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"Sorry, You're Breaking Up" — Tech Problem Phrases

8 min
A2

When technology fails

Video calls break. Audio cuts out. Screen sharing crashes. French speakers often freeze — not because they can't solve the problem, but because they don't have the English phrases ready. These are the phrases you need.

Audio problems

"Sorry, you're breaking up." — Désolé, ça coupe.
Their audio is cutting in and out. Most common phrase on video calls.
"I think you're on mute." — Je crois que tu es en sourdine.
You can see their lips moving but hear nothing. Said kindly, not as criticism.
"Can everyone hear me OK?" — Tout le monde m'entend bien ?
Check after joining or after tech trouble. Always confirm before continuing.

Video problems

"My camera isn't working — I'll join without video." — Ma caméra ne fonctionne pas — je participe sans vidéo.
Announce the problem + your solution. Don't just appear as a black screen silently.
"Your screen is frozen." — Ton écran est figé.
Their video has stopped. They may not know — tell them.

Connection & sharing

"I'm going to drop off and rejoin." — Je vais me déconnecter et me reconnecter.
Your connection is bad. Announce it before you disappear.
"Can you see my screen?" — Vous voyez mon écran ?
Always confirm after starting screen share. Don't present to yourself for 5 minutes.

Asking to repeat

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you say that again?" — Pardon, je n'ai pas compris. Pouvez-vous répéter ?
Blame the tech, not your English. "I didn't catch that" = I didn't hear it, not "I didn't understand."

Watch out

"I don't understand" on a call sounds like a language problem. Say "I didn't catch that" or "Sorry, could you repeat that?" — it blames the audio, not your comprehension. Even native speakers say this constantly on video calls.

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