44 Useful French Words to Express Different Chores

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Last Updated: June 5, 2023

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Reading time:  3 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner - Intermediate Level

Aargh, doing the chores, a tedious activity in general; though I do enjoy doing the dishes as it lets my mind wander freely. Surprisingly, this is one of the most requested topics by French learners, even though it’s not something I particularly love to talk about with my friends!

do the chores

But of course, we still need to know some basic vocabulary, especially if one day you are invited to a French-speaking friend’s home. You can show that you’re a gracious guest by asking if they need help around the house by knowing how to say the chores in French. I’ve also shared some basic vocabulary related to gardening.

An extended version of this blog post (58 French words instead of 44) is available in PDF format if you sign-up to the newsletter. Click on the button right below.

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So here it is, the vocabulary list about chores in French!

Les corvées Household chores
PropreClean
SaleDirty
Faire le ménageTo clean up
Ranger les vêtementsTo put away the clothes
Faire le litMake the bed
Nettoyer le lavaboTo clean the sink
Ranger les magazinesTo put away the magazines
Passer l'aspirateurTo vacuum
dépoussiérer / épousseter to dust
Nettoyer les vitresTo clean the windows
Laver la voitureTo wash the car
Vider la corbeilleTo empty the wastepaper basket
Mettre la tableTo set the table
Mettre le couvertSet the silverware
Debarrasser la tableTo clear the table
Couper le painTo cut the bread
Laver les légumesTo wash the vegetables
Éplucher les carottesTo peel the carrots
Faire la vaisselleTo do the dishes
Essuyer les verresTo dry the glasses
Essuyer la tableTo wipe the table
Vider les orduresTo empty the garbage
Sortir la poubelleTo take our the trash can
Laver le lingeLaundry
Repasser les chemisesTo iron the shirts
Un fer à repasserIron
Le jardinageGardening
Arroser les plantesTo water the plants
Arroser les fleursTo water the flowers
Un sécateurpruner / secateurs
Couper l'herbeTo cut the grass
planter des fleursto plant flower
Tondre la pelouseTo mow the lawn
Une tondeuseLawn mower
Un tuyau d'arrosageHose
Tailler les arbustesTo prune the shrubs
M'aider à nettoyer le salonHelp me clean the living room
Me donner un coup de mainGive me a hand
Me rendre serviceDo me a favor
S’occuper des animauxTo take care of the animals
Promener le chienTo walk the dog
Donner à manger au chatTo feed the cat
Vider l’aquarium
To empty the aquarium

Let's practice! In comments below, try to compose a sentence about doing some chores in French. I'll check and correct your sentence if necessary!

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About the author 

Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Instagram

  • Hi,
    I love your learning tools. Thank you for your amazing work.
    Quick question: Does the book “Improving French vocabulary” come with audio?
    thank you,

    ana

    • Hello Ana, not for the moment. I am planning to do that later this week. That’s the only ebook without MP3. +20 000 words to record is very long and tedious task. But I promise I will do it sooner or later.

  • Hi Fredric

    Thank you for sharing these useful french learning tools. i am Egyptian pharmacist working in Humanitarian aid NGO and i start to learn french for the first time in my life as i want to work in projects in African countries. the hardest problem faces me is the pronunciation of french words. i am in first level in french course at French Cultural Center in Cairo. i want your advice regarding improving my french language. i also use Memrise and duolingo applications to help me in this.

    thank you

  • Je fais la versaille et je fais le nettoyer. Je nettoye les porta et les fenêtre. Ma soeur nettoyes la terre. Je fais le menage.

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