💺❓

How to Say ‘Is this seat free?’ in French

Cette place est libre ?

set plahs eh LEE-bruh

[set plahs eh LEE-bruh]

💬 Usage Tip: place here means a seat, not a place. The same word gets you a table spot in a café or a seat on the train.

Phrase Breakdown

Cette place

set plahs

This seat

'Place' here means a seat. Say 'set plass'.

Example

Cette place est réservée.

This seat is reserved.

Words in this phrase

Cette

[set]

this

A determiner used to single out a specific thing.

Example

Cette maison est ancienne.

This house is old.

place

[plahs]

seat

In transport, place often means a seat or spot.

Example

Cette place est libre dans le train ?

Is this seat free on the train?

est libre ?

eh LEE-bruh

is free?

Raise your voice at the end to make it a question. 'Libre' sounds like 'leebr'.

Example

Vous êtes libre ce soir ?

Are you free tonight?

Words in this phrase

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

libre

[LEE-bruh]

free / available

Means available (time-wise). Used to plan: “être libre” = to be free/available.

Example

Je suis libre ce soir pour regarder un épisode.

I’m free tonight to watch an episode.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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