Viajero2

We are a group of friends renting a house on early May in the South of France. I am the designated coordinator. Everything is all set, except for a (minor?) detail: the instructions are to get to the village main square and call from there. The couple in charge of the house (non-English speakers)will then come get us and let us in. How do you say in French- "We are the XYZ Family. Could you please let us to the rental house".

For the record, even if they spoke English, I would still like to make a try in French.

Robespierre

<i>Les sanglots longs des violons de l'automne
Blessent mon coeur d'une langueur monotone.</i>

Michael

Verlaine.

lmlweb

Let's try. I will be wrong, I know, but this is what I would start off with:

&quot;Bonjour Madam et Monsieur. Nous sommes les famille XYZ. Nous avons un reservations pour la maison vacances&quot;

People who are more fluent will correct me. I hope so!

Robespierre

Oh, wait. That means the invasion is imminent.

<i>Bonjour, monsieur! Nous sommes les XYZ, arriv&eacute;s en ville. Venez nous diriger vers le g&icirc;te, s'il vous pla&icirc;t.</i>

Viajero2

Rob, that doesn't sound right....what are you saying? I really don't want to make a big arse of myself, there will be plenty of opportunity for that

Imlweb-- I truly appreciate your input. I will memorize whatever you guys tell me to say.

cocofromdijon

lol Robespierre very nice but I'm not sure it will help!
lml it is not bad, the bonjour is very important.
Bonjour, nous sommes la famille XYZ, nous avons r&eacute;serv&eacute; votre location de vacances. Pouvons-nous y aller maintenant?
http://www.naturalvoices.att.com/demos/index.html
I cut and pasted the whole text and Alain said it properly...

bonnes vacances!

cocofromdijon

Robespierre I meant your first try! the second one is not bad though....

PatrickLondon

Wouldn't you need to add something like:

Nous sommes dans la place en ce moment. Est-ce que quelqu'un pourrait nous rejoindre i&ccedil;i pour nous montrer comment arriver &agrave; la maison?

{We're in the square at the moment. Can someone meet us and show us the way to the house?)

StCirq

How are you going to understand their answer?

clairobscur

In this case, the OP doesn't really need to understand the answer. Just to be understood.

cocofromdijon gave the most correct answer so far. Though personnally I would use a sentence as short as possible to make it simple. Like : &quot;Bonjour, nous sommes les XYZ. Vous pouvez venir nous chercher?&quot;

Viajero2

clairobscur is right-- I only need to tell them we have arrive to the village main square. I've been practicing all afternoon and it comes out different every time....urghhh!

Christina

I agree with clairobscur and think his sentence is easiest but clear, and that should do it. I probably wouldn't even say exactly what you wanted (and I always learned in my French classes that you do not say &quot;la famille XYZ&quot; so I'm surprised Coco would --ie, les XYZ would be what you'd say, although they would understand, of course).

The tough thing is probably not undestanding what they say and if you don't know French, how do you know how to pronounce the words? That's why I think Clairobscur's is best although I'd really say something a little different but it wouldn't be as easy (and I wouldn't say I'm a family when calling. just me).

If you want to add that you've arrived at the place, you could embellish Clairobscur's sentence a little by saying

&quot;Bonjour, nous sommes les XYZ et nous sommes arriv&eacute;s &agrave; la place en ville. Pouvez-vous venir et nous montrer &agrave; la location?&quot;

tedgale

Robespierre has it ALL wrong.

Whenever you arrive in a French town you should call somebody -- anybody -- and say to whatever person answers:

&quot;Bonjour, monsieur/ madame. Je m'appelle Alfred de Musset.
&quot;Les plus desesperes sont les chants les plus beaux.
&quot;Et j'en connais certains qui sont de purs sanglots.&quot;

Then you hang up and they come and get you.

kismetchimera

Avec les gendarmes Tedgale?

laclaire

&quot;nous sommes la famille XYZ (pornounced: eeks, ee grec zed). O&ugrave; est la rue (street here) num&eacute;ro (house number here).&quot; That should get you where you need to go.

Robespierre

Unless it's a farmhouse, in which case it will have neither a house number nor street name.

laclaire

I just re-read your instructions and you do not need to know where the house is, but where the plaza is, in which case you will say &quot;Ou est la place central?&quot; That will get you to the plaza and then when the family comes, you introduce yourselves.

hanl

I'd go with Clairobscur or Coco's suggestions. The shorter the better - less scope for being misunderstood!

lobo_mau

family XYZ? what a strange family name!!!