I can read a French apartment ad: understand where it is, how much it costs, what it has, and what you can't do there.
What the text is about
What the text is about
You're about to read a French ad for an apartment to rent. These ads are all built the same way: where the place is, what it costs, what's in it, and the owner's rules. The table shows how the ad is organized.
In French, a rule or a ban is one of three set phrases, each followed by an infinitive: il faut payer (you have to pay), il ne faut pas téléphoner (you mustn't call; it never means “you don't have to”), il est interdit de fumer (it's forbidden to smoke). You know the first two; the third is new. After il est interdit, always de and the infinitive — not “il est interdit à fumer” and not “il interdit de fumer”.
Where things are: en bas (downstairs, down below), en haut (upstairs, up above), là-bas (over there), nulle part (nowhere), au bord de (by, at the edge of) — au bord de la mer, au bord de la Loire.
The parts of a French housing ad
The sections come in this order — that's how you skim an ad.
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Type of home and location | une chambre, un studio, un appartement ; au bord de la mer |
| Price | le loyer, les charges |
| Amenities | le frigo, le lave-linge, le chauffage |
| Rules | il faut / il ne faut pas / il est interdit de + infinitive |
Lesson notes
What the text is about
You're about to read a French ad for an apartment to rent. These ads are all built the same way: where the place is, what it costs, what's in it, and the owner's rules. The table shows how the ad is organized.
In French, a rule or a ban is one of three set phrases, each followed by an infinitive: il faut payer (you have to pay), il ne faut pas téléphoner (you mustn't call; it never means “you don't have to”), il est interdit de fumer (it's forbidden to smoke). You know the first two; the third is new. After il est interdit, always de and the infinitive — not “il est interdit à fumer” and not “il interdit de fumer”.
Where things are: en bas (downstairs, down below), en haut (upstairs, up above), là-bas (over there), nulle part (nowhere), au bord de (by, at the edge of) — au bord de la mer, au bord de la Loire.