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!
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.
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So here it is, the vocabulary list about chores in French!
| Les corvées | Household chores |
| Propre | Clean |
| Sale | Dirty |
| Faire le ménage | To clean up |
| Ranger les vêtements | To put away the clothes |
| Faire le lit | Make the bed |
| Nettoyer le lavabo | To clean the sink |
| Ranger les magazines | To put away the magazines |
| Passer l'aspirateur | To vacuum |
| dépoussiérer / épousseter | to dust |
| Nettoyer les vitres | To clean the windows |
| Laver la voiture | To wash the car |
| Vider la corbeille | To empty the wastepaper basket |
| Mettre la table | To set the table |
| Mettre le couvert | Set the silverware |
| Debarrasser la table | To clear the table |
| Couper le pain | To cut the bread |
| Laver les légumes | To wash the vegetables |
| Éplucher les carottes | To peel the carrots |
| Faire la vaisselle | To do the dishes |
| Essuyer les verres | To dry the glasses |
| Essuyer la table | To wipe the table |
| Vider les ordures | To empty the garbage |
| Sortir la poubelle | To take our the trash can |
| Laver le linge | Laundry |
| Repasser les chemises | To iron the shirts |
| Un fer à repasser | Iron |
| Le jardinage | Gardening |
| Arroser les plantes | To water the plants |
| Arroser les fleurs | To water the flowers |
| Un sécateur | pruner / secateurs |
| Couper l'herbe | To cut the grass |
| planter des fleurs | to plant flower |
| Tondre la pelouse | To mow the lawn |
| Une tondeuse | Lawn mower |
| Un tuyau d'arrosage | Hose |
| Tailler les arbustes | To prune the shrubs |
| M'aider à nettoyer le salon | Help me clean the living room |
| Me donner un coup de main | Give me a hand |
| Me rendre service | Do me a favor |
| S’occuper des animaux | To take care of the animals |
| Promener le chien | To walk the dog |
| Donner à manger au chat | To 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!
Want more?
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Let me know which you find the most useful for you in the comments section.
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
Did you read the French Pronunciation guide? https://www.talkinfrench.com/french-pronunciation-guide/ It can be a good start.