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8.1. Tu me conseilles quoi ?

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.

8.1.14. Try It Out

Try saying this in French:

What do you recommend?

You should take a break.

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Possible answer:

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