When Things Go Wrong
French Basic Conversation 2
Chapter 12 · When Things Go Wrong: Delays, Lost Items & Emergencies
🚨 When Things Go Wrong: Delays, Lost Items & Emergencies — Quand il y a un problème
Cope when something goes wrong: a late train, a lost bag, a stolen phone, or a real emergency. You need two things: the passé composé to say what happened (J'ai perdu mon sac, from Chapter 9) and the imperative to ask for help (Appelez la police ! Aidez-moi !). The emergency numbers are 15 (medical), 17 (police), 18 (fire brigade) and 112 (the European emergency number). Use vous with officials and strangers.
① A Late Train — Un train en retard
A:
Excusez-moi, mon train est en retard ?
Excuse me, is my train late?
B:
Oui, il a vingt minutes de retard.
Yes, it's twenty minutes late.
A:
Il arrive à quelle heure ?
What time does it arrive?
B:
À dix-sept heures dix.
At ten past five.
Hard words: retard ruh-TAR · minutes mee-NÜT · arrive ah-REEV · dix-sept dee-SET
② A Lost Bag — Un sac perdu
A:
Bonjour, j'ai perdu mon sac.
Hello, I've lost my bag.
B:
Où est-ce que vous l'avez perdu ?
Where did you lose it?
A:
Dans le train de Lyon.
On the Lyon train.
B:
Comment est-il ?
What is it like?
A:
Il est noir et grand.
It's black and big.
Hard words: perdu pair-DÜ · sac SAK · l'avez lah-VAY · noir NWAHR
③ A Stolen Phone — Un portable volé
A:
On m'a volé mon portable !
My phone has been stolen!
B:
Quand ça ?
When?
A:
Il y a dix minutes, dans le métro.
Ten minutes ago, on the metro.
B:
Venez avec moi au commissariat.
Come with me to the police station.
Hard words: volé vo-LAY · portable por-TAH-bluh · commissariat ko-mee-sah-RYAH · venez vuh-NAY
④ Calling the Ambulance — Le quinze
A:
Allô, c'est le quinze ? Venez vite ! Mon ami est tombé.
Hello, is that 15? Come quickly! My friend has fallen.
B:
Oui. Où êtes-vous ?
Yes. Where are you?
A:
Rue Victor Hugo, devant la gare.
Rue Victor Hugo, in front of the station.
B:
Ne bougez pas, on arrive.
Don't move, we're coming.
Hard words: quinze KẼZ · vite VEET · tombé tõ-BAY · rue RÜ · bougez boo-ZHAY
⑤ Fire! — Au feu !
A:
Attention ! Il y a un feu !
Careful! There's a fire!
B:
Appelez les pompiers, vite !
Call the fire brigade, quickly!
A:
Je les appelle ! C'est le dix-huit.
I'm calling them! It's 18.
Hard words: attention ah-tã-SYÕ · feu FUH · pompiers põ-PYAY · dix-huit dee-ZWEET
⑥ A Lost Passport — Un passeport perdu
A:
J'ai perdu mon passeport. Qu'est-ce que je dois faire ?
I've lost my passport. What should I do?
B:
Allez à la police, puis au consulat.
Go to the police, then to the consulate.
A:
J'ai une photocopie dans ma valise.
I have a photocopy in my suitcase.
B:
Parfait, apportez-la.
Perfect, bring it.
Hard words: passeport pas-POR · consulat kõ-sü-LAH · photocopie fo-to-ko-PEE · valise vah-LEEZ
🗝️ Key Phrases at a Glance — Phrases clés
| Situation | Polite (vous) | Informal (friends) |
|---|---|---|
| Train problem | Mon train est en retard. | Le train a du retard. |
| Lost item | J'ai perdu mon sac. | J'ai perdu mon sac. |
| Stolen item | On m'a volé mon portable. | On m'a volé mon portable. |
| Asking for help | Pouvez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît ? | Tu peux m'aider ? |
| Calling out | Au secours ! | Au secours ! |
| Calling for services | Appelez une ambulance ! | Appelle une ambulance ! |
🚆 Travel Problems — Les problèmes de voyage
| French | Say it | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le train est en retard. | luh trẽ eh tã ruh-TAR | The train is late. | retard = delay |
| Le train est annulé. | luh trẽ eh ah-nü-LAY | The train is cancelled. | annulé / annulée |
| Il y a une grève. | eel-ee-ah ün GREV | There's a strike. | common on French rail |
| J'ai raté mon train. | zhay rah-TAY mõ TRẼ | I missed my train. | rater = to miss |
| Quel est le prochain train ? | kel eh luh pro-SHẼ TRẼ | What's the next train? |
🎒 Lost, Forgotten, Stolen — Perdu, oublié, volé
| French | Say it | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| J'ai perdu mon sac. | zhay pair-DÜ mõ SAK | I've lost my bag. | perdre → perdu |
| J'ai oublié mes clés. | zhay oo-blee-AY may KLAY | I've forgotten my keys. | oublier → oublié |
| On m'a volé mon portable. | õ mah vo-LAY mõ por-TAH-bluh | My phone was stolen. | literally "someone stole me my phone" |
| Je l'ai laissé dans le train. | zhuh lay leh-SAY dã luh TRẼ | I left it on the train. | l' = the bag |
| Où est le commissariat ? | oo eh luh ko-mee-sah-RYAH | Where is the police station? |
📞 Emergency Numbers — Les numéros d'urgence
All are free from any phone. 112 works across Europe and from a mobile with no credit. Say where you are first, then what happened.
| Number | Say it | Service | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | KẼZ | SAMU | medical emergency, ambulance |
| 17 | dee-SET | Police | crime, danger, theft |
| 18 | dee-ZWEET | Pompiers | fire, accident, rescue |
| 112 | sã DOOZ | European number | any emergency, any country |
📣 Asking for Help — L'impératif
The imperative is the vous or tu form with no subject. For -er verbs the tu form drops its final s: tu appelles → appelle. Negative: Ne bougez pas.
| Vous form | Say it | Tu form | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appelez la police ! | ah-play lah po-LEES | Appelle la police ! | Call the police! |
| Aidez-moi ! | eh-day-MWAH | Aide-moi ! | Help me! |
| Venez ici ! | vuh-nay ee-SEE | Viens ici ! | Come here! |
| Attendez ! | ah-tã-DAY | Attends ! | Wait! |
| Ne bougez pas ! | nuh boo-zhay PAH | Ne bouge pas ! | Don't move! |
| Au secours ! | oh suh-KOOR | Au secours ! | Help! |
📖 Saying What Happened — Le passé composé
Chapter 9 gave you the pattern: avoir or être + a participle. These participles are common in a crisis.
| Infinitive | Participle | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| perdre | perdu | pair-DÜ | J'ai perdu mon sac. |
| oublier | oublié | oo-blee-AY | J'ai oublié mon passeport. |
| voler | volé | vo-LAY | On a volé mon sac. |
| rater | raté | rah-TAY | J'ai raté mon train. |
| tomber | tombé (être) | tõ-BAY | Il est tombé. |
| casser | cassé | kah-SAY | Il a cassé son téléphone. |
🔧 Three Verbs You Just Used — Trois verbes
Perdre is a regular -re verb; oublier and aider are regular -er verbs.
| Who | perdre (to lose) | Say it | oublier (to forget) | Say it | aider (to help) | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | je perds | zhuh PAIR | j'oublie | zhoo-BLEE | j'aide | zhed |
| tu | tu perds | tü PAIR | tu oublies | tü oo-BLEE | tu aides | tü ED |
| il / elle / on | il perd | eel PAIR | il oublie | eel oo-BLEE | il aide | eel ED |
| nous | nous perdons | noo pair-DÕ | nous oublions | noo zoo-blee-YÕ | nous aidons | noo zeh-DÕ |
| vous | vous perdez | voo pair-DAY | vous oubliez | voo zoo-blee-YAY | vous aidez | voo zeh-DAY |
| ils / elles | ils perdent | eel PAIRD | ils oublient | eel zoo-BLEE | ils aident | eel zED |
📖 Vocabulary — Vocabulaire
20 key words and phrases from this chapter. Nouns are listed with their article.
| # | French | Say it | English | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | le retard | luh ruh-TAR | delay | noun, m. | en retard |
| 2 | la grève | lah GREV | strike | noun, f. | une grève de train |
| 3 | le sac | luh SAK | bag | noun, m. | un sac noir |
| 4 | le passeport | luh pas-POR | passport | noun, m. | perdre son passeport |
| 5 | le portable | luh por-TAH-bluh | mobile phone | noun, m. | on m'a volé mon portable |
| 6 | la police | lah po-LEES | police | noun, f. | le 17 |
| 7 | le commissariat | luh ko-mee-sah-RYAH | police station | noun, m. | aller au commissariat |
| 8 | les pompiers | lay põ-PYAY | fire brigade | noun, m. pl. | le 18 |
| 9 | l'ambulance | lã-bü-LÃS | ambulance | noun, f. | appeler une ambulance |
| 10 | l'urgence | lür-ZHÃS | emergency | noun, f. | en cas d'urgence |
| 11 | perdre | PAIR-druh | to lose | verb | j'ai perdu |
| 12 | oublier | oo-blee-AY | to forget | verb | j'ai oublié |
| 13 | aider | eh-DAY | to help | verb | Aidez-moi ! |
| 14 | voler | vo-LAY | to steal | verb | on m'a volé |
| 15 | tomber | tõ-BAY | to fall | verb | avec être |
| 16 | rater | rah-TAY | to miss | verb | j'ai raté mon train |
| 17 | annulé / annulée | ah-nü-LAY | cancelled | adj | train annulé |
| 18 | Au secours ! | oh suh-KOOR | Help! | phrase | calling out |
| 19 | attention | ah-tã-SYÕ | careful; watch out | word | Attention ! |
| 20 | vite | VEET | quickly | adv | Venez vite ! |
Where, Who, What
In an emergency say where you are first (Rue Victor Hugo, devant la gare), then what happened (Mon ami est tombé), then answer questions. Keep sentences short. The operator will ask Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? ("What's happening?") and Où êtes-vous ?.
The Imperative Has No Subject
Appelez la police is the vous form with vous removed. For tu, -er verbs lose the final s: Appelle ! Aide-moi ! In the negative put ne … pas around the verb: Ne bouge pas !
Real French Tip — "On m'a volé"
On m'a volé mon sac literally means "someone has stolen my bag from me", and it's what French speakers actually say. Learn it as a whole phrase; it's simpler than it looks and you don't need to build it yourself yet.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Exercices
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Say "I've lost my bag."
Show answer
J'ai perdu mon sac.
2. Say "My phone was stolen."
Show answer
On m'a volé mon portable.
3. Tell a stranger to call the police (vous).
Show answer
Appelez la police !
4. Which number do you call for the fire brigade?
Show answer
Le 18 (dix-huit).
5. Say "My train is late."
Show answer
Mon train est en retard.
6. Ask for help in two ways.
Show answer
Aidez-moi ! / Au secours !
🎉 Course Complete — Ce que vous savez maintenant
You've finished French Basic Conversation 2. Here's what you can now do:
| Chapter | You can now… |
|---|---|
| 1 · Your Daily Routine | Describe your day with reflexive verbs and regular -ir / -re verbs, and use d'abord, puis, ensuite. |
| 2 · Hobbies & Free Time | Say what you like with aimer + infinitive, and use jouer à / de and faire du / de la. |
| 3 · Plans & Invitations | Use the near future, invite, accept and refuse, and use pouvoir, vouloir, devoir and on. |
| 4 · Describing People | Use adjectives (agreement and position) and compare with plus … que. |
| 5 · Home & Neighbourhood | Use il y a, prepositions of place and y, and talk about renting. |
| 6 · Weather & Seasons | Talk about the weather, the seasons and the temperature. |
| 7 · Eating Out | Book, order, explain allergies, complain, and use le / la / l' / les. |
| 8 · Doctor & Pharmacy | Say what hurts with avoir mal à, use depuis and il faut, and use me / lui. |
| 9 · The Past | Use the passé composé with avoir and être, negatives and time words. |
| 10 · Phone & Appointments | Answer the phone, leave messages, book appointments and spell a name. |
| 11 · Opinions & Preferences | Give opinions, prefer, agree and disagree, and give reasons with parce que. |
| 12 · When Things Go Wrong | Deal with delays and lost items, call for help, and use the imperative. |
Around 240 more vocabulary items, three more verb groups (-ir, -re, reflexives), the near future, the passé composé, and two sets of pronouns (le / la / les and me / lui).
What Comes Next — French Basic Conversation 3
The natural next step is French Basic Conversation 3. It would pick up what this course left open: the imparfait (the "was doing" past behind c'était, il faisait, il y avait), the pronoun en, more question words and questions with inversion, and short reading texts.