Using the laundry schedule and timer | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. La buanderie commune est très fréquentée aujourd'hui.

   The shared laundry room is busy today.

   buanderie

   laundry room

   commune

   shared; communal

   fréquentée

   busy; frequented

   aujourd'hui

   today

   More detail

   buanderie is a feminine noun meaning a laundry room or laundry area. Its useful base form is buanderie; the feminine gender is part of the noun’s grammatical behavior, not a meaning of the room itself. In this sentence, La buanderie means “the laundry room.” commune is the feminine singular form of the adjective commun, meaning shared or common. It agrees with the feminine singular noun buanderie: commun (masculine singular), commune (feminine singular), communs (masculine plural), communes (feminine plural). For example: un espace commun — “a shared space”; une salle commune — “a shared room.” fréquentée comes from the verb fréquenter, “to frequent” or “to use regularly,” and here describes a place that many people use, hence “busy” in the fixed translation. It is the feminine singular form: the ending agrees with la buanderie. The masculine singular form is fréquenté, and plural forms include fréquentés and fréquentées. In est très fréquentée, est is the form of être used with a singular subject, while très means “very”; together, the expression says that the room is very busy or heavily used. aujourd'hui means “today.” The apostrophe is part of this fixed written form; it should not be treated as evidence that jourd'hui is a separate standalone word. It normally places the situation on the day of speaking or on the day being discussed. For example: Je travaille aujourd'hui. — “I am working today.” The sentence begins with La buanderie commune, “the shared laundry room.” The linking verb est connects this subject to très fréquentée, “very busy” or literally “frequented a lot.” Finally, aujourd'hui places that description in the present day. Thus the complete meaning is: “The shared laundry room is busy today.”

2. Inscris ton nom sur le planning avant de lancer une machine.

   Put your name on the schedule before starting a load.

   Inscris

   write down; enter

   nom

   name

   planning

   schedule

   avant de

   before doing

   lancer

   start; run

   machine

   machine

   More detail

   Inscris is the second-person singular imperative of inscrire, “to write down” or “to enter.” The imperative gives a direct instruction to one person. Compare inscrire (to enter or record) with écrire (to write more generally): inscrire highlights recording information in a place or list. Example: Inscris ton adresse ici. — “Write down your address here.” nom means “name.” Its plural is noms. In ton nom, ton means “your” and agrees with the masculine singular noun nom; this grammatical agreement does not state anything about the owner’s gender. planning means “schedule” or “roster.” It is a masculine noun, as shown by le planning. The phrase sur le planning means “on the schedule,” with sur expressing placement on a list or schedule. avant de introduces an action that happens earlier: avant de + infinitive means “before doing …”. Here, the person being told to enter the name is also understood to be the person who will start the machine. Example: Lave tes mains avant de manger. — “Wash your hands before eating.” lancer is the infinitive “to start,” “to run,” or “to launch,” depending on context. With a washing machine, it means to start the machine or run the wash. The infinitive remains in its base form after avant de. machine means “machine.” It is feminine singular, as shown by une machine; its plural is machines. In this laundry context, une machine denotes a washing machine, while the English translation uses “load” for the wash being run; machine itself does not literally mean “load.” The structure is Inscris ton nom sur le planning (“Put/write your name on the schedule”) followed by avant de lancer une machine (“before starting a machine”). Together, the imperative and the avant de construction give the instruction: “Put your name on the schedule before starting a load.”

3. Il y a un lave-linge libre plus tard cet après-midi.

   There's a washer open later this afternoon.

   Il y a

   there is / there are

   lave-linge

   washing machine

   libre

   available

   plus tard

   later

   après-midi

   afternoon

   More detail

   Il y a is the fixed French existential construction for presenting something as existing or being available: “there is” or “there are.” The following noun determines whether the English translation uses singular or plural, although il itself is not a changing subject referring to the machine. Example: Il y a deux chaises. — “There are two chairs.” lave-linge is a noun meaning “washing machine.” It is a hyphenated compound; the useful form to remember is un lave-linge. Example: Le lave-linge est dans la buanderie. — “The washing machine is in the laundry room.” libre means “available” here, rather than “free” in the sense of having personal freedom. It describes the machine’s availability. In this sentence it is singular and agrees with the singular masculine noun lave-linge; the adjective has the same spelling in the feminine singular, but its plural form is libres. Example: La machine est libre. — “The machine is available.” plus tard means “later,” referring to a time after the relevant earlier time. tard means “late,” and plus tard is the commonly used comparative expression for “later.” Example: Je viendrai plus tard. — “I’ll come later.” après-midi is the noun “afternoon.” In cet après-midi, cet is the masculine singular demonstrative form before a vowel sound; the complete time expression means “this afternoon.” The sentence also contains cet, even though the selected phrase entry focuses on the noun après-midi. Example: Je travaille cet après-midi. — “I’m working this afternoon.” Together, Il y a un lave-linge libre presents an available washing machine, and plus tard cet après-midi places that availability later during this afternoon. The whole utterance therefore means: “There’s a washer available later this afternoon.” The indefinite article un marks the noun phrase as singular and indefinite; it does not by itself assert a numerical count.

4. Mets un minuteur.

   Set a timer.

   Mets

   set; put

   minuteur

   timer

   More detail

   Mets is the second-person singular imperative of mettre, meaning “to put” or, with a device such as a timer, “to set.” The subject tu is understood and normally omitted. Useful forms are je mets, tu mets, and il/elle met; the observed imperative mets ends in s, while third-person singular present met does not. Example: Mets la table. — “Set the table.” minuteur means “timer.” It is a masculine noun, as shown by un minuteur; the article is indefinite and does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: un minuteur de dix minutes — “a ten-minute timer.” Together, Mets un minuteur combines the imperative of mettre with the object un minuteur to mean “Set a timer.” It is a direct instruction to one person, with no subject pronoun stated.

5. Comme ça, la personne suivante n'a pas à attendre.

   So the next person is not stuck waiting.

   Comme ça

   that way

   la personne

   the person

   suivante

   next

   n'a pas à

   does not have to

   attendre

   wait

   More detail

   Comme ça means “that way” or “so,” introducing the intended result of an action. It is a reusable way to connect an action with its consequence: Fais-le comme ça means “Do it that way.” la personne means “the person.” Personne is a feminine singular noun, so the feminine singular article la is used here. The definite article presents the person as identifiable in the situation; it does not by itself specify who that person is. suivante means “next” or “following” here. It is the feminine singular form agreeing with personne: la personne suivante. The masculine singular counterpart is suivant, as in le client suivant (“the next customer”). Suivante modifies the noun personne; it is not an inflection of the noun. n'a pas à expresses “does not have to” in this sentence. The form contains ne (elided to n' before the vowel in a), the third-person singular present form a of avoir (“to have”), and pas, followed by à. The reusable pattern is ne/n' + avoir + pas à + infinitive: Je n'ai pas à partir means “I do not have to leave.” attendre is the infinitive “to wait.” After avoir ... à, it names the action that is not required: n'a pas à attendre means “does not have to wait.” The infinitive stays attendre; it does not change to agree with la personne. Together, la personne suivante n'a pas à attendre says that the next person is not required to wait. Comme ça connects this outcome to the preceding action, giving the whole utterance: “That way, the next person does not have to wait.”

6. Est-ce que je dois déplacer mes vêtements dès que le cycle est fini ?

   Should I move my clothes as soon as the cycle ends?

   Est-ce que

   question opener

   je dois

   I have to

   déplacer

   move

   vêtements

   clothes

   dès que

   as soon as

   cycle

   cycle

   fini

   finished

   More detail

   Est-ce que is a standard French question opener. It turns the following statement structure into a yes/no question without changing the basic word order. For example, Est-ce que tu viens ? means “Are you coming?” je dois means “I have to” here. dois is the first-person singular present form of devoir; the subject is je. Devoir expresses obligation or necessity, and it is followed by an infinitive: Je dois partir means “I have to leave.” déplacer is an infinitive meaning “to move” something from one place to another. After dois, it remains in the infinitive rather than being conjugated. The phrase je dois déplacer therefore means “I have to move.” vêtements means “clothes.” It is the plural of vêtement, and mes shows that the clothes belong to the speaker. French commonly uses the plural for clothing considered as a collection: Je range mes vêtements means “I put my clothes away.” dès que introduces a time condition and means “as soon as.” It links an action to the moment another event occurs: Appelle-moi dès que tu arrives means “Call me as soon as you arrive.” cycle is a masculine noun meaning “cycle.” In this context, it is the washing-machine cycle, as supported by the surrounding mention of wet clothes and a machine. The article le marks this singular noun: le cycle means “the cycle.” fini means “finished” here. It is the masculine singular form related to finir (“to finish”), agreeing with masculine singular cycle in le cycle est fini. With a feminine singular noun, the corresponding form is finie, as in la tâche est finie (“the task is finished”). Together, je dois déplacer mes vêtements says “I have to move my clothes,” and dès que le cycle est fini specifies when: “as soon as the cycle is finished.” With the question opener, the whole utterance means: “Should I move my clothes as soon as the cycle ends?”

7. Oui, fais-le, s'il te plaît ; les vêtements mouillés laissés dans une machine font attendre tout le monde.

   Please do; wet clothes left in a machine hold everyone up.

   Oui

   yes

   fais-le

   do it

   s'il te plaît

   please

   vêtements

   clothes

   mouillés

   wet

   laissés

   left

   machine

   machine

   font

   make or cause

   attendre

   wait

   tout le monde

   everyone

   More detail

   Oui is the affirmative word “yes.” Here it accepts the requested action. The reusable opposite is non, “no.” fais-le means “do it.” fais is the second-person singular imperative of faire, “to do/make”; the ordinary present-tense form with tu is also tu fais. The hyphenated le is a masculine-singular direct-object pronoun meaning “it” here. In this exchange, it points to the requested action, supported by the preceding question about moving the clothes. A useful pattern is Fais-le ! — “Do it!” s'il te plaît is the familiar way to say “please” when addressing one person with tu. It softens the imperative; it does not change who is being instructed. vêtements means “clothes” and is the plural of vêtement, “piece of clothing” or “garment.” The plural form identifies multiple garments as the subject of the later clause. mouillés means “wet.” It is the masculine-plural form of the adjective mouillé, agreeing with vêtements. The agreement is carried by the adjective: un vêtement mouillé is “a wet garment,” while des vêtements mouillés is “wet clothes.” laissés means “left” in the sense of “left somewhere.” It is the masculine-plural form of laissé, agreeing with vêtements. vêtements laissés dans une machine is a shortened modifier equivalent to “clothes that are left in a machine.” machine means “machine.” In dans une machine, the preposition dans means “in,” and une introduces the noun without asserting a particular numerical count. The full noun phrase means “in a machine.” font means “make” or “cause” here. It is the third-person-plural present form of faire; its subject is les vêtements mouillés laissés dans une machine. The pattern faire + infinitive expresses causing an action or situation: Ils font rire les enfants means “They make the children laugh.” attendre is the infinitive “to wait.” After font, it completes the causative pattern font attendre: the clothes cause people to wait, rather than waiting themselves. The object of attendre is tout le monde. tout le monde means “everyone” or “everybody.” Although it refers to all the people concerned, this French expression is grammatically singular; in this sentence it functions as the people being made to wait. For example, Tout le monde arrive means “Everyone is arriving,” with singular arrive. Together, Oui, fais-le, s'il te plaît gives an affirmative, familiar imperative: “Yes, please do it.” The following clause identifies the practical consequence: les vêtements mouillés laissés dans une machine (“wet clothes left in a machine”) are the cause, and font attendre tout le monde (“make everyone wait”) states the resulting delay. The whole utterance is therefore: “Please do; wet clothes left in a machine hold everyone up.”

8. Je vais descendre mon panier avant la fin du cycle.

   I'll bring my basket down before it finishes.

   Je vais

   I am going to

   descendre

   bring down

   mon

   my

   panier

   basket

   avant la fin

   before the end

   cycle

   cycle

   More detail

   Je vais uses present-tense vais, the first-person singular form of aller, followed by an infinitive. This pattern, je vais + infinitive, expresses an action that the speaker is going to do: Je vais appeler. = “I’m going to call.” Here, vais does not mean that the speaker is physically going somewhere. descendre is an infinitive meaning “to bring down” here because it has a direct object, mon panier. The same verb can also be intransitive, as in Je vais descendre. = “I’m going to go downstairs / go down,” so the presence of the object helps establish the transitive meaning in this sentence. Its past participle is descendu, as in J’ai descendu le panier. = “I brought the basket down.” mon is the possessive determiner meaning “my.” It agrees with the possessed noun, not with the owner: mon panier uses the masculine-singular form because panier is masculine singular. Before a feminine singular noun beginning with a vowel sound, French uses mon as well, for example mon amie = “my friend.” panier is a masculine noun meaning “basket.” A useful related form is the plural paniers: deux paniers = “two baskets.” In this utterance it is the thing being brought down. avant la fin means “before the end.” avant introduces an earlier time, and la fin is “the end.” For example, Arrive avant la fin. = “Arrive before the end.” The following phrase specifies which end is meant. cycle is a masculine noun meaning “cycle”; in this context, with the surrounding reference to a machine and wet clothes, it is the machine’s cycle. In la fin du cycle, du is the contraction of de le, meaning “of the.” Thus la fin du cycle means “the end of the cycle.” Together, Je vais descendre mon panier says “I’m going to bring my basket down,” and avant la fin du cycle places that action earlier than the cycle’s ending. The complete utterance means: “I’ll bring my basket down before it finishes.”Je vais + infinitive is a reusable way to announce an intended or imminent action.

9. Comme ça, tout devrait bien se passer.

   That should keep things running smoothly.

   Comme ça

   That way

   tout

   everything

   devrait

   should

   bien

   well

   se passer

   go; happen

   More detail

   Comme ça means “that way” here: it points to a manner or arrangement already understood from the situation. It can also mean “like this” when referring to something immediate, so the surrounding context determines the English wording. tout means “everything” in this sentence. It is a pronoun here, standing for the situation as a whole; it is not the adjective meaning “all” before a noun. For example: Tout va bien. — “Everything is fine.” devrait is the third-person singular conditional form of devoir (“to have to,” “must,” or “should”). In this sentence, the conditional expresses an expected or likely result: “should,” rather than a direct command or obligation. A useful contrast is doit (“must / has to”) versus devrait (“should / is expected to”). bien is an adverb meaning “well.” Here it describes how the situation will unfold, through the verb phrase se passer; it is not describing tout as an adjective would. se passer is the infinitive pronominal verb used here in the sense “to happen” or “to go.” In the expression tout se passe bien, the literal structure is “everything goes well.” Its form changes with the subject and tense, for example: La réunion se passe bien. — “The meeting is going well.” Together, tout devrait bien se passer means “everything should go well” or “things should run smoothly.” With Comme ça at the beginning, the complete utterance means “That way, everything should go well,” matching the fixed translation “That should keep things running smoothly.”