Latest / Learn French with Fexingo / French Housework Chores Vocabulary
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to another episode of Learn French with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. It is so good to be back with you, Lucas. Lucas: It really is. We have covered a lot lately. Winter clothes, winter activities, kitchen objects, bathroom items, bedroom furniture. Luna: Oh my gosh. Yes. We know exactly where we live now. But there are still things to do in that house. Lucas: Exactly. You cannot just live there. You have to keep it clean. So today, we are talking about chores. Luna: Chores. Ugh. That word sounds exhausting just to say in English. Lucas: In French, it is not so bad. Let us start with the big one. The general idea of cleaning the whole house. Luna: Okay. How do you say 'I do the cleaning'? Or 'I do the housework'? Lucas: The most common phrase is: Je fais le ménage. Luna: Je fais le ménage. Lucas: Very good. Je fais le ménage. Let me break it down slowly. Je... fais... le... ménage. Luna: Je... fais... le... ménage. Lucas: Perfect. Now, say it normally. At your own pace. Luna: Je fais le ménage. Lucas: There it is. Exactly right. 'Je' means 'I'. 'Fais' comes from the verb 'faire', which means 'to do'. And 'le ménage' is 'the cleaning' or 'housework'. Luna: So, literally, 'I do the cleaning'. That makes sense. Lucas: Yes. And you can use this when someone asks what you did all weekend. Maybe you spent Saturday cleaning. Luna: I definitely spent Saturday doing that. And then I was tired. Lucas: We all know that feeling. But let us get specific. What is the first thing you do after you start? Luna: Usually the vacuuming. If I have a vacuum cleaner. Lucas: Right. To vacuum the floor. In French, we say: Je passe l'aspirateur. Luna: Je passe l'aspirateur. Lucas: Good. Let's try it slowly. Je... passe... l'aspirateur. Luna: Je... passe... l'aspirateur. Lucas: Excellent. Now again, naturally. Luna: Je passe l'aspirateur. Lucas: Spot on. 'Passe' is from 'passer', meaning 'to pass' or 'to go through'. 'L'aspirateur' is 'the vacuum cleaner'. So you are passing the vacuum over the floor. Luna: I love that image. Passing the vacuum. It sounds so rhythmic. Lucas: It is quite meditative if you think about it. Dust everywhere, then gone. Luna: Only if you don't breathe too much. Lucas: Fair point. Okay, moving on. After the floors, what usually happens in the kitchen? Luna: Well, if we ate dinner, there are dirty plates. And glasses. And cutlery. Lucas: Yes. Washing the dishes. This is a very common chore. The phrase is: Je lave la vaisselle. Luna: Je lave la vaisselle. Lucas: Let's take it slow. Je... lave... la... vaisselle. Luna: Je... lave... la... vaisselle. Lucas: Nice. 'Lave' is from 'laver', to wash. 'La vaisselle' is the collective word for dishes, plates, bowls, cups. Luna: So 'I wash the dishes'. Simple enough. Lucas: Simple. Repeat it once more for practice. Luna: Je lave la vaisselle. Lucas: You are getting the hang of these structures. Subject, verb, object. Very logical. Luna: I feel like a robot now. Just executing commands. Lucas: A very efficient robot. One last major chore. What do you do when the trash bag is full? Luna: I take it out. Outside. To the curb. Lucas: Correct. In French, you say: Je sors les poubelles. Luna: Je sors les poubelles. Lucas: Let's slow it down. Je... sors... les... poubelles. Luna: Je... sors... les... poubelles. Lucas: Good. 'Sors' is from 'sortir', to take out or to go out. 'Les poubelles' are the trash cans or garbage bags. Luna: So 'I take out the trash'. Again, literal and clear. Lucas: Exactly. Say it naturally now. Luna: Je sors les poubelles. Lucas: Nailed it. Four phrases. Let's review them quickly. Start with the big one. Luna: Okay. First: Je fais le ménage. Lucas: Then the vacuuming. Luna: Je passe l'aspirateur. Lucas: Then the dishes. Luna: Je lave la vaisselle. Lucas: And finally, the trash. Luna: Je sors les poubelles. Lucas: That was smooth. You handled those beautifully. I am proud of you, Luna. Luna: Thank you, Lucas. I felt pretty confident. Especially with 'poubelles'. It sounds fun to say. Lucas: It does have a nice rhythm. Poo-bel. Poo-bell. Almost like a little dance step. Luna: Maybe I will dance while I take out the trash. Je danse et je sors les poubelles. Lucas: I would watch that show. But for now, let's keep it simple. Practice these four phrases. Use them in your head while you clean your room tonight. Luna: I will. I might even do it happily. Which is rare for me. Lucas: Small victories. If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language, there is something small you can do to help us keep going. Luna: Yeah. We don't have ads. It is just us and a few supporters who chip in monthly. It funds the work behind the scenes. Lucas: If you want to join that group, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure at all. Luna: Just if it helps. And thank you for listening either way. Now, back to our cleaning. Lucas: Right. Imagine you come home from a long day. You are tired. But you see the mess. Luna: Oh no. The mess is everywhere. Where do I start? Lucas: Start with the general statement. Look around and tell yourself: Je fais le ménage. Luna: Okay. Deep breath. Je fais le ménage. Here we go. Lucas: Grab the vacuum. Plug it in. Push it across the carpet. Luna: Pushing the vacuum. Back and forth. Je passe l'aspirateur. It is working. Lucas: Floors are clean. Now, walk into the kitchen. Smell the leftover food. Luna: Ugh. Yes. Dirty plates in the sink. Time to scrub. Lucas: Turn on the water. Put on soap. Scrub away. Je lave la vaisselle. Luna: Scrubbing the plates. Rinse them off. Dry them. Je lave la vaisselle. Done. Lucas: Kitchen sparkling. One thing left. The bin is overflowing. It smells. Luna: Oh no. Not the smell. Grab the bag. Tie it up. Lucas: Carry it outside. Leave it by the curb for tomorrow. Luna: Carrying the heavy bag. Walking out the door. Je sors les poubelles. Fresh air! Lucas: All done. Your house is clean. You did it. How do you feel? Luna: Tired. But happy. Proud. I used all four phrases. I actually said them out loud. Lucas: That is the best part. Using the language in real life. Even if it is just to yourself while cleaning. Luna: Next time, maybe I will teach you how to fold laundry. That is a whole other story. Lucas: Laundry is next week's topic. For now, stick with these four. Repeat them until they feel natural. Luna: Je fais le ménage. Je passe l'aspirateur. Je lave la vaisselle. Je sors les poubelles. Lucas: Beautiful repetition. You are building a strong foundation here. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. See you next time. Bye! Lucas: Bye, Luna. And goodbye to you. Practice these till we chat again.