Asking for Advice and Recommendations
8.1.1. The Main Idea
To ask for advice or a recommendation in French, you can use conseiller, meaning to advise / to recommend.
Tu me conseilles quoi ? | What do you recommend? |
Vous me conseillez quoi ? | What do you recommend? formal or plural |
This is useful when asking about food, activities, places, clothes, courses, or health.
8.1.2. Main Questions
Tu me conseilles quoi ? | What do you recommend? |
Vous me conseillez quoi ? | What do you recommend? formal or plural |
Qu’est-ce que tu me conseilles ? | What do you recommend? |
Qu’est-ce que vous me conseillez ? | What do you recommend? formal or plural |
Tu as une recommandation ? | Do you have a recommendation? |
Vous avez une recommandation ? | Do you have a recommendation? formal or plural |
8.1.3. Asking What Someone Should Do
Je dois faire quoi ? | What should I do? |
Qu’est-ce que je dois faire ? | What should I do? |
Je devrais faire quoi ? | What should I do? / What would be good for me to do? |
Qu’est-ce que je devrais faire ? | What should I do? |
Je dois is stronger: I have to / must.Je devrais is softer: I should / I ought to.
8.1.4. Giving Advice with Devoir
Use devoir + infinitive to give direct advice.
Tu dois étudier. | You have to study. |
Tu dois dormir. | You have to sleep. |
Tu dois boire de l’eau. | You have to drink water. |
Tu dois aller chez le médecin. | You have to go to the doctor. |
Vous devez attendre ici. | You have to wait here. formal or plural |
8.1.5. Giving Softer Advice with Devoir
Use devrais to make advice softer and more polite.
Tu devrais étudier. | You should study. |
Tu devrais dormir. | You should sleep. |
Tu devrais boire de l’eau. | You should drink water. |
Tu devrais prendre une pause. | You should take a break. |
Vous devriez aller chez le médecin. | You should go to the doctor. formal or plural |
8.1.6. Giving Recommendations with Conseiller
Use je te conseille de + infinitive for I recommend that you…
Je te conseille de dormir. | I recommend that you sleep. |
Je te conseille de boire de l’eau. | I recommend that you drink water. |
Je te conseille de prendre une pause. | I recommend that you take a break. |
Je vous conseille d’attendre ici. | I recommend that you wait here. formal or plural |
Je vous conseille d’aller chez le médecin. | I recommend that you go to the doctor. formal or plural |
Before a vowel sound, de becomes d’.
de + attendre | d’attendre |
de + aller | d’aller |
8.1.7. Asking for Recommendations in Daily Life
Tu me conseilles quel café ? | Which café do you recommend? |
Tu me conseilles quel restaurant ? | Which restaurant do you recommend? |
Tu me conseilles quel cours ? | Which class do you recommend? |
Tu me conseilles quelle chemise ? | Which shirt do you recommend? |
Tu me conseilles quels films ? | Which movies do you recommend? |
Tu me conseilles quelles chaussures ? | Which shoes do you recommend? |
8.1.8. Useful Advice Vocabulary
un conseil | a piece of advice |
une recommandation | a recommendation |
conseiller | to advise / to recommend |
recommander | to recommend |
devoir | to have to / must |
devrais | should, informal |
devriez | should, formal or plural |
prendre une pause | to take a break |
boire de l’eau | to drink water |
dormir | to sleep |
étudier | to study |
aller chez le médecin | to go to the doctor |
8.1.9. Core Patterns
Tu me conseilles quoi ? | What do you recommend? |
Qu’est-ce que je dois faire ? | What should I do? / What do I have to do? |
Je devrais faire quoi ? | What should I do? |
Tu devrais + infinitive. | You should ___. |
Je te conseille de + infinitive. | I recommend that you ___. |
Je vous conseille de + infinitive. | I recommend that you ___, formal or plural. |
8.1.10. Practice
What do you recommend? informal |
What do you recommend? formal |
What should I do? |
You should sleep. |
You should drink water. |
I recommend that you take a break. informal |
Which restaurant do you recommend? |
Which shirt do you recommend? |
8.1.11. Answers
What do you recommend? informal | Tu me conseilles quoi ? |
What do you recommend? formal | Vous me conseillez quoi ? |
What should I do? | Qu’est-ce que je dois faire ? |
You should sleep. | Tu devrais dormir. |
You should drink water. | Tu devrais boire de l’eau. |
I recommend that you take a break. informal | Je te conseille de prendre une pause. |
Which restaurant do you recommend? | Tu me conseilles quel restaurant ? |
Which shirt do you recommend? | Tu me conseilles quelle chemise ? |
8.1.12. Short Dialogue
A : Je suis fatigué. Qu’est-ce que je devrais faire ? | A: I am tired. What should I do? masculine speaker |
B : Tu devrais dormir et boire de l’eau. | B: You should sleep and drink water. |
A : Tu me conseilles aussi une pause ? | A: Do you also recommend a break? |
B : Oui, je te conseille de prendre une pause. | B: Yes, I recommend that you take a break. |
8.1.13. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to ask for advice with Tu me conseilles quoi ?, ask what you should do with Qu’est-ce que je dois faire ?, give advice with tu devrais + infinitive, and make recommendations with je te conseille de + infinitive.