On the Phone

On the phone in French
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Au téléphone

Talking on the phone can be trickier than face-to-face conversations, for a couple of reasons. The lack of gestures and facial expressions means there are no visual hints to help you understand, plus there’s something about the phone that makes certain sounds more difficult to distinguish (e.g., voiced sounds like b and g are easily confused with unvoiced sounds like p and k – learn more).

So what can you do? The first step is to learn these standard phone formulas, which will help your brain fill in any comprehension gaps.

Hello?   AllĂŽ ?
May I speak to ___?   Pourrais-je parler Ă  ___ ?
I’d like to speak to ___.   Je voudrais parler Ă  ___.
Who is calling?   C’est de la part de qui ?
Qui est Ă  l’appareil ?
___ is calling.   C’est de la part de ___.
C’est ___ Ă  l’appareil.
I’m transferring your call (to him/her)   Je vous le (la) passe.
Please hold.   Ne quittez pas.
He (She) is not here right now.   Il (Elle) n’est pas lĂ  en ce moment.
The line is busy.   La ligne est occupĂ©e.
He (She) is on the phone   Il (Elle) est au tĂ©lĂ©phone
He (She) will call you back.   Il (Elle) vous rappellera.
You’ve got the wrong number.   Vous faites erreur.
Vous avez fait un faux numéro.
      
answering machine   un rĂ©pondeur tĂ©lĂ©phonique  
cell phone   un mobile
collect call   un appel en P.C.V.
dial tone   la tonalitĂ©
phone   un tĂ©lĂ©phone
phone book   un annuaire
phone booth   une cabine tĂ©lĂ©phonique
phone call   un appel
un coup de téléphone
un coup de fil (learn more)
phone number   un numĂ©ro de tĂ©lĂ©phone
ringtone   la sonnerie
voice mail   la messagerie
     
Verbs (click for conjugation tables)
to be cut off   ĂȘtre coupĂ©
to call   appeler
téléphoner à
passer un coup de fil
to call back   rappeler
to dial a number   composer un numĂ©ro
to hang up   raccrocher
to hear   entendre
to leave a message   laisser un message
to listen (to)   Ă©couter
to pick up the phone   dĂ©crocher
to ring   sonner
   
Quiz: On the phone

 French listening comprehension

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French phone phrases

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