Receptionist: Big Apple Hostel, how can I you?
Caller: Hi, excuse me, am I at the Big Apple Hostel?
Receptionist: Yes, Ma'am, how can I help you?
Caller: I would like to a for two .
Receptionist: Certainly, Ma'am. What would you , and for how ?
Caller: I'll be arriving July 11th, and it would be July 16th.
Receptionist: So, the 11th to the 16th, that's five , right?
Caller: Um, six, actually, the 16th .
Receptionist: OK, six nights, let me see… We have or rooms for two . What would you ?
Caller: I've seen on your that the for one night for a bed in a room for four people is $43. Is that right?
Receptionist: That's , included.
Caller: OK, so I'd like to make a for two people, six nights, starting on July 11th to July 16th included.
Receptionist: Can I have your , please?
Caller: Julie Hudson, like the Hudson .
Click ▶ to hear the words.Clique sur ▶ pour entendre les mots.
Click ▶ to hear each word, and say it out loud. The lesson is on the page Booking a room.
At the hostel · À l'auberge de jeunesse
| a hostel | une auberge de jeunesse |
| a dormitory | un dortoir |
| a private room | une chambre privée |
| bunk beds | des lits superposés |
| a mixed dormitory | un dortoir mixte |
| sheets | des draps |
| a blanket | une couverture |
| a towel | une serviette |
| a locker | un casier |
| luggage | les bagages |
| valuables | les objets de valeur |
| a curfew | un couvre-feu |
Booking and getting there · Réserver et s'y rendre
| to book | réserver |
| available | disponible |
| the rates | les tarifs |
| tax included | taxes comprises |
| free of charge | gratuit |
| to check in | s'enregistrer à l'arrivée |
| to check out | libérer la chambre |
| a credit card | une carte de crédit |
| the expiration date | la date d'expiration |
| the subway | le métro (US) |
| to get off | descendre (du train, du bus) |
| a five-minute walk | à cinq minutes à pied |
Careful! to book = réserver; a book = un livre. the subway = le métro in the US (the underground / the tube in London).
At the hostel: drag each English word next to its French translation.À l'auberge de jeunesse : fais glisser chaque mot anglais en face de sa traduction.
- une serviette
- un couvre-feu
- des lits superposés
- les objets de valeur
- un casier
- un dortoir mixte
- les bagages
- un dortoir
- une auberge de jeunesse
- une couverture
- une chambre privée
- des draps
Booking and getting there: drag each English word next to its French translation.Réserver et s'y rendre : fais glisser chaque mot anglais en face de sa traduction.
- une carte de crédit
- gratuit
- les tarifs
- s'enregistrer à l'arrivée
- à cinq minutes à pied
- le métro (US)
- descendre (du train, du bus)
- libérer la chambre
- disponible
- réserver
- taxes comprises
- la date d'expiration
Julie calls a hostel in New York to book beds. What are they going to talk about? Tick: there is no right or wrong answer yet!Julie appelle une auberge de jeunesse à New York pour réserver des lits. De quoi vont-ils parler ? Coche : il n'y a pas encore de bonne ou de mauvaise réponse !
Your choices will be marked ★ in the next step.Tes choix seront marqués ★ à l'étape suivante.
Listen to the two parts of the call. Tick what they talk about.Écoute les deux parties de l'appel. Coche ce dont ils parlent.
★ = your predictions. Were you right?★ = tes prédictions. Avais-tu raison ?
Listen to part 1 again and choose.Écoute encore la partie 1 et choisis.
- Why is Julie calling?
- How many people are travelling?
- How many nights are they going to stay?
- The receptionist makes a mistake about
- Where did Julie find the price?
- One night in a room for four people costs
- Is the tax included in the price?
- Julie explains her name with
Listen and drag the missing words into the dialogue.Écoute et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le dialogue.
Listen to part 2 and choose.Écoute la partie 2 et choisis.
- To confirm the reservation, the receptionist needs
- Then he asks
- Julie's friend is
- So the two friends can
- The cheapest way from JFK airport is
- Julie must get off at
- From the station, the hostel is
- Before she arrives, Julie must
Listen and drag the missing words into the dialogue.Écoute et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le dialogue.
Receptionist: Ms Hudson, can I please have your credit number to the reservation?
Caller: Yes, 2486 6974 1273 0159, and it's my name.
Receptionist: That's 2486 6974 1273 0159, is that ?
Caller: Yes.
Receptionist: What's the date, please?
Caller: December 2011.
Receptionist: OK, Ms Hudson, your reservation is for six nights, starting July 11th, for two beds in a . One more thing: is the person traveling with you or ?
Caller: Female.
Receptionist: OK, so you can be in the room.
Caller: One last thing: what's the way to get to the hostel from JFK, please?
Receptionist: You need to take the AirTrain to the station, Howard Beach. Then the A train to Manhattan. Get at 42nd Street station, and it's a five-minute to the hostel. It's on our website. One important thing: we ask our to confirm their reservation the day before or in the morning.
Caller: OK, no , I'll do that. Thanks for your . Bye.
Receptionist: And thank you for the Big Apple Hostel, Ms Hudson.
Caller: Yes, 2486 6974 1273 0159, and it's my name.
Receptionist: That's 2486 6974 1273 0159, is that ?
Caller: Yes.
Receptionist: What's the date, please?
Caller: December 2011.
Receptionist: OK, Ms Hudson, your reservation is for six nights, starting July 11th, for two beds in a . One more thing: is the person traveling with you or ?
Caller: Female.
Receptionist: OK, so you can be in the room.
Caller: One last thing: what's the way to get to the hostel from JFK, please?
Receptionist: You need to take the AirTrain to the station, Howard Beach. Then the A train to Manhattan. Get at 42nd Street station, and it's a five-minute to the hostel. It's on our website. One important thing: we ask our to confirm their reservation the day before or in the morning.
Caller: OK, no , I'll do that. Thanks for your . Bye.
Receptionist: And thank you for the Big Apple Hostel, Ms Hudson.
Choose the correct and polite sentence.Choisis la phrase correcte et polie.
- The receptionist answers the phone: « Big Apple Hostel, »How can I help you? or How may I help you? (even more polite).
- You want to check that you have the right number. On the phone: Am I at…? or Is that…?
- The receptionist speaks to a woman: « Yes, »Ma'am (Madam) for a woman, Sir for a man. Mrs is always followed by a name.
- The receptionist speaks to a man: « Yes, »Mister is always followed by a name: Mr Hudson.
- You ask politely. I would like… = je voudrais.
- I'll be arriving July 11th.A date: on July 11th. A month alone: in July.
- I'm staying July 11th to July 16th.from … to (or until) …
- That's five nights, right? or is that correct? to check.
- I've seen your website that a bed costs $43.on a website, on the Internet.
- to get to the hostel?cheap → the cheapest (short adjective: -est).
- It's a to the hostel.Before a noun, the number + noun is an adjective: no -s (a five-minute walk, a ten-dollar bill).
- Thank you for the Big Apple Hostel.Thank you for + -ing.
How do you say these dates? Write the number in words.Comment dit-on ces dates ? Écris le nombre en toutes lettres.
July 11th → July the (11th)
July 16th → July the (16th)
June 1st → June the (1st)
May 2nd → May the (2nd)
April 3rd → April the (3rd)
August 5th → August the (5th)
March 12th → March the (12th)
October 22nd → October the (22nd)
December 31st → December the (31st)
42nd Street → (42nd) Street
July 16th → July the (16th)
June 1st → June the (1st)
May 2nd → May the (2nd)
April 3rd → April the (3rd)
August 5th → August the (5th)
March 12th → March the (12th)
October 22nd → October the (22nd)
December 31st → December the (31st)
42nd Street → (42nd) Street
Your turn: book a room on the phone (on paper, then with a partner).À toi : réserve une chambre au téléphone (sur une feuille, puis avec un camarade).
Work with a partner: one is the caller, the other is the receptionist. Then swap and change the details!
Caller: you are three friends (two boys and a girl). You want to stay at the Liberty Hostel
from August 2nd to August 6th. Ask about the price and the cheapest way to get there from the airport. Spell your
name.
Receptionist: a bed in a dormitory costs $39 a night, tax included; a private room for three
costs $150. There are no mixed dormitories. Ask for the caller's name, credit card number and expiration date. From
the airport: take the AirTrain, then the subway to Times Square; it's a ten-minute walk.
- Prepare your questions and answers on a sheet of paper.
- Act out the phone call (back to back, as if you couldn't see each other!).
Useful phrases: How can I help you? · I would like to book… · What date would you arrive? · For how long? · from… to… · Is that right? · Can I have your name, please? · How do you spell it? · What's the cheapest way to…? · Thank you for your help.
Back to Booking a room (the lesson is there)