A2BeginnerVerbs · Point 10 / 40
prendre, attendre, remplir, montrer, ne pas doubler, vouloir
To tell someone what to do without sounding abrupt, French uses the “vous” form of the verb with no pronoun.
| Infinitive | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| prendre | — | verb meaning “to take” |
| attendre | — | verb meaning “to wait” |
| remplir | — | verb meaning “to fill out” |
| montrer | — | verb meaning “to show” |
| ne pas doubler | — | instruction not to double something |
| vouloir | — | here, the very polite form used to give an instruction |
Same form as “vous” in the present tense, without the pronoun. Three exceptions worth knowing: “être” → “Soyez”, “avoir” → “Ayez”, “vouloir” → “Veuillez” (the wording of official letters).
Examples from our dialogues 3 · 3 with audio
- Listen
Prenez un numéro là-bas, puis attendez qu'on vous appelle.
Take a number over there, then wait until you're called.
Check The Full DialogueAt a government counter
- Listen
Prenez-la dès que vous y pensez, sauf si c'est presque l'heure de la suivante. Ne doublez jamais la dose.
Take it as soon as you remember, unless it's almost time for the next one. Never double the dose.
Check The Full DialogueAsking about a medication at the pharmacy
- Listen
Prenez rendez-vous avec votre médecin ou en clinique. Rappelez-nous au besoin. Merci, ça me rassure beaucoup.
Make an appointment with your doctor or at a clinic. Call us back if needed. Thank you, that reassures me a lot.
Check The Full DialogueHandling a small emergency
Common mistakes
Prends un numéro.Prenez un numéro.
With a stranger or an employee you use “vous”. “Prends” (the “tu” form) sounds familiar, sometimes rude.
Practise speaking
Démarches et consultationsProcedures and consultations
Government offices, the bank, appointments — the French of official procedures.
These dialogues use this point. They open on the dialogue page (audio, vocabulary to save).