📝 Daily Practice
🎯 Lesson Goal
In this lesson, you learn how to say no to invitations in a polite way.
Dans cette leçon, vous apprenez à refuser poliment des invitations.
🧠 Grammar Focus
We use polite phrases to refuse invitations. We can say "I am sorry, but I cannot come." We use "I cannot" or "I am busy" to say no. The sentence usually starts with a polite phrase: "Thank you for the invite," or "Sorry,". Then we say the reason or just say no. Example: "Sorry, I am busy." Another example: "Thank you, but I cannot come." We do not say just "No" because it is not polite. Remember to use "please" or a thank you to be polite. Examples: "Sorry, I cannot go." "Thank you, but I am tired." "I am busy, thank you." Polite refusal helps keep good relationships.
Nous utilisons des phrases polies pour refuser des invitations. On peut dire « I am sorry, but I cannot come ». On utilise « I cannot » ou « I am busy » pour dire non. La phrase commence souvent par une formule polie : « Thank you for the invite » ou « Sorry ». Ensuite, on donne la raison ou on dit simplement non. On ne dit pas juste « No » car ce n’est pas poli. N’oubliez pas d’utiliser « please » ou un remerciement pour rester poli. Le refus poli aide à garder de bonnes relations.
📖 Short Reading
Anna gets an invitation from her friend John. John writes, "Do you want to come to my party?" Anna wants to say no politely. She answers, "Thank you, John, but I am busy on Saturday." John understands. Anna feels happy because she said no kindly. They are still good friends.
✏️ Exercise 1 – Fill in the Blanks
1. ____ you come to my party? (Can / Do / Is)
2. Sorry, I ____ come to the party. (can / cannot / could)
3. Thank you, but I am ____ on Friday. (busy / happy / tired)
4. I am sorry, but I ____ go with you. (can / cannot / is)
5. ____ you want to have dinner with me? (Are / Do / Can)
6. Thank you for the ____. (invitation / busy / party)
7. Sorry, I am ____ today. (work / sick / play)
8. I am ____ I cannot come. (happy / sorry / busy)
🔗 Exercise 2 – Matching
1. Sorry, I am busy.
2. Thank you for the invitation.
3. Can you come?
4. I am sorry.
5. I have work.
6. I cannot go.
✅ Exercise 3 – Multiple Choice
1. How do you say no politely?
2. What can you say to thank an invitation?
3. What does ‘busy’ mean?
4. Which is polite?
5. How do you start a polite refusal?
6. You want to say no to a lunch. What can you say?
📝 Writing Practice
1. Write a polite answer to this invitation: "Do you want to come to my house tomorrow?"
Écrivez une réponse polie à cette invitation : « Veux-tu venir chez moi demain ? »
2. Write a short polite refusal for going to the cinema.
Écrivez un court refus poli pour aller au cinéma.
📚 Key Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| invitation |
a question to join or come une demande pour venir ou participer |
| polite |
being kind and respectful être gentil et respectueux |
| sorry |
say when you feel bad or want to be kind dire quand on est désolé ou veut être gentil |
| busy |
having work or things to do avoir du travail ou des choses à faire |
| thank you |
words for saying thanks mots pour dire merci |
| cannot |
not able to do something ne pas pouvoir faire quelque chose |
| party |
a fun event with friends une fête amusante avec des amis |
| answer |
reply or say something back répondre ou dire quelque chose en retour |
🔎 Answer Key
- exercise_1_fill_blanks: 1.Can 2.cannot 3.busy 4.cannot 5.Do 6.invitation 7.sick 8.sorry
- exercise_2_matching: 1.Sorry, I cannot come. 2.I am happy to get it. 3.Yes, I can. 4.I want to be polite. 5.I am busy. 6.I refuse politely.
- exercise_3_multiple_choice: 1.Sorry, I cannot come. 2.Thank you for the invitation. 3.Having work 4.I cannot come, sorry. 5.Sorry, 6.Sorry, I am busy at lunch.
🤖 Need More Help?
If something is still unclear, you can ask the SFC Learning Assistant for simpler explanations, extra examples, or more practice.
Si quelque chose n’est pas clair, vous pouvez demander à l’Assistant d’Apprentissage SFC des explications plus simples, des exemples supplémentaires ou plus d’exercices.