French Phrase
Évite de passer de longs appels depuis les machines.
Meaning
The sentence is a polite command telling someone not to make lengthy phone calls while using the machines (e.g., computers, office phones). It carries a tone of workplace etiquette, emphasizing efficiency and consideration for others.
When to use
Use this phrase in a professional setting when you want to remind a colleague or a team to keep phone conversations short while they are at their workstation, or in a classroom when a teacher asks students not to linger on calls from school devices.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Évitedepasserdelongsappelsdepuislesmachines
Impératif (2e pers. sing.)
« Évite » is the affirmative imperative of the verb *éviter* for “you” (tu). The final –s is kept because the verb is followed by the conjunction *de*.
Infinitif after *de*
After the imperative *évite*, the infinitive *passer* is introduced by *de*; this construction expresses “avoid doing something”.
Agreement of adjectives
The adjective *longs* agrees in gender and number with the noun *appels* (masculine plural).
Preposition *depuis*
*Depuis* indicates the point of origin (here, the machines) and is used with a definite article *les*.
🗨In Conversation
Évite de passer de longs appels depuis les machines, s'il te plaît.
Please avoid making long calls from the machines.
D'accord, je limiterai mes appels à cinq minutes.
Okay, I’ll limit my calls to five minutes.
✕Common Mistakes
Évite de passer les longs appels depuis les machines.
The adjective *longs* must precede the noun; placing *les* before *longs* changes the structure and sounds unnatural.
Évite passer de longs appels depuis les machines.
After *évite*, the infinitive must be introduced by *de*; omitting *de* is grammatically incorrect.
Évite de passer de longues appels depuis les machines.
*Appels* is masculine, so the adjective must be *longs*, not *longues*.
↔Alternatives
Ne passe pas de longs appels depuis les machines.
Don’t make long calls from the machines.
Évite de téléphoner longtemps depuis les ordinateurs.
Avoid talking on the phone for a long time from the computers.
Limite la durée de tes appels quand tu es devant les machines.
Limit the length of your calls when you’re in front of the machines.
Cultural Tip
In French workplaces, brevity on the phone is valued, especially when colleagues share a common workspace. Using the imperative *évite* sounds firm yet courteous; adding *s'il te plaît* softens the command. Remember that *machine* can refer to any electronic device, but in a professional context it often means a computer or office phone.