French · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 40
Je t'appelleI'll call you
Phone and messages: appeler, répondre, envoyer un message. And the object pronouns — me, te, le, la — which, in French, come BEFORE the verb: « je t'appelle », « je le vois ».
Dialogue
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J'appelle toi / Je t'appelle
- CamilleJe dois partir maintenant. On se voit ce soir pour le cinéma ?I have to go now. Shall we meet tonight for the cinema?
- MikeOui ! J'appelle toi à sept heures.Yes! I'll call you at seven. (slip: pronoun after the verb — in French it goes before: « je t'appelle »)
- CamilleEn français, le pronom passe avant le verbe : « Je t'appelle ».In French, the pronoun goes before the verb: « Je t'appelle ».
- MikeAh, comme au chapitre 18 : « je me lève ». Alors : je t'appelle à sept heures.Ah, like chapter 18: « je me lève ». So: I'll call you at seven.
- CamilleExactement. Et si je ne réponds pas, envoie-moi un message.Exactly. And if I don't answer, send me a message.
- MikeD'accord ! Je t'appelle, et si besoin, je t'envoie un message.Okay! I'll call you, and if needed, I'll send you a message.
Dialogue
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Un appel— A phone call
- CamilleAllô ? Salut, Lucas. Tu m'as appelée ?Hello? Hi, Lucas. Did you call me?
- LucasSalut, Camille ! Oui, je t'ai appelée. Je voulais t'inviter à déjeuner dimanche.Hi, Camille! Yes, I called you. I wanted to invite you to lunch on Sunday.
- CamilleAvec plaisir ! À quelle heure ?With pleasure! At what time?
- LucasÀ midi. Je t'envoie l'adresse par message.At noon. I'll send you the address by message.
- CamilleParfait. Si je suis en retard, je t'appelle, d'accord ?Perfect. If I'm late, I'll call you, okay?
- LucasD'accord. Si je ne réponds pas, c'est que je cuisine. Rappelle-moi !Okay. If I don't answer, it's because I'm cooking. Call me back!
Vocabulary
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- le téléphone
n.m.telephone
- le portable
n.m.mobile phone
- le message
n.m.message
- appeler
verbto call, phone
- l'appel
n.m.call
- répondre
verbto answer, reply
- envoyer
verbto send
- le numéro
n.m.number
- rappeler
verbto call back
- plus tard
adverblater
Grammar
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Object pronouns: me, te, le, la (before the verb)
Explanation
To avoid repeating the noun (« J'appelle Paul → je l'appelle »), French has short object pronouns: me (me), te (you), le (him / it, masc.), la (her / it, fem.), nous, vous, les. In chapter 18 you already saw them with reflexive verbs (je me lève, tu te laves). The rule is the same: the pronoun comes BEFORE the verb — « Je t'appelle », « Elle me téléphone », « Je le vois demain », « Tu la connais ? ». Before a vowel, me/te/le/la elide: « je t'appelle », « je l'invite ». With two verbs, the pronoun goes before the infinitive: « Je vais t'appeler », « Je peux le faire ». Typical mistake: in English the object comes AFTER the verb (« I call you », « I see him »), so English speakers say « J'appelle toi » ✗ or « Je vois lui » ✗ (with the stressed pronouns). In French, the pronoun moves in front: « Je t'appelle » ✓, « Je le vois » ✓.
Examples
- Je t'appelle plus tard, d'accord ?I'll call you later, okay?
- Elle m'a envoyé un message ce matin.She sent me a message this morning.
- Tu connais Marie ? — Oui, je la connais bien.Do you know Marie? — Yes, I know her well.
- Je vais t'appeler quand j'arriverai.I'll call you when I arrive.
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