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How to Say ‘To let us know if you're running late’ in French

Nous prévenir en cas de retard

noo pray-vuh-NEER on kah duh ruh-TAR

[noo pray-vuh-NEER on kah duh ruh-TAR]

🇫🇷 In France: Many restaurants only hold a table 15 minutes or so. A quick call if you're late is expected, or the table may go to someone else.

Phrase Breakdown

Nous prévenir

noo pray-vuh-NEER

Let us know / warn us

'Prévenir' means 'to notify', not 'prevent'. Say 'nou pré-veu-nir', pronouncing the final R.

Example

Pensez à nous prévenir.

Remember to let us know.

Words in this phrase

Nous

[noo]

The stressed pronoun meaning 'us' or 'we' after a preposition like 'avec.'

Example

Les nouvelles recrues déjeunent souvent avec nous.

New hires often have lunch with us.

prévenir

[pray-vuh-NEER]

to let know

To inform or warn someone in advance.

Example

Préviens-moi si tu arrives tard.

Let me know if you're arriving late.

en cas de retard

on kah duh ruh-TAR

in case you're late

A fixed expression. Say it in one breath: 'an ka deu reu-tar'.

Example

Appelez en cas de retard.

Call if you're running late.

Words in this phrase

[on]

A preposition indicating inclusion within a space.

Example

Il est en France.

He is in France.

cas

[kah]

case

Masculine noun; 'en cas de' means in the event of.

Example

Appelez en cas de problème.

Call in case of a problem.

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

retard

[ruh-TAR]

delay / lateness

Masculine noun for being late.

Example

Désolé pour le retard.

Sorry for the delay.

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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