ought to have a spare set of keys.
Alternatively, you can use je dois (I must), from the verb devoir. For more information on devoir, see here.
I must…
| Je dois me lever tôt demain. | I must get up early tomorrow. |
| Je dois rendre les clés au propriétaire. | I must give the keys back to the owner. |
| On doit absolument trouver un logement avant la fin du mois. | We absolutely must find accommodation by the end of the month. |
In French you can tell somebody what you need by using j’ai besoin de (I need).
I need…
| J’ai besoin d’un lit d’enfant. | I need a cot. |
| J’ai besoin de téléphoner en Écosse. | I need to call Scotland. |
| Nous avons besoin d’une chambre au rez-de-chaussée. | We need a room on the ground floor. |
You can use Est-ce qu’il faut que…? (Do I have to…?) followed by the verb in the subjunctive to ask about what you have to do. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.
Do I have to…?
| Est-ce qu’il faut que je laisse la clef à la réception quand je sors? | Do I have to leave the key at the reception when I go out? |
| Est-ce qu’il faut qu’on emmène des sacs de couchage? | Do we need to bring sleeping bags? |
| Est-ce qu’il faut vous prévenir quand on quitte l’hôtel? | Do we have to let you know when we leave the hotel? |
| Qu’est-ce qu’il faut que j’emmène? | What do I need to bring? |
| Quand est-ce qu’il faut qu’on libère la chambre? | When do we have to vacate the room? |
Alternatively, you can use Est-ce que je dois…? (Do I need to…?)
Do I need to…?
| Est-ce que je dois faire le ménage dans l’appartement avant de partir? | Do I need to clean the flat before leaving? |
| Est-ce que je dois réserver? | Do I need to book? |
| Est-ce qu’on doit laisser un pourboire à la femme de chambre? | Do we need to leave a tip for the housekeeper? |
When you are talking about your plans for where you’re going to stay, in French, as in English, the present tense is very often used to talk about things that have been arranged and are definite. For more on the present tense, see here.
I’m staying…
| Je loge en auberge de jeunesse la première semaine. | I’m staying in a youth hostel the first week. |
| Je loge chez l’habitant le premier soir. | I’m staying with a host family the first night. |
| … ensuite je dors à l’hôtel. | … then I’m staying in a hotel. |
Alternatively, you can use the future tense in French, as in English.
I’ll…
| Je serai à l’hôtel à dix-sept heures. | I’ll be at the hotel at five pm. |
| Je paierai le loyer à l’avance. | I’ll pay the rent in advance. |
| On arrivera dans la soirée. | We’ll arrive in the evening. |
In English we often say I’m going to to talk about the future. French works the same way. To say that you’re going to do something, put je vais (I’m going to) or on va (we’re going to) before the verb. vais and va come from the verb aller. For more information on aller, see here.
I’m going to…
| Je vais loger à Biarritz. | I’m going to stay in Biarritz. |
| Je vais louer un chalet à la montagne. | I’m going to rent a chalet in the mountains. |
| On va faire du camping. | We’re going to camp. |
If you want to say that you intend to do something, you can use j’ai l’intention de or je compte (I intend to).
I intend to…
| J’ai l’intention de louer un appartement. | I intend to rent a flat. |
| J’ai l’intention de trouver un gîte. | I intend to find a gîte. |
| Je compte rester jusqu’à vendredi. | I intend to stay until Friday. |
| On compte partir demain après le petit déjeuner. | We intend to leave after breakfast tomorrow. |
Unfortunately the service you get in your accommodation may not always be perfect. A very simple way of complaining is to say what the problem is using il y a, which means both there is and there are or il n’y a pas de which means there isn’t or there aren’t.
There’s…
| Il y a trop de bruit. | There’s too much noise. |
| Il y a une fuite au plafond. | There’s a leak in the ceiling. |
| Il y a des cafards dans l’appartement. | There are cockroaches in the apartment. |
There isn’t…
| Il n’y a pas d’eau chaude. | There isn’t any hot water. |
| Il n’y a pas de serviettes propres dans la chambre. | There aren’t any clean towels in the room. |
| La chambre n’a pas de balcon. | The room doesn’t have a balcony. |
| L’appartement n’a pas la climatisation. | The apartment doesn’t have air-conditioning. |
You can also use the verb être (to be) to describe what the problem is.
