Lesson 44: Inviting, accepting, refusing
Ça te dit ? — making plans with people · A1 → A2 · A2 · Part 3 — Plans & the Future
You will invite someone, accept, refuse without being rude, and settle on a day, a time and a place. This is the practical conversation French learners need most — and it uses almost no grammar you have not already met.
In this lesson
- inviting
- accepting
- refusing politely
- fixing a time and place
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ça te dit ? | Do you feel like it? / Fancy it? | sa tuh dee ↗ سا تُو دی | The most natural way to invite a friend. Informal tu only. |
| Ça vous dit ? | Would you like to? | sa voo dee ↗ سا وو دی | The polite version. Use 'vous' until someone invites you to use 'tu'. |
| On pourrait… | We could… | on poo-ray ↗ اوں پورے | Soft and polite. Literally the conditional of 'pouvoir' — you will study it later; for now learn it as a block. |
| Tu es libre ? | Are you free? | tü ay leebr ↗ تُو اے لیبر | libre = free. The most direct way to check availability. |
| un rendez-vous | an appointment / a date | un ron-day-voo اَن رونڈے وو | Say 'ron-day-VOO'. Used for doctors, work and friends alike. |
| D'accord | All right / agreed | da-kor داکور | The safest yes. Works in every situation. |
| Ça marche | That works / sounds good | sa marsh سا مارش | Very common and relaxed. Perfect when confirming a plan. |
| Je ne peux pas | I can't | zhuh nuh puh pa ژُ نُو پُو پا | peux = can. Note the x is silent. |
| Une autre fois | Another time | ün o-truh fwa اَن اوترُو فوا | The polite way to refuse without closing the door. |
| Vers quelle heure ? | Around what time? | vair kel ur ↗ ویئر کیل اُر | 'vers' = around. Much softer than demanding an exact time. |
| Ça dépend | It depends | sa day-pon سا ڈے پوں | Nasal ending: day-pon. Very useful when you are not sure yet. |
| Malheureusement, non | Unfortunately, no | ma-luh-ruhz-mon non مالُورُوزموں نوں | Refusing politely, and telling the truth. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ça te dit ? | sa-tuh-dee ↗ | sa ... tuh ... dee ↗ | One block, rising at the end. Never 'sa. tuh. dee.' |
| Tu es libre ? | tü-ay-leebr ↗ | tü ... ay ... leebr ↗ | Compulsory liaison: tü-ay. Then 'leebr' with a soft r. |
| D'accord | da-kor | da ... kor | Flat 'or'. Do not round it towards 'oor'. |
| Ça marche | sa-marsh | sa ... marsh | Short, clipped, confident. Like agreeing with a nod. |
| On se retrouve où ? | on-suh-ruh-truv-oo ↗ | on ... suh ... ruh ... truv ... oo ↗ | The final 'où' is a pure 'oo' — lips rounded. |
| Vers quelle heure ? | vair-kel-ur ↗ | vair ... kel ... ur ↗ | 'vers' has a soft French r, not a hard English one. |
Two things carry this whole conversation: the rising question intonation on 'Ça te dit ?' and the liaison in 'on se retrouve' and 'tu es libre'. Get those two shapes right and you will sound natural even with simple words.
Grammar
Three ways to invite — from direct to soft
French speakers vary the opening depending on how close you are. Start with the softest with strangers, and the simplest with friends.
Accepting, refusing and pinning down the details
A real plan needs three things: a yes or no, a time, and a place. Here is the vocabulary for each.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Ça te dit d'aller au cinéma ce soir ? | Do you fancy going to the cinema tonight? | sa tuh dee da-lay o see-nay-ma suh swar ↗ |
| D'accord, avec plaisir ! | All right, with pleasure! | da-kor, a-vek play-zeer |
| Malheureusement, je ne peux pas ce soir. | Unfortunately I can't tonight. | ma-luh-ruhz-mon, zhuh nuh puh pa suh swar |
| Pas de problème, une autre fois ! | No problem, another time! | pa duh pro-blem, ün o-truh fwa |
| Tu es libre samedi après-midi ? | Are you free on Saturday afternoon? | tü ay leebr sam-dee a-pray mee-dyee ↗ |
| Vers quelle heure ? Je finis à dix-sept heures. | Around what time? I finish at five. | vair kel ur ↗ zhuh fee-nee a dee-set ur |
| On se retrouve devant le restaurant à vingt heures ? | Shall we meet in front of the restaurant at eight? | on suh ruh-truv duh-von luh res-to-ron a van ur ↗ |
| Ça marche. C'est noté. | That works. It's in the diary. | sa marsh. say no-tay |
| Ça dépend de mon travail, je te dis demain. | It depends on my work, I'll tell you tomorrow. | sa day-pon duh mon tra-vai, zhuh tuh dee duh-man |
| On pourrait se voir la semaine prochaine ? | Could we meet next week? | on poo-ray suh vwar la suh-men pro-shen ↗ |
Dialogue: Sami invites Nadia to dinner
Watch how a refusal is handled: Sami refuses twice, but never with a bare 'non'. Each time he softens it and offers an alternative. That is the real skill of this lesson.
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Salut Nadia ! Ça te dit de dîner chez moi vendredi ? | Hi Nadia! Fancy having dinner at my place on Friday? | sa-lü na-dya. sa tuh dee duh dee-nay shay mwa von-druh-dee ↗ |
| B | Ah, vendredi… malheureusement je ne peux pas, je travaille jusqu'à vingt-deux heures. | Ah, Friday… unfortunately I can't, I work until ten at night. | a, von-druh-dee… ma-luh-ruhz-mon zhuh nuh puh pa, zhuh tra-vai zhoos-ka van-duz ur |
| A | Pas de problème ! Samedi, alors ? | No problem! Saturday, then? | pa duh pro-blem. sam-dee, a-lor ↗ |
| B | Samedi je suis libre le soir. Vers quelle heure ? | On Saturday I am free in the evening. Around what time? | sam-dee zhuh swee leebr luh swar. vair kel ur ↗ |
| A | On dit vingt heures ? Ça te laisse le temps. | Shall we say eight? That gives you time. | on dee van ur ↗ sa tuh les luh ton |
| B | Parfait. On se retrouve où ? | Perfect. Where shall we meet? | par-fay. on suh ruh-truv oo ↗ |
| A | Devant chez moi, à la station de métro. | In front of my place, at the metro station. | duh-von shay mwa, a la sta-syon duh may-tro |
| B | Ça marche. C'est noté. À samedi ! | That works. Noted. See you Saturday! | sa marsh. say no-tay. a sam-dee |
Say it out loud
- Ça te dit d'aller au cinéma ? — Fancy going to the cinema? Keep it one block and rise at the end.
- Tu es libre samedi ? — Are you free on Saturday? Liaison tü-ay. 'leebr' with a soft r.
- Malheureusement, je ne peux pas. — Unfortunately I can't. Say it warmly — a refusal should still sound friendly.
- Une autre fois, peut-être ? — Another time, maybe? End on a rise — it keeps the door open.
- Vers quelle heure ? — Around what time? Soft French r in 'vair'. No hard English r.
- On se retrouve devant le restaurant. — Let's meet in front of the restaurant. One long block. No pauses.
Listening practice: Three voice messages making a plan
Salut, c'est Karim. Ça te dit de jouer au football samedi matin ? Je suis libre à partir de dix heures. On pourrait se retrouver au parc. Dis-moi si ça marche pour toi. Ah, et si tu ne peux pas le matin, on peut aussi faire l'après-midi. À bientôt !
Hi, it's Karim. Fancy playing football on Saturday morning? I'm free from ten o'clock. We could meet at the park. Tell me if that works for you. Oh, and if you can't in the morning, we can also do the afternoon. See you soon!
Questions
- What is Karim inviting his friend to do? Play football / Watch a match / Go running → Play football
- When is he free? From nine o'clock / From ten o'clock / From noon → From ten o'clock
- Where could they meet? At the stadium / At the park / At his house → At the park
- What does he ask his friend to do? Call him back / Tell him if it works / Send a message tomorrow → Tell him if it works
- What is the alternative? Sunday morning / The afternoon / Another week → The afternoon
Remember this
- Invite informally: Ça te dit de…? / Tu veux…? / On pourrait…
- Invite politely: Ça vous dit de…? / Est-ce que vous seriez libre…
- Accept: D'accord ! / Ça marche ! / Avec plaisir ! / C'est noté.
- Refuse politely: Je ne peux pas, malheureusement. / Une autre fois, peut-être ?
- Ask the time: Vers quelle heure ? Answer: On dit vingt heures.
- Agree a place: On se retrouve où ? / devant le restaurant.
- un rendez-vous = an appointment or a date (ron-day-VOO).
- Ça dépend = it depends — use it when you are not sure yet.
- Planning uses no new tense — it is a vocabulary skill.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tu es libre ? (to your boss) | Vous êtes libre ? | Wrong politeness level. Use vous until invited otherwise. |
| Non. (as a refusal) | Je ne peux pas, malheureusement. Une autre fois ? | A bare 'non' sounds cold in French. Always soften it. |
| À quelle heure exactement ? (to a new friend) | Vers quelle heure ? | 'Vers' is much friendlier than demanding an exact time. |
| Ça vous dit ? — said to a close friend | Ça te dit ? | Too formal between friends. It creates distance. |
Practice questions
- Which is the polite way to invite someone older? Ça te dit ? / Ça vous dit ? / Tu veux ? / On pourrait… — Ça vous dit ?
- How do you refuse politely? Non. / Je ne peux pas, malheureusement. / Non, merci. / Jamais. — Je ne peux pas, malheureusement.
- What does 'Ça marche' mean here? It walks / That works / sounds good / It's broken / Walk away — That works / sounds good
- How do you ask 'around what time'? À quelle heure ? / Vers quelle heure ? / Quelle heure est-il ? / Combien d'heures ? — Vers quelle heure ?
- What does 'Tu es libre ?' mean? Are you free? / Are you a book? / Are you ready? / Are you tired? — Are you free?
- Which phrase keeps the door open after refusing? Je ne peux pas. / Une autre fois, peut-être ? / Non, merci. / Malheureusement, non. — Une autre fois, peut-être ?
- How do you say 'We could…' softly? Nous pouvons / On pourrait / On peut / Nous allons — On pourrait
- What does 'Ça dépend' mean? It's deep / It depends / It's expensive / I agree — It depends
Homework (30 minutes)
1) Write a full invitation conversation: invite, be refused once, offer an alternative, agree a time and a place, confirm. 2) Read it aloud twice, once as each person. 3) Then send a real invitation to a real friend in French. 4) Finally, re-read this lesson's warm-up words.
Lesson 44 of 45 · A2 · Part 3 — Plans & the Future · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2