First Day on a French Building Site
Understand the site boss, ask for tools, stay safe and keep up with the crew's banter on a French chantier.
On a French chantier everyone says tu, the day usually starts around 7:30, and there's a mid-morning casse-croûte break. Every worker must carry a carte BTP, the professional ID card for the construction sector, and the chef de chantier checks that you wear your EPI (protective gear): hard hat, safety shoes, gloves. When bad weather makes work impossible, the site can stop and workers are paid under the intempéries scheme.
- 1
Il est où, le chef de chantier ?
Where's the site manager?
- 2
Mets ton casque !
Put your hard hat on!
- 3
T'as ta carte BTP sur toi ?
Have you got your construction ID card on you?
- 4
Passe-moi la perceuse.
Pass me the drill.
- 5
Attention, ça tombe !
Watch out, it's falling!
- 6
Tiens-moi l'échelle.
Hold the ladder for me.
- 7
L'échafaudage n'est pas stable.
The scaffolding isn't stable.
- 8
La toupie arrive à 10 h.
The concrete mixer truck is coming at ten.
- 9
Il faut attendre que le béton sèche.
We have to wait for the concrete to dry.
- 10
Tu peux me filer un coup de main ?
Can you give me a hand?
- 11
C'est trop lourd pour une seule personne.
It's too heavy for one person.
- 12
C'est l'heure de la pause casse-croûte !
It's time for the mid-morning snack break!
- 13
On a pris du retard.
We've fallen behind schedule.
- 14
On arrête s'il pleut trop fort.
We stop if it rains too hard.
- 15
Évacue les gravats.
Clear away the rubble.
- 16
Mesure deux fois avant de couper.
Measure twice before you cut.
- 17
Je me suis coupé. Elle est où, la trousse de secours ?
I've cut myself. Where's the first aid kit?
- 18
Mets tes chaussures de sécurité.
Wear your safety shoes.
- 19
C'est pas de niveau.
That's not level.
- 20
Aujourd'hui, on finit à 16 h 30.
Today we finish at 4:30.