A weekly cleaning schedule | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Il nous faut un meilleur planning de ménage pour l'appartement.

   We need a better cleaning schedule for the apartment.

   Il nous faut

   we need

   meilleur

   better

   planning

   schedule

   ménage

   cleaning

   l'appartement

   the apartment

   More detail

   Il nous faut is a fixed, reusable way to express necessity. faut is the present form of the impersonal verb falloir, used here with il; nous is the people for whom the thing is needed. The construction means “we need,” rather than describing an ordinary subject doing an action. Example: Il me faut du temps. — “I need time.” The indirect pronoun changes with the person: il lui faut means “he/she needs” or, more literally, “it is necessary for him/her.” meilleur means “better” here and is the comparative form related to bon (“good”). It agrees with the masculine singular noun planning in this phrase. The corresponding feminine singular form is meilleure, as in une meilleure idée — “a better idea.” With the definite article, le meilleur means “the best,” so the article helps distinguish the superlative from the comparative. planning is a masculine noun meaning a schedule or plan for organizing activities. In this sentence, un meilleur planning means a schedule that is better than the current or previously understood one. The indefinite article un introduces one schedule as a needed item; by itself, it does not assert a numerical count. Example: Nous avons un planning chargé. — “We have a busy schedule.” ménage is a noun referring to cleaning or housework here. In planning de ménage, de links the schedule to the activity it organizes: “a cleaning schedule.” The same word can have other context-dependent uses, but the fixed translation supports the cleaning sense here. Example: Le ménage prend du temps. — “Cleaning takes time.” l'appartement means “the apartment.” l' is the elided form of the definite article before a vowel sound; the noun appartement is masculine singular, but the article is written l' rather than le before this vowel. The fixed translation identifies this as a specific apartment. Example: L'appartement est calme. — “The apartment is quiet.” Together, Il nous faut states the need, un meilleur planning de ménage identifies the needed item and its purpose, and pour l'appartement specifies what the schedule is for. The complete meaning is: “We need a better cleaning schedule for the apartment.”

2. Nous ne partageons pas les tâches de façon équitable.

   We have not been dividing the chores evenly.

   Nous

   we

   ne … pas

   not

   partageons

   share; divide

   tâches

   chores; tasks

   équitable

   fair; even

   More detail

   Nous means “we”: a first-person plural subject form. It identifies the speaker together with at least one other participant, without specifying the exact number. ne … pas surrounds the finite verb to make a standard French negative. Here it negates partageons, so the sentence says that the dividing is not happening in the stated way. In less formal speech, ne is often omitted, but it is present in this fixed sentence. partageons is the present-tense first-person plural form of partager, “to share” or “to divide.” In this context, it means dividing the chores among the participants. The present can describe a current or repeated arrangement; the English translation presents that situation as “have not been dividing,” but the French form itself is present rather than a separately marked perfect or progressive form. Example: Nous partageons le travail. — “We share the work.” tâches is the plural of tâche, “task” or, in this household context, “chore.” The plural is appropriate because the sentence concerns multiple duties. The feminine grammatical gender belongs to the noun tâche; it is not inferred merely from the fact that the noun is plural. Example: Les tâches sont nombreuses. — “The chores are numerous.” équitable is an adjective meaning “fair” or “evenly distributed” here. Its base form is also équitable; it does not change between masculine and feminine in the singular. The plural form is équitables when it modifies a plural noun. In this sentence, it appears in the expression de façon équitable, literally “in a fair way,” which describes how the chores are divided. Putting the parts together: Nous supplies the subject, ne … pas negates the verb, and partageons les tâches means “divide the chores.” De façon équitable specifies the manner: fairly or evenly. The complete meaning is “We have not been dividing the chores evenly.”

3. Je peux dépoussiérer les étagères samedi matin.

   I can dust the shelves on Saturday morning.

   Je peux

   I can

   dépoussiérer

   to dust

   étagères

   shelves

   samedi

   Saturday

   matin

   morning

   More detail

   Je peux means “I can” here. peux is the first-person singular present form of pouvoir (“to be able to,” “can”): je peux, tu peux, but il/elle peut. The verb that follows pouvoir stays in the infinitive. Example: Je peux aider. — “I can help.” dépoussiérer is the infinitive meaning “to dust.” After peux, it names the action the speaker can do. Example: Je peux dépoussiérer la table. — “I can dust the table.” étagères means “shelves.” Its singular base form is étagère; the final -s marks the plural in writing: une étagère, des étagères. In the full sentence, the definite article les comes before it, giving “the shelves.” The noun is feminine, but this plural form does not show a separate masculine/feminine ending; les is the plural definite article for both genders. samedi means “Saturday.” It is the name of a day of the week and normally does not take a capital letter in French. Example: Je travaille samedi. — “I work on Saturday.” matin means “morning.” samedi matin is the compact time expression “Saturday morning”; French commonly places the day before the part of the day in this expression. Example: Nous partons lundi matin. — “We are leaving Monday morning.” Together, Je peux dépoussiérer les étagères samedi matin is structured as “I can + dust + the shelves + Saturday morning.” The subject is je (“I”), peux dépoussiérer expresses the ability to do the action, les étagères is the object being dusted, and samedi matin gives the time. The complete meaning is: “I can dust the shelves on Saturday morning.”

4. Alors, je passerai la serpillière dans la cuisine après le déjeuner.

   Then I'll mop the kitchen after lunch.

   Alors

   Then

   passerai

   will pass

   serpillière

   mop

   cuisine

   kitchen

   déjeuner

   lunch

   More detail

   Alors means “then” here and links this statement to what comes next in the plan or sequence. It can also introduce a conclusion or transition in other contexts, but here it marks the timing or sequence. passerai is the first-person singular future form of passer. By itself, this form means “I will pass”; in the expression passer la serpillière, it contributes to the meaning “I will mop.” The ending -ai marks the simple future: je passerai = “I will pass.” For comparison, je passe is the present form, meaning “I pass” or, in this expression, “I mop.” serpillière is a feminine noun meaning “mop.” In passer la serpillière, it forms a reusable noun-based expression for mopping rather than naming an independent action performed by the mop. Example: Je passe la serpillière. — “I am mopping.” cuisine is a feminine noun meaning “kitchen.” The phrase dans la cuisine means “in the kitchen”; dans introduces the place where the action occurs. Example: Nous mangeons dans la cuisine. — “We eat in the kitchen.” déjeuner is a masculine noun meaning “lunch” in this sentence. With the article, le déjeuner means “lunch,” and après le déjeuner means “after lunch.” The same word can refer to the meal itself, while the surrounding expression determines its role. Example: Je travaille après le déjeuner. — “I work after lunch.” Together, Alors + je passerai gives “Then I will mop”; la serpillière completes the expression for mopping; dans la cuisine specifies the location; and après le déjeuner specifies the time. The complete meaning is: “Then I’ll mop the kitchen after lunch.”

5. Est-ce qu'on devrait nettoyer la salle de bains tous les dimanches ?

   Should we clean the bathroom every Sunday?

   Est-ce qu'on

   question opener with on

   devrait

   should; ought to

   nettoyer

   clean

   la salle de bains

   the bathroom

   tous les dimanches

   every Sunday

   More detail

   Est-ce qu'on is a standard way to form a yes/no question in French. Here on means “we,” as confirmed by the fixed translation, and it is grammatically treated as a third-person singular subject: on devrait, not a plural verb form. Est-ce que can be placed before a statement to turn it into a question; que becomes qu' before the vowel in on. devrait is the third-person singular conditional-present form of devoir (“to have to,” “must,” or “ought to”). In this sentence, the conditional gives the suggestion “should.” A useful contrast is on doit nettoyer (“we must clean”), which expresses a firmer obligation, whereas on devrait nettoyer is more advisory. After devoir, the following verb stays in the infinitive. nettoyer is the infinitive “to clean.” Infinitives commonly follow modal verbs such as devoir: Je dois partir means “I have to leave.” The form nettoyer itself does not show who performs the action; the subject is supplied by on. la salle de bains means “the bathroom.” Salle is a feminine noun, so the definite article is la; de bains specifies the type of room. The phrase is treated as one noun phrase, and its plural is les salles de bains. tous les dimanches means “every Sunday.” Tous agrees with the masculine plural noun dimanches; this expression uses the plural to describe a repeated weekly occurrence. Compare chaque dimanche, also “every Sunday,” with singular dimanche after chaque. Together, Est-ce qu'on devrait nettoyer la salle de bains tous les dimanches ? asks whether cleaning the bathroom every Sunday is something the speakers ought to do. The question structure, the advisory meaning of devrait, the infinitive nettoyer, the bathroom noun phrase, and the repeated-time expression combine to produce: “Should we clean the bathroom every Sunday?”

6. Le dimanche, c'est logique, parce que la salle de bains se salit vite.

   Sunday makes sense because it gets dirty quickly.

   Le dimanche

   on Sunday; Sundays

   c'est logique

   that makes sense

   parce que

   because

   la salle de bains

   the bathroom

   se salit

   gets dirty

   vite

   quickly

   More detail

   Le dimanche uses le with a day of the week to frame a recurring time: “on Sundays” or, in this context, Sunday as the relevant cleaning day. This is different from ce dimanche, “this Sunday,” which points to one particular Sunday. c'est logique is the common French pattern c'est (“that/it is”) + an adjective. Here logique means “reasonable” or “making sense,” not “logical” as a technical term. C'est is formed from ce and est with elision; logique is an adjective describing the situation. parce que introduces the reason for what precedes it: “because.” It is a reusable connector followed by a clause, as in Je reste parce qu'il pleut — “I’m staying because it’s raining.” la salle de bains means “the bathroom.” salle is the head noun and is feminine, which is why it takes la. The expression is a noun phrase; de bains specifies the room, and it is useful to learn the expression as a whole rather than translate it word for word. se salit comes from the pronominal verb se salir, “to get dirty.” The observed form is present tense, third-person singular: la salle de bains se salit. In this construction, se is the third-person pronominal object marker used with a singular or plural subject; it does not itself show the subject’s number. The verb form salit is the part that is singular here. The pronominal form describes a change of state, “gets dirty,” whereas est sale means “is dirty” and describes the resulting state. For example, La table se salit vite means “The table gets dirty quickly.” vite is an adverb meaning “quickly” or “fast.” It modifies se salit, describing the speed of the change. It does not change form for the feminine noun salle. Together, Le dimanche sets the recurring time, and c'est logique says that this timing makes sense. Parce que la salle de bains se salit vite supplies the reason: the bathroom gets dirty quickly. The complete meaning is “Sunday makes sense because the bathroom gets dirty quickly.”

7. Je mettrai le planning sur le réfrigérateur.

   I'll put the schedule on the fridge.

   Je

   I

   mettrai

   will put

   planning

   schedule

   sur

   on

   réfrigérateur

   fridge

   More detail

   Je means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It does not by itself indicate the speaker’s gender. Example: Je travaille. — “I work.” mettrai is the first-person singular future form of mettre, “to put” or “to place.” The useful chain is mettre → je mettrai (future); the future stem is metr-, so this form is not built by simply adding the ending to the full infinitive. Compare present je mets — “I put / I am putting.” Example: Je mettrai le livre sur la table. — “I will put the book on the table.” planning is a masculine noun meaning “schedule” here. French also commonly uses emploi du temps for a schedule, especially for a timetable. In the fixed sentence, the noun is introduced by le: le planning. sur is a preposition meaning “on” in this location pattern. It introduces the surface or place where something is put. Example: Le téléphone est sur la table. — “The phone is on the table.” réfrigérateur is a masculine noun meaning “refrigerator” or “fridge.” With the definite article, it forms le réfrigérateur. The article is masculine singular because this noun is masculine; it is not a numeric quantity. Together, Je supplies the actor, mettrai says that this actor will put something, le planning identifies what will be put, and sur le réfrigérateur identifies where it will be placed. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll put the schedule on the fridge.”

8. Ça devrait nous aider à nous souvenir de chaque tâche.

   That should help us remember each task.

   Ça

   That

   devrait

   should

   aider

   help

   nous souvenir

   us remember

   chaque

   each

   tâche

   task

   More detail

   Ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. The fixed translation supports that intended meaning. This form does not show masculine or feminine agreement. devrait is the third-person singular conditional form of devoir. Here it expresses an expected or advisable result: “should.” Compare doit “must/has to” with devrait “should.” aider is the infinitive “to help.” After devrait, the verb remains in the infinitive: Ça devrait aider means “That should help.” A reusable pattern is aider quelqu’un à + infinitive, “help someone to do something.” The first nous in nous aider is the object pronoun meaning “us,” the people receiving the help. In nous souvenir, the second nous is a reflexive pronoun: it belongs to the verb pattern se souvenir de, “to remember,” and changes according to the person who remembers. With a first-person plural subject, the pattern is nous nous souvenons in the present, but after à, the infinitive construction is à nous souvenir. The preposition de is part of this verb pattern: se souvenir de quelque chose means “to remember something.” chaque means “each” or “every” and normally introduces a singular noun: chaque tâche, “each task.” It does not itself express a numeric count or show masculine/feminine agreement. tâche is a feminine noun meaning “task.” Its plural is tâches. Here it is singular because it follows chaque. The accent distinguishes tâche from tache, a different word meaning “stain” or “spot.” Together, Ça devrait aider means “That should help.” The pattern aider quelqu’un à se souvenir de quelque chose means “help someone remember something.” In this utterance, nous is the person helped, nous souvenir expresses their remembering, and chaque tâche is what they are to remember. The complete utterance means “That should help us remember each task.”