Saving leftovers for tomorrow's lunch | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Il y a beaucoup de restes du dîner.

   There are a lot of leftovers from dinner.

   Il y a

   there is / there are

   beaucoup

   a lot

   restes

   leftovers

   dîner

   dinner

   More detail

   Il y a is the fixed French expression used to say that something exists or is present: “there is” with a singular noun and “there are” with a plural noun. Its form does not change to agree with the thing after it. Example: Il y a une boîte. — “There is a container.” beaucoup means “a lot” or “much/many.” In beaucoup de restes, it expresses a large quantity and is followed by de, not by a plural article. The quantity phrase is beaucoup de + noun: beaucoup de livres means “a lot of books.” restes is the plural noun meaning “leftovers” here. Its singular form is reste, and its plural form is restes; the final -s is normally not pronounced. In this sentence, the plural noun is why the English translation uses “are” rather than “is.” Example: Il reste des restes. — “There are leftovers remaining.” du dîner means “from dinner” here. dîner is the noun “dinner”; it can also be a verb meaning “to have dinner,” but that verbal use is not the one in this sentence. du is the contraction of de and le. In this context, de marks the source or association: the leftovers come from dinner. Example: les restes du déjeuner — “the leftovers from lunch.” Together, Il y a presents something as existing, beaucoup de restes identifies a large quantity of leftovers, and du dîner specifies that they are from dinner. The complete meaning is: “There are a lot of leftovers from dinner.”

2. Mettons-les dans une boîte propre.

   Let's put them in a clean container.

   Mettons-les

   let’s put them

   dans

   in

   boîte

   box / container

   propre

   clean

   More detail

   Mettons-les means “let’s put them.” Mettons is the first-person plural imperative of mettre (“to put”): mettre → mettons. This form presents a suggestion or proposal made by the speaker together with others. Les is a plural direct-object pronoun meaning “them”; the hyphen joins it to the affirmative imperative. In another sentence, Mets-les ici means “Put them here,” addressing one person. Dans means “in” or “into” and introduces the place or container receiving something. For example, Mets le livre dans le sac means “Put the book in the bag.” Boîte means “box” and is a feminine noun: une boîte. Its plural is des boîtes. In this sentence, the fixed translation uses the broader meaning “container,” but boîte specifically denotes a box or box-like container. Propre means “clean” here. It is an adjective describing boîte. The feminine singular spelling is propre; this adjective has the same spelling in the masculine singular, while the plural is propres. For example, un verre propre means “a clean glass,” and des verres propres means “clean glasses.” Together, mettons-les gives the proposal “let’s put them,” and dans une boîte propre gives the destination “in a clean box/container.” The complete utterance therefore means “Let’s put them in a clean container.”

3. Est-ce que je peux les réchauffer pour le déjeuner de demain ?

   Can I reheat them for lunch tomorrow?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   je peux

   I can

   les

   them

   réchauffer

   reheat

   pour

   for

   déjeuner

   lunch

   demain

   tomorrow

   More detail

   Est-ce que turns the following statement into a neutral yes-or-no question. It does not itself mean “can”; the possibility comes from peux. This is a reusable question pattern: Est-ce que + subject + verb ... ? je peux uses pouvoir (“to be able to, can”) in the present tense, first-person singular: je peux = “I can.” After pouvoir, French normally places an infinitive: je peux réchauffer = “I can reheat.” The form peux is the form used with je; for example, Tu peux venir ? means “Can you come?” les is a plural direct-object pronoun meaning “them” here. It refers to the items already being discussed, but the supplied sentence does not identify those items by a specific noun. As a direct object, it comes before the conjugated verb: je peux les réchauffer = “I can reheat them.” réchauffer is the infinitive “to reheat” or “to warm up again.” Its base form is réchauffer; the prefix re- contributes the idea of doing the action again. After a modal such as pouvoir, keep this verb in the infinitive rather than conjugating it: Elle peut réchauffer le repas = “She can reheat the meal.” pour introduces the purpose or time occasion here: “for.” In pour le déjeuner, it marks the meal for which the items will be reheated. déjeuner is the noun “lunch” in this sentence. The article le makes it a specified meal occasion in this context: le déjeuner = “lunch.” French also uses déjeuner as a verb in other contexts, but here it is a noun because it names a meal. demain means “tomorrow.” In the full time expression le déjeuner de demain, it identifies the lunch as taking place tomorrow; the expression can be translated as “tomorrow’s lunch” or “lunch tomorrow.” Together, Est-ce que je peux les réchauffer asks whether the speaker can reheat the previously mentioned items. pour le déjeuner de demain gives the intended occasion and time. The complete meaning is: “Can I reheat them for lunch tomorrow?”

4. Tu peux, si on les garde au frigo jusque-là.

   You can if we keep them in the fridge until then.

   Tu peux

   you can

   si

   if

   on

   we

   les

   them

   garde

   keep

   frigo

   fridge

   jusque-là

   until then

   More detail

   Tu peux uses pouvoir in the present tense: peux is the second-person singular form with tu. Here it means “can,” expressing what the addressee is able or permitted to do in the situation. For example: Tu peux venir. — “You can come.” si introduces a condition, “if.” In French, a present-tense verb commonly follows si when the condition is presented as possible or relevant now: si on garde... — “if we keep...” on is the subject pronoun of the condition. In this utterance it means “we,” as confirmed by the fixed translation. Grammatically, on takes a third-person singular verb form, so the verb is garde, not a plural form. Its exact participants are supplied by the context rather than by the pronoun alone. les is a plural direct-object pronoun meaning “them.” It refers to the items already mentioned in the fixed context and translation. French places this object pronoun before the conjugated verb: on les garde means “we keep them.” garde comes from garder, “to keep” or “to store.” It is the present indicative form used with on; the form is also identical to the present form used with il and elle. In this sentence, garder means keeping the items in a place, not merely retaining possession. Example: Je garde le gâteau au frais. — “I keep the cake chilled.” frigo is a noun meaning “fridge,” a familiar shortened form of réfrigérateur. In au frigo, au combines à and le and gives the location meaning “in the fridge” here. Example: Le lait est au frigo. — “The milk is in the fridge.” jusque-là is an adverbial expression meaning “until then.” là points to a time already identifiable from the situation; with the supplied context, that time is the future lunch reference. It marks the endpoint of keeping the items in the fridge. Together, Tu peux gives the main idea “you can,” and si on les garde au frigo jusque-là gives the condition “if we keep them in the fridge until then.” The complete utterance therefore means: “You can if we keep them in the fridge until then.”

5. Est-ce que je dois mettre une étiquette sur la boîte ?

   Should I put a label on the container?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   je dois

   I should / must

   mettre

   to put

   une étiquette

   a label

   sur

   on

   la boîte

   the container

   More detail

   Est-ce que turns the following statement into a yes-or-no question. It does not itself mean “should” or “must”; the obligation comes from dois. For example, Est-ce que tu viens ? means “Are you coming?” je dois contains the subject pronoun je (“I”) and the first-person singular present form dois of devoir. Here devoir expresses what the speaker is asking whether they are required or expected to do: “must/should.” The useful forms are je dois (“I must”), tu dois (“you must”), and il/elle doit (“he/she must”). mettre is the infinitive “to put” or “to place.” After dois, French uses the infinitive: je dois mettre means “I must/should put.” In the present tense, its first-person form is je mets, as in Je mets le livre ici. — “I’m putting the book here.” une étiquette means “a label.” étiquette is a feminine noun, so the indefinite article is une. The article marks an unspecified label; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. A useful contrast is l’étiquette (“the label”), referring to a specific label. sur means “on” when one thing is placed on the surface or exterior of another. For example, Le livre est sur la table. means “The book is on the table.” la boîte means “the box,” and in this utterance the fixed translation gives the intended sense “the container.” boîte is feminine, which is why it takes la here. The definite article presents the container as identifiable in the situation; it is not a new claim about how many containers there are. Together, Est-ce que je dois mettre asks whether the speaker is required or expected to place something, and une étiquette sur la boîte specifies placing a label on the container. The whole utterance therefore means: “Should I put a label on the container?”

6. Comme ça, demain, on saura ce qu'il y a dedans.

   That way, tomorrow we will know what is inside.

   Comme ça

   That way

   demain

   tomorrow

   on

   we

   saura

   will know

   ce qu'il y a

   what there is

   dedans

   inside

   More detail

   Comme ça means “that way” here: it points to the proposed action or method and presents it as the means for achieving the result. It is a reusable way to connect an action with its consequence. Example: Comme ça, tu trouveras facilement. — “That way, you’ll find it easily.” demain means “tomorrow,” the time when the knowing will occur. French time adverbs such as this can be placed at the beginning of the sentence, as here, or later depending on emphasis. on is the subject pronoun used here for “we,” as confirmed by the fixed translation. It can also refer more generally to people or someone, but that broader use is not intended here. The verb after on has the same form as with il or elle, even when on means “we.” saura is the future form of savoir, “to know.” The useful chain is savoir → saura (“will know”); the future stem is saur-, with the ending -a for this third-person singular form. Thus on saura means “we will know,” while the verb form itself is grammatically singular because of on. ce qu'il y a is a reusable expression meaning “what there is” or, in this sentence, “what is inside.” ce que introduces the thing being identified, and il y a is the French existential expression “there is/are.” The form qu'il is que before il, with elision. Example: Je veux voir ce qu'il y a ici. — “I want to see what is here.” dedans is the adverb “inside.” It specifies the interior as the location, without itself naming the object or container. Example: Il y a quelque chose dedans. — “There is something inside.” Together, Comme ça establishes the method, demain sets the time, and on saura says that the speaker’s group will know in the future. ce qu'il y a dedans identifies the thing they will know: what is inside. The whole utterance therefore means, “That way, tomorrow we will know what is inside.”

7. Je vais mettre une étiquette bien visible dessus.

   I'll put a clear label on it.

   Je vais

   I’m going to

   mettre

   put

   étiquette

   label

   bien visible

   clearly visible

   dessus

   on it

   More detail

   Je vais combines je (“I”) with the present-tense form vais of aller (“to go”). Before an infinitive, this construction expresses the near future: je vais + infinitive means “I am going to …”. It is not the same as using vais alone for physical movement. mettre is the infinitive meaning “to put” or “to place”. After je vais, the following verb stays in the infinitive. Example: Je vais mettre le livre ici. — “I’m going to put the book here.” une étiquette means “a label”. Étiquette is a feminine singular noun, so the indefinite article is une; this article does not by itself state a numerical count. Example: J’ai une étiquette. — “I have a label.” bien visible describes the label as clearly or easily visible. Visible is an adjective related to voir (“to see”) and agrees here with the feminine singular noun étiquette, giving the form visible; bien intensifies the description. Example: La consigne est bien visible. — “The instruction is clearly visible.” dessus means “on it” here. It is an invariable adverbial form used for a position on a previously understood object; the fixed translation identifies that object as “it”. It is not the noun dessus in this use. Example: Mets le livre dessus. — “Put the book on it.” Together, Je vais mettre states a planned action, une étiquette bien visible identifies what will be put, and dessus gives its location: “I’m going to put a clearly visible label on it.”

8. Ça rendra le déjeuner plus facile.

   That will make lunch easier.

   Ça

   That

   rendra

   will make

   déjeuner

   lunch

   plus facile

   easier

   More detail

   Ça is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to something already understood in the situation, but the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what that thing is. As a pronoun, it stands for the subject of rendra rather than naming the subject again. rendra is the future form of rendre for a third-person singular subject. In this sentence, rendre means “to make” something have a certain quality, not simply “to return.” The useful pattern is rendre + object + adjective: Cette méthode rend le travail plus simple. — “This method makes the work simpler.” déjeuner is a noun meaning “lunch” in this sentence. Together with the definite article le, it forms the direct object le déjeuner of rendra: the thing that will become easier. Déjeuner can also be a verb meaning “to have lunch,” but that is not its function here; the article shows the noun use. plus facile expresses a comparison: facile means “easy,” and plus facile means “easier” or “more easy.” The adjective facile is the form used in the phrase; its comparative is formed with plus, rather than by changing the adjective itself. For example, Ce trajet est plus facile. — “This route is easier.” Together, Ça rendra gives the future idea “that will make,” le déjeuner identifies what will be affected, and plus facile states the resulting quality. The complete utterance therefore means “That will make lunch easier.”