Breakdown of Le vigile demande aux clients de patienter.
à
at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)
le client
the client / the customer
le
him, it (masculine direct object pronoun)
demander
to ask (for) / to require / demand
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
patienter
to wait patiently
le vigile
the security guard
Questions & Answers about Le vigile demande aux clients de patienter.
Why is it aux clients de patienter instead of just les clients patienter?
In French, the verb demander follows a specific pattern: demander à quelqu'un de faire quelque chose (to ask someone to do something). The preposition à combines with les to make aux clients, and de is strictly required before the infinitive verb patienter.
Why did they use patienter here rather than the standard verb attendre?
Does vigile mean vigilante?
No, this is a common false friend. Un vigile is simply a private security guard or night watchman. If you wanted to talk about a vigilante taking the law into their own hands, you would use the word un justicier.
How could we apply the current lesson to say the guard asks them to wait, 'even if it means angering them'?
Learn Le vigile demande aux clients de patienter and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free