entrance. Use vous. |
| B: attendant | The exhibition has moved to room 6 on the ground floor. From the entrance, take the corridor on the left; room 6 is opposite the cloakroom. Room 8 hosts a different activity. |
Visiteuse : Bonjour. Je cherche l’exposition de tissages. Elle est dans la salle huit ?
Agent d’accueil : Bonjour. Elle est maintenant dans la salle six, au rez-de-chaussée.
Visiteuse : Pardon, vous avez dit six ?
Agent d’accueil : Oui, six. Prenez le couloir à gauche. La salle est en face du vestiaire.
Visiteuse : Donc, je prends le couloir à gauche et je cherche la salle six, en face du vestiaire.
Agent d’accueil : C’est cela.
Visiteuse : Merci beaucoup.
The visitor’s first question reveals the outdated assumption. The attendant replaces it with current information. « Vous avez dit six ? » is a targeted repair: it identifies the detail that needs confirmation. The final summary checks both the number and route.
An alternative opening is « Où se trouve l’exposition de tissages, s’il vous plaît ? » An alternative clarification is « C’est bien la salle six, et non la salle huit ? » Both serve the same task. A fluent question about opening hours would not settle the missing location.
Worked case 2: borrow a board game under stated conditions
| Role | Private information and goal |
|---|---|
| A: borrower | You want to borrow the game called Les Îles. You hope to return it on Friday afternoon. Ask whether that return time is possible and what to check in the box. |
| B: attendant | The game is available. It must be returned on Thursday before 17 h because another group needs it on Friday. The box contains 24 cards and four counters. Use vous. |
Emprunteur : Bonjour. Est-ce que je peux emprunter Les Îles jusqu’à vendredi après-midi ?
Responsable : Vous pouvez l’emprunter, mais il faut le rapporter jeudi avant dix-sept heures. Un autre groupe en a besoin vendredi.
Emprunteur : Jeudi, et non vendredi ?
Responsable : Oui, jeudi avant dix-sept heures.
Emprunteur : D’accord. Qu’est-ce que je dois vérifier dans la boîte ?
Responsable : Il doit y avoir vingt-quatre cartes et quatre pions.
Emprunteur : Je vérifie les vingt-quatre cartes et les quatre pions, puis je rapporte le jeu jeudi avant dix-sept heures.
Responsable : Très bien, merci.
The attendant answers the request in two parts: borrowing is possible, but the proposed return time is not. Hearing only the permission would lose the condition. The borrower’s final turn accepts the stated arrangement within this fictional dialogue.
If that deadline does not fit your role, you can answer « Je ne peux pas revenir jeudi. Je vais choisir un autre jeu. » This is a valid task-sensitive alternative to agreeing. You should not promise a return time you cannot meet merely to finish the conversation pleasantly.
Worked case 3: choose a club meeting time
| Role | Private information and goal |
|---|---|
| A: Chloé | You are free on Wednesday from 15 h to 16 h. You suggest the courtyard. You do not know the courtyard is unavailable. Use tu. |
| B: Amadou | You are free on Wednesday from 15 h 30 to 16 h 30. The courtyard is unavailable, but room 2 is free. Agree on a half-hour meeting. |
Chloé : Tu es libre mercredi à quinze heures pour notre réunion ?
Amadou : Pas à quinze heures. Je suis libre à partir de quinze heures trente.
Chloé : Moi, je dois partir à seize heures. On peut se voir de quinze heures trente à seize heures dans la cour ?
Amadou : Oui pour l’heure, mais la cour n’est pas disponible. La salle deux est libre.
Chloé : La salle deux, au même horaire ?
Amadou : Oui.
Chloé : Alors, rendez-vous mercredi, de quinze heures trente à seize heures, dans la salle deux.
The overlap between the two schedules is 15 h 30–16 h, exactly thirty minutes. « Oui pour l’heure, mais… » accepts one part and changes another. The final turn confirms the whole arrangement after that change.
Another valid question is « Est-ce que tu peux venir à quinze heures trente ? » Keep tu and its verb forms. Switching suddenly to vous pouvez would introduce a relationship change that these cards do not supply.
Three solved response-repair tasks
Task 1: answer the question asked
A : « Où est la salle cinq ? » B : « À quatorze heures. » Réparez B : la salle est près de l’entrée.
Solution: La salle cinq est près de l’entrée. Où asks for a location. The original response supplied a time.
Task 2: clarify the uncertain item
Vous hésitez entre les nombres treize et trente. Demandez une précision à une personne que vous ne connaissez pas.
Solution: Pardon, vous avez dit treize ou trente ? A valid alternative is « Pouvez-vous répéter le nombre, s’il vous plaît ? » The first version makes the particular uncertainty explicit.
Task 3: preserve the corrected day
A : « Nous nous retrouvons mardi ? » B : « Non, mercredi à seize heures. » Confirmez l’accord.
Solution: D’accord, mercredi à seize heures. Repeating Tuesday would discard the repair. Adding an unmentioned place would invent a further agreement.
A self-check without official marks
After each attempt, check five things: did you obtain the missing information, respond to the previous turn, clarify a genuine uncertainty, maintain the chosen tu or vous pattern, and confirm the final details accurately? Record one successful turn and one turn to retry. This descriptive checklist evaluates the practice task; it is not an official marking scheme.
Frequently asked questions
Must I memorise the model exchange?
No. Use it to understand the sequence of moves. New wording is welcome when it preserves the role-card facts.
Is a short reply acceptable?
Yes, if it answers the question clearly. Add detail when the other person needs it to act or resolve uncertainty.
Can I use est-ce que instead of inversion?
Yes. Both can form a grammatical direct question. Choose wording you can produce accurately and naturally.
What if I do not understand a number?
Ask the speaker to repeat it or offer the two possibilities you heard. Confirm the corrected number before continuing.
Do I always need to say oui?
No. Declining a condition can be the relevant response. State the difficulty clearly rather than accepting an impossible arrangement.
Why repeat the agreement at the end?
Several details may have changed during the exchange. A short summary checks that both speakers leave with the same arrangement.
Should we read both role cards first?
Not for the initial information-gap attempt. Each person should first know only their own information; inspect both cards afterwards to check accuracy.
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