Rules for a Shared Kitchen | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Je suis nouveau dans cette cuisine partagée. Que dois-je savoir ?

   I'm new to this shared kitchen. What should I know?

   Je suis

   I am

   nouveau

   new

   cette

   this

   cuisine

   kitchen

   partagée

   shared

   Que dois-je

   what should I

   savoir

   know

   More detail

   Je suis is the reusable first-person singular form of être, “to be.” Here it links the speaker to the description that follows. Compare Tu es (“you are”) and Nous sommes (“we are”); the form changes with the subject. nouveau means “new” here, describing the speaker’s status in the kitchen. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective; the feminine singular form is nouvelle, as in Elle est nouvelle (“She is new”). The adjective agrees with the person it describes, not with cuisine. cette is the singular feminine demonstrative meaning “this” in this noun phrase. It agrees with the feminine singular noun cuisine. Other useful forms include ce before a masculine singular noun, as in ce livre (“this book”), and ces before plural nouns, as in ces livres (“these books”). cuisine is the noun “kitchen.” It is feminine in French, which is why the phrase uses cette and partagée. The same word can also mean “cooking” or “cuisine” in other contexts, but its meaning here is the room or facility. partagée means “shared” here and describes cuisine. It is the feminine singular form related to the verb partager, “to share”; the masculine singular form is partagé, and plural forms show the appropriate agreement. For example, une salle partagée means “a shared room.” Que dois-je begins a neutral question meaning “What should I…?” que asks about the thing or information sought. dois is the first-person singular present form of devoir, “must / should,” and je follows the verb because French uses subject–verb inversion in this question pattern. The pattern Que dois-je + infinitive ? is reusable: Que dois-je faire ? means “What should I do?” savoir is the infinitive “to know,” specifically to know information or a fact. After dois-je, the following verb stays in the infinitive: Je dois savoir means “I must/should know,” while Que dois-je savoir ? asks what information the speaker should know. Together, Je suis nouveau dans cette cuisine partagée says that the speaker is new to this shared kitchen. Que dois-je savoir ? then asks what information or rules the speaker should know.

2. Gardez les plans de travail dégagés et nettoyez juste après avoir cuisiné.

   Keep the counters clear and clean up right after cooking.

   Gardez

   keep

   les plans de travail

   the counters

   dégagés

   clear

   nettoyez

   clean

   juste après

   right after

   avoir cuisiné

   having cooked

   More detail

   Gardez is the imperative of garder for vous: “keep.” In this sentence it gives a direct instruction to one or more people addressed formally or collectively. The same verb can also mean “keep/retain” in other contexts; here its object and dégagés give the sense “keep clear.” les plans de travail means “the counters” or “work surfaces.” plan de travail is a useful French noun phrase for a surface used for working, including a kitchen counter; its plural is plans de travail. The definite article les presents the counters as identifiable in the situation. dégagés means “clear” here. It is the masculine plural form of the adjective dégagé, agreeing with plans, which is masculine plural. The phrase garder quelque chose dégagé means to keep something unobstructed or free of items. Example: Gardez le passage dégagé. — “Keep the passage clear.” nettoyez is the vous imperative of nettoyer, “clean.” It introduces a second instruction coordinated with the first. Example: Nettoyez la table. — “Clean the table.” juste après means “right after” or “immediately after.” It marks the cleaning as occurring immediately following the event named after it, as in juste après le repas — “right after the meal.” avoir cuisiné is the past infinitive of cuisiner: avoir + the past participle cuisiné, literally “to have cooked.” After après, this form places the cooking before the cleaning: après avoir cuisiné means “after cooking” or “after having cooked.” In this instruction, the understood person who cooked is naturally the person addressed, though context can establish a different subject in other sentences. Together, Gardez les plans de travail dégagés gives the first instruction, “Keep the counters clear,” and nettoyez juste après avoir cuisiné gives the second, “clean right after cooking.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Keep the counters clear and clean up right after cooking.”

3. Où dois-je mettre une poêle après l'avoir lavée ?

   Where should I put a pan after I wash it?

   Où

   where

   dois-je

   must I

   mettre

   to put

   poêle

   pan

   après

   after

   l'avoir lavée

   having washed it

   More detail

   Où asks for a place: “where”. It is different from ou without the accent, which means “or”. Example: Où est la poêle ? — “Where is the pan?” dois-je combines the first-person singular present form of devoir, dois, with the subject pronoun je in question inversion. Here devoir expresses what the speaker should or is expected to do, so dois-je mettre... ? means “where should I put...?” The usual statement order is je dois mettre...; inversion makes it a question. The form dois is specific to je here; il doit is the corresponding third-person singular form. mettre is the infinitive meaning “to put” or “to place”. After the conjugated dois, French uses the infinitive: Je dois mettre la poêle ici. — “I must put the pan here.” une poêle means “a pan”. Poêle is a feminine noun, which is why the article is une. The indefinite article marks an unspecified pan in this sentence; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. With a known pan, French uses la poêle instead. après means “after” and introduces what happens later. Here it connects the placing with the washing: the pan is to be put somewhere after it has been washed. It can also be used before a noun phrase, as in après le repas — “after the meal”. l'avoir lavée is a past infinitive construction: avoir is the infinitive of “to have”, and lavée is the past participle of laver, “to wash”. The contracted-looking l' is an object pronoun before a vowel; in this sentence it refers to the pan identified in the translation and context. Because that direct object pronoun comes before the past participle, lavée agrees with it as feminine singular, giving the final -ée. Compare l'avoir lavé when the object is masculine singular, where the participle has a different form. Together, Où dois-je mettre une poêle asks for the location where the speaker should place an unspecified pan. après l'avoir lavée adds the time condition “after I wash it”. The complete utterance therefore means: “Where should I put a pan after I wash it?”

4. Utilisez l'étagère du bas à côté de l'évier, quand la poêle est sèche.

   Use the lower shelf beside the sink, after the pan is dry.

   Utilisez

   use

   l'étagère

   the shelf

   du bas

   lower/bottom

   à côté de

   beside; next to

   l'évier

   the sink

   quand

   when

   la poêle

   the pan

   sèche

   dry

   More detail

   Utilisez is the imperative of utiliser (“to use”) for vous. It can address one person formally or several people. The ending here signals a directive; the subject is understood rather than written. Example: Utilisez cette clé. — “Use this key.” l'étagère means “the shelf” here. Its base noun is étagère, a feminine noun. l' is the form of the definite article la before a vowel sound; it does not change the noun into a different word. Example: L'étagère est vide. — “The shelf is empty.” du bas identifies the lower part or level. It is de + le, contracted to du; together with étagère, it specifies the lower shelf. The useful pattern is le/la ... du bas for something at the bottom or lower level. This is separate from the noun étagère: du bas describes which shelf is meant. à côté de is a reusable preposition meaning “beside” or “next to.” The noun or noun phrase after de gives the reference point. In this sentence, it introduces the location used to identify the shelf. l'évier means “the sink.” It is the masculine noun évier with the definite article le, reduced to l' before the vowel. Example: Le verre est à côté de l'évier. — “The glass is beside the sink.” quand introduces a time clause meaning “when.” Here it connects the instruction with the time at which the pan is dry. In the fixed translation, this timing is rendered as “after the pan is dry.” la poêle means “the pan” in this utterance. Poêle is feminine in this sense, so the definite article is la. The same spelling can refer to a frying pan or skillet depending on context; the fixed translation identifies the pan intended here. sèche means “dry” here. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective sec: sec (masculine singular), sèche (feminine singular). It agrees with la poêle, not with the nearby noun évier. Example: La serviette est sèche. — “The towel is dry.” Together, Utilisez l'étagère du bas gives the directive “Use the lower shelf.” à côté de l'évier specifies which shelf by locating it beside the sink. quand la poêle est sèche adds the time condition: do this when, or after, the pan is dry. The whole utterance therefore means: “Use the lower shelf beside the sink, after the pan is dry.”

5. Est-ce que je dois essuyer le plan de travail avant de partir ?

   Should I wipe the counter before I go?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   je dois

   I should / must

   essuyer

   to wipe

   plan de travail

   counter / work surface

   avant de

   before

   partir

   to leave

   More detail

   Est-ce que turns the following statement into a yes/no question. It is a fixed question marker; the words after it keep ordinary statement order, unlike a question formed by inversion. Example: Est-ce que tu viens ? — “Are you coming?” je dois is the first-person singular present form of devoir, “to have to” or “must.” Here it expresses that the speaker is asking whether wiping is required before leaving. The useful present forms include je dois — “I have to,” tu dois — “you have to,” and il/elle doit — “he/she has to.” Example: Je dois partir. — “I have to leave.” essuyer is the infinitive “to wipe.” After devoir, French uses an infinitive for the required action: je dois essuyer — “I have to wipe.” The same verb can be used with an object: J'essuie la table. — “I am wiping the table.” le plan de travail means “the counter” or “work surface,” specifically the surface used for work such as preparing food. The article and noun phrase are masculine singular here; plan is the noun, while de travail specifies its function. Example: Le plan de travail est propre. — “The counter is clean.” avant de introduces an infinitive action that happens later than the reference action: avant de partir means “before leaving.” With a finite clause, French uses avant que instead, followed by a conjugated verb: avant que tu partes — “before you leave.” partir is the infinitive “to leave” or “to depart.” It is an irregular verb; its first-person present form is je pars, not *je part. Example: Je pars demain. — “I am leaving tomorrow.” Together, Est-ce que je dois asks whether the speaker has an obligation, essuyer le plan de travail names the required action and its object, and avant de partir sets the time limit for that action. The complete meaning is: “Should I wipe the counter before I go?” The question asks whether the wiping is required; it does not itself state that the speaker has already done it.

6. Essuyez-le et rangez tout ce que vous avez utilisé.

   Wipe it down and put away anything you used.

   Essuyez

   wipe down

   le

   it

   rangez

   put away

   tout ce que

   everything that; anything that

   utilisé

   used

   More detail

   Essuyez is the imperative form of essuyer (“to wipe”). It addresses one person formally or several people, so the ending marks vous, not a singular informal command. The same form can be reused in a direct instruction: Essuyez la table. — “Wipe the table.” le is a masculine-singular direct-object pronoun meaning “it” here. It refers to the item being wiped, understood from the fixed meaning and context as the previously discussed work surface. The pronoun’s grammatical form is masculine singular; the English translation does not itself show that grammatical feature. Compare la for a feminine-singular object and les for plural objects. rangez is the vous imperative of ranger, “to put away” or “to tidy.” It has the same formal/plural address as Essuyez. Ranger can also mean to arrange or tidy something, but here the following object is understood as things that should be put away. Example: Rangez les outils. — “Put the tools away.” tout ce que is a reusable pattern meaning “everything that” or, in a suitable English rendering, “anything that.” Tout means “all/everything,” while ce que introduces the thing affected by the following clause. The full pattern tout ce que + clause refers to the entire set of things described by that clause: Je prends tout ce que vous donnez. — “I take everything that you give.” utilisé is the past participle of utiliser, “to use.” Here it appears with avez in the compound past form avez utilisé, meaning “have used” or, in this sentence, simply “used.” With avoir, the past participle normally does not change to agree with the subject; vous is the subject, and utilisé remains this form here. The direct object tout ce que comes before the participle, but its masculine-singular form does not create a visible spelling change in utilisé. Together, Essuyez-le means “Wipe it down,” and rangez tout ce que vous avez utilisé means “put away everything that you used.” The two vous imperatives join the instructions: “Wipe it down and put away anything you used.”

7. Y a-t-il autre chose que je dois vérifier ?

   Anything else I should check?

   Y a-t-il

   is there

   autre chose

   anything else

   je dois

   I need to

   vérifier

   check

   More detail

   Y a-t-il is the reusable French question pattern for asking whether something exists or is present: “is there…?” It contains a (the present form of avoir) with inverted il; here, il is part of the impersonal existential construction and does not identify a particular person. Example: Y a-t-il un problème ? — “Is there a problem?” autre chose means “something else” or, in this question, “anything else.” autre comes before the noun chose. The plural form is autres when the noun is plural, as in d'autres questions — “other questions.” je dois means “I need to” or “I have to” here. dois is the first-person singular present form of devoir: je dois, tu dois, il/elle doit. The form agrees with the subject je; it is not an inflection of chose. Example: Je dois vérifier la porte. — “I need to check the door.” vérifier is the infinitive “to check” or “to verify.” It follows dois because devoir is followed by an infinitive when the same subject has the obligation or need to perform the action. Example: Elle doit vérifier le document. — “She needs to check the document.” The remaining que links autre chose to the clause je dois vérifier: it means “that/which” in this relative-clause structure and represents the thing being checked. Thus autre chose que je dois vérifier means “anything else that I need to check.” Together, Y a-t-il autre chose que je dois vérifier ? asks, “Is there anything else I should check?” This is a natural, practical way to ask whether another checking task remains.

8. Laissez l'espace prêt pour la personne suivante.

   Leave the space ready for the next person.

   Laissez

   leave; let remain

   l'espace

   the space

   prêt

   ready

   personne

   person

   suivante

   next; following

   More detail

   Laissez is the form of laisser used here as a command to a vous-type addressee: either one person addressed formally or more than one person. In this sentence it means “leave” or “let remain.” The singular informal imperative is laisse, while laissez is also the present-tense form for vous. Example: Laissez la porte ouverte. — “Leave the door open.” l'espace means “the space.” Espace is masculine in this meaning, but the masculine article le contracts to l' before a vowel: le espace is not used. The article is still definite, referring to a specific space understood in the situation. Example: L'espace est libre. — “The space is free.” prêt means “ready” here and is an adjective describing l'espace. It is masculine singular to agree with the masculine singular noun espace. Its feminine singular form is prête; plural forms are prêts and prêtes, according to the noun being described. Example: La salle est prête. — “The room is ready.” personne means “person” in la personne. Although personne can have a different meaning in negative expressions such as “nobody,” the definite noun phrase here clearly has the intended person meaning. It is a feminine noun, so the adjective that describes it uses feminine agreement. suivante means “next” or “following” and describes personne. It is the feminine singular form of suivant; the masculine singular form is suivant, and plural forms include suivants and suivantes. Example: La personne suivante attend. — “The next person is waiting.” Together, Laissez l'espace prêt gives the instruction to leave the space in a ready state. pour la personne suivante identifies who the space is intended for: the next person. The complete utterance therefore means “Leave the space ready for the next person.”