How to Ask for a Copy of the Script in French
Learn polite French phrases for requesting a script at rehearsal, including how to ask whether a digital version such as a PDF is available.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
At a rehearsal in France or another French-speaking setting, you may arrive without the text everyone else is holding. You need to ask the person running the session, or whoever keeps the materials, for a copy. The key request is Puis-je avoir une copie du texte ? This lesson gives you polite, reusable ways to ask for a script, to check whether a digital version exists, and to find out who to ask if the person you speak to cannot help. The register is straightforward and polite, suitable for an amateur company where people are friendly but still appreciate good manners.
By the end, you can…
- ask politely for a copy of the script using Puis-je avoir...
- ask whether a digital version such as a PDF is available
- ask who I should speak to if the person cannot provide a script
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Puis-je avoir une copie du texte ?
May I have a copy of the script?
pwee-zhuh a-VWAHR ewn ko-PEE duh TEKST
The standard polite request. Use it with the director, stage manager or anyone holding the scripts. Texte is the usual word for the script in amateur theatre.
Avez-vous un PDF ?
Do you have a PDF?
a-vay VOO un pay-day-EF
Ask this when you want a digital file rather than paper. The letters PDF are pronounced approximately as in English, with a French accent.
Est-ce que je peux avoir le texte en version numérique ?
Can I have the script in digital form?
ess-kuh zhuh puh a-VWAHR luh TEKST ahn vair-syon new-may-REEK
A fuller alternative if you want to be explicit about a digital copy. Version numérique covers any electronic format, not only PDF.
À qui dois-je demander pour avoir le texte ?
Who should I ask to get the script?
ah kee dwah-zhuh duh-mahn-DAY poor a-VWAHR luh TEKST
Use this when the person you are speaking to cannot give you a copy and you need to be directed to someone else.
Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le texte par courriel ?
Could you send me the script by email?
poo-ree-ay VOO mahn-vwah-YAY luh TEKST par koo-ree-EL
A polite conditional request. Courriel is standard in Quebec and common in careful French elsewhere; in France, e-mail is also widely used.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Puis-je avoir... ? is the safest frame for asking for an object politely. It literally means 'May I have...?' and works with une copie du texte, un PDF, une feuille de présence or une chaise. You can also use Est-ce que je peux avoir... ?, which is slightly less formal but still polite: Est-ce que je peux avoir une copie du texte ? For a digital file, add the format after the noun: une copie du texte en PDF, or simply un PDF. If you need it sent, use the conditional: Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le texte par courriel ?
When to use it
Use Puis-je avoir une copie du texte ? at the start of a rehearsal when you have no script and need one quickly. Use Avez-vous un PDF ? when you suspect the company keeps digital files and you want to read on a tablet or phone. If the person says they do not have one, ask À qui dois-je demander pour avoir le texte ? to find the right contact. Avoid demanding forms such as Je veux le texte, which sound abrupt in a cooperative amateur setting.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Bonjour, je n'ai pas encore le texte. Puis-je avoir une copie du texte ?
Hello, I don't have the script yet. May I have a copy of the script?bon-ZHOOR, zhuh nay pah ahn-KOR luh TEKST. pwee-zhuh a-VWAHR ewn ko-PEE duh TEKSTOui, bien sûr. J'en ai une sur papier. Vous préférez un PDF ?
Yes, of course. I have one on paper. Would you prefer a PDF?wee, byan sewr. zhahn ay ewn syr pah-PYAY. voo pray-fay-RAY un pay-day-EFUn PDF serait pratique. Pourriez-vous me l'envoyer par courriel ?
A PDF would be handy. Could you send it to me by email?un pay-day-EF suh-RAY pra-TEEK. poo-ree-ay VOO muh lahn-vwah-YAY par koo-ree-ELBien sûr. Donnez-moi votre adresse et je vous l'envoie ce soir.
Of course. Give me your address and I'll send it to you this evening.byan sewr. do-nay MWAH vo-truh a-DRESS ay zhuh voo lahn-VWAH suh SWAHRA little context goes a long way
In French-speaking amateur theatre, the person running the rehearsal often also manages the scripts, but larger groups may have a designated responsable du texte. Politeness matters: Puis-je and Pourriez-vous are normal among adults who do not know each other well, while close friends might simply say Tu peux me passer le texte ? In Quebec, courriel is the usual word for email; in France, e-mail is common in speech.
One thing to watch for
Je veux une copie du texte.
Try this instead: Je veux is direct and can sound demanding in a group rehearsal. Use Puis-je avoir une copie du texte ? or Est-ce que je peux avoir une copie du texte ? to keep the request polite and cooperative.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You need a paper script from the director. What is the most natural polite request?
Show a sample answer
Puis-je avoir une copie du texte ?
This uses the polite Puis-je avoir frame and the standard noun texte. Est-ce que je peux avoir une copie du texte ? is also correct and slightly less formal.
2You want to know whether a digital file exists. What do you ask?
Show a sample answer
Avez-vous un PDF ?
This directly asks about a PDF. You could also ask Est-ce que vous avez une version numérique ? if you are not sure of the format.
3The person cannot give you a script. How do you ask who to contact?
Show a sample answer
À qui dois-je demander pour avoir le texte ?
This asks for the right person. À qui est-ce que je dois demander pour avoir le texte ? is a valid, slightly more spoken alternative.
Use Puis-je avoir une copie du texte ? as your default polite request, add Avez-vous un PDF ? for a digital copy, and ask À qui dois-je demander ? if you need to be pointed to the right person.
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