Labeling food in a shared fridge | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Est-ce que je peux mettre cette soupe dans le réfrigérateur commun ?

   Can I put this soup in the shared fridge?

   Est-ce que je peux

   Can I …?

   mettre

   put

   cette

   this

   soupe

   soup

   dans

   in

   réfrigérateur

   fridge

   commun

   shared

   More detail

   Est-ce que je peux is a standard French way to ask for permission or possibility: “Can I …?” je is the first-person singular subject, and peux is the first-person singular present form of pouvoir (“can, be able to”). The question pattern is Est-ce que + subject + conjugated verb; the following verb stays in the infinitive. mettre means “to put” or “to place.” It is an infinitive, used here after peux: je peux mettre = “I can put.” Its present first-person form is different: je mets (“I put”), while the infinitive is mettre. cette means “this” before a feminine singular noun. It agrees with soupe, not with the speaker: ce is used before a masculine singular noun, cet before a masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel sound, and ces with plural nouns. The demonstrative itself does not identify a more specific kind of soup beyond the context. soupe means “soup.” It is a feminine noun, so the corresponding indefinite phrase is une soupe (“a soup” or “some soup,” depending on context). In this sentence, cette soupe identifies the soup being referred to as “this soup.” dans introduces the place or container entered by the action. With mettre, mettre quelque chose dans ... is the reusable pattern “to put something in/into ...”: Je mets le livre dans le sac. — “I put the book in the bag.” réfrigérateur means “refrigerator” or “fridge.” It is a masculine noun, as shown by le réfrigérateur. The related everyday word frigo is also masculine, but it is more informal. commun means “shared” or “common” here. It is an adjective modifying réfrigérateur, so it is masculine singular. Its feminine singular form is commune, as in une cuisine commune (“a shared kitchen”); the plural forms are communs and communes. Together, je peux mettre cette soupe dans le réfrigérateur commun means “I can put this soup in the shared fridge.” The opening Est-ce que turns that statement into a question, so the complete utterance asks, “Can I put this soup in the shared fridge?”

2. Étiquette le récipient avant de le laisser là.

   Label the container before you leave it there.

   Étiquette

   label

   récipient

   container

   avant de

   before

   laisser

   leave

   là

   there

   More detail

   Étiquette is the imperative of étiqueter for tu: it gives a direct instruction to one person. The verb means “to label” here. For example: Étiquette la boîte. — “Label the box.” récipient means “container.” It is a masculine singular noun, which is why the object pronoun later is le. The related plural form is récipients: Les récipients sont propres. — “The containers are clean.” avant de introduces an action that must happen earlier than another action. It is followed by an infinitive: avant de partir — “before leaving.” In this sentence, avant de laisser means “before leaving.” laisser is the infinitive “to leave” in the sense of leaving something in a place. The form le laisser contains le, a masculine singular direct-object pronoun meaning “it” here; it refers to récipient. Compare laisser le récipient with le laisser: both mean “to leave the container,” but the pronoun comes before the infinitive. là means “there,” identifying the place where the container is to be left. It is different from ici, “here.” Together, Étiquette le récipient means “Label the container.” avant de le laisser là adds the order of actions: first label it, then leave it there. The complete utterance is therefore: “Label the container before you leave it there.”

3. Est-ce que je dois aussi écrire la date dessus ?

   Should I write the date on it too?

   Est-ce que

   question marker

   je dois

   I have to

   aussi

   also, too

   écrire

   to write

   la date

   the date

   dessus

   on it

   More detail

   Est-ce que introduces a yes/no question in a neutral, widely usable way. It does not change the meaning of the following statement; it turns it into a question. For example, Est-ce que tu viens ? means “Are you coming?” je dois uses the first-person singular present form of devoir, whose base form is devoir. Here, devoir expresses obligation or necessity: “I have to / must.” The subject is je, and dois is the form that agrees with first-person singular. With an infinitive after it, the pattern is je dois + infinitive: Je dois partir. — “I have to leave.” aussi means “also” or “too.” In this sentence it adds writing the date to an action already under consideration. Its position can vary for emphasis, but here it comes before the infinitive phrase écrire la date. écrire is the infinitive “to write.” After a conjugated form of devoir, the following verb remains in the infinitive: je dois écrire, “I have to write.” Its present-tense first-person form would be j’écris, but that form is not used here because devoir carries the conjugation. la date means “the date.” date is a feminine noun, so the definite article is la. The article identifies the date as a specific, contextually understood item; it does not itself express a numerical quantity. For example, J’écris la date. means “I write the date.” dessus is an adverb meaning “on it” in this context. With the supplied context, it is the item being labeled, such as the container. The form dessus is useful when the surface or object is understood from the situation, so the object need not be repeated. For example, Écris ton nom dessus. means “Write your name on it.” Together, Est-ce que je dois aussi écrire la date dessus ? forms a yes/no question: “Should I write the date on it too?” The question marker introduces the question, je dois écrire expresses the speaker’s possible obligation to write, aussi adds this action as an additional one, and dessus specifies where the date should be written.

4. Cela aide les gens à savoir depuis combien de temps elle est dans le réfrigérateur.

   That helps people know how long it has been inside.

   Cela

   That

   aide

   helps

   les gens

   people

   à savoir

   to know

   depuis combien de temps

   how long

   elle

   it

   est

   is

   réfrigérateur

   refrigerator

   More detail

   Cela is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” It can point to an idea or action already under discussion; here, the fixed translation confirms that reading. Unlike a demonstrative determiner, it stands on its own. aide is the third-person singular present form of aider (“to help”): j’aide, tu aides, il/elle/on aide, ils/elles aident. The singular form agrees with the subject Cela. The pattern aider quelqu’un à + infinitive means “to help someone do something.” Example: Ce guide aide les débutants à comprendre. — “This guide helps beginners understand.” les gens means “people.” gens is a plural noun and normally occurs with the plural definite article les in this expression. It is the people receiving the help. à savoir is à followed by the infinitive savoir (“to know”). After aider, à + infinitive introduces the activity that someone is helped to do. savoir concerns knowing a fact or information; it is different from connaître, which is used for familiarity with a person, place, or subject. depuis combien de temps asks about the duration of a situation continuing from a starting point up to the relevant present: “how long.” depuis marks the starting point or continuing duration, while combien de temps asks for the amount of time. Example: Depuis combien de temps habites-tu ici ? — “How long have you lived here?” elle is a third-person singular feminine pronoun. In this sentence, the fixed translation establishes its intended English counterpart as “it”; the supplied texts do not identify the item's noun or its grammatical gender in French. The pronoun is the subject of the following verb. est is the third-person singular present form of être (“to be”): je suis, tu es, il/elle/on est, ils/elles sont. Here it introduces the item's location with dans le réfrigérateur. réfrigérateur means “refrigerator.” With dans le, the phrase dans le réfrigérateur means “inside/in the refrigerator”; le is the masculine singular definite article. The noun itself does not express the duration being asked about. Together, Cela aide les gens à savoir means “That helps people know.” The embedded question depuis combien de temps elle est dans le réfrigérateur asks how long the item has been in the refrigerator. The complete utterance therefore means: “That helps people know how long it has been inside.”

5. Quelle étagère est réservée aux aliments personnels ?

   Which shelf is for personal food?

   Quelle

   which

   étagère

   shelf

   est réservée

   is designated

   aliments

   food items

   personnels

   personal

   More detail

   Quelle introduces a choice question: “which …?” It is the feminine singular form of quel, matching the noun it describes here. The main forms are quel (masculine singular), quelle (feminine singular), quels (masculine plural), and quelles (feminine plural). Example: Quelle porte est ouverte ? — “Which door is open?” étagère means “shelf.” It is a feminine singular noun, which explains the form quelle and the feminine agreement in réservée. Example: L'étagère est haute. — “The shelf is high.” est réservée expresses a state or designation: the shelf “is reserved” or “is designated.” est is the third-person singular present form of être (“to be”), and réservée comes from réserver (“to reserve”); it has feminine singular agreement with étagère. The masculine singular form would be réservé, while plural forms are réservés or réservées according to the noun. Example: Cette place est réservée aux visiteurs. — “This place is reserved for visitors.” aliments means “food items” or “foods.” It is the plural of aliment, a masculine noun. In aux aliments, aux is the contraction of à and les, giving the sense “for/to the food items.” Example: Les aliments sont dans le réfrigérateur. — “The food items are in the refrigerator.” personnels means “personal.” It is the masculine plural form of the adjective personnel, agreeing with the masculine plural noun aliments. The feminine singular, feminine plural, and masculine singular forms are personnelle, personnelles, and personnel. Example: Ce sont mes objets personnels. — “These are my personal belongings.” Together, Quelle étagère asks which shelf, and est réservée aux aliments personnels identifies its intended designation: it is reserved for personal food items. Thus the whole utterance means “Which shelf is for personal food?”

6. Utilise l'étagère du haut, loin des aliments communs.

   Use the top shelf, away from the shared items.

   Utilise

   use

   l'étagère

   the shelf

   du haut

   top/upper

   loin des

   away from

   aliments

   food items

   communs

   shared

   More detail

   Utilise is the imperative form of utiliser for one person addressed with tu: “use.” The subject is understood rather than written. For a formal address or an instruction to several people, French uses utilisez instead. l'étagère means “the shelf.” étagère is a feminine noun; the definite article is la, but it becomes l' before the vowel sound at the start of étagère. The article marks a specific shelf in this instruction, not a numeric count. du haut means “top” or “upper.” It is de + le, contracted to du; here it identifies the upper part or level associated with the shelf. Compare l'étagère du bas, “the bottom shelf.” loin des means “away from.” It combines loin de with plural definite les: de + les becomes des. The following phrase names what should be kept at a distance. aliments means “food items” here. It is the plural of aliment, a masculine noun. French also commonly uses nourriture for food as a general substance or category; aliments more readily presents separate food items. communs means “shared” here. It is the masculine plural form of commun, agreeing with plural masculine aliments. The feminine singular, for example, is commune, as in une ressource commune (“a shared resource”). Together, Utilise l'étagère du haut gives “Use the top shelf,” and loin des aliments communs adds “away from the shared items.” The complete utterance is: “Use the top shelf, away from the shared items.”

7. Je la laisserai là et je la ramènerai bientôt chez moi.

   I'll keep it there and take it home soon.

   la

   it

   laisserai

   will leave; will keep

   là

   there

   ramènerai

   will take back

   bientôt

   soon

   chez moi

   at/to my home

   More detail

   la appears twice and has the same form each time: it is a feminine singular direct-object pronoun. In this utterance, the fixed translation supports the meaning “it”; the specific item is not identified by the sentence itself. The first la is the object of laisserai, and the second is the object of ramènerai. laisserai is the first-person singular future of laisser (“to leave,” and in this context “to keep”). The form shows that the speaker will perform the action later. laisser can take a place expression: Je laisserai le livre ici. — “I’ll leave the book here.” là means “there.” Together, la laisserai là means “will leave/keep it there.” The pronoun comes before the conjugated verb in this structure. ramènerai is the first-person singular future of ramener (“to bring/take back”). Its meaning here is completed by chez moi, which identifies the destination as the speaker’s home. Je ramènerai le sac demain. — “I’ll take the bag back tomorrow.” bientôt means “soon” and gives the time of the second action. It does not change the future form of ramènerai. chez moi means “at/to my home.” chez is used for a person’s home or place, and moi is the stressed form corresponding to “me” after this preposition: chez lui means “at/to his home,” while chez moi means “at/to my home.” The subject je is stated before each future verb: Je la laisserai là + et je la ramènerai bientôt chez moi. Thus the utterance says that the speaker will keep the item there, and will soon take that same item home.

8. Comme ça, le réfrigérateur ne se remplit pas de vieux aliments.

   That way the fridge does not fill up with old food.

   Comme ça

   That way

   réfrigérateur

   fridge

   ne se remplit pas

   does not fill up

   vieux

   old

   aliments

   food

   More detail

   Comme ça means “that way” or “like that.” It points to a manner or arrangement understood from the situation. Example: Fais comme ça. — “Do it like that.” réfrigérateur means “refrigerator” or “fridge.” Its base form is the masculine singular noun réfrigérateur; the plural is réfrigérateurs. French gender is part of the noun, so the determiner referring to it is masculine singular here: le réfrigérateur. ne se remplit pas expresses “does not fill up.” The base verb is the pronominal verb se remplir (“to fill up”); se remplit is its present-tense third-person singular form. The subject is le réfrigérateur, so the singular form is used. French present negation normally places ne before the conjugated verb group and pas after it: ne se remplit pas. The preposition de that follows introduces what the refrigerator fills up with; it is not included in the selected phrase. vieux means “old” here. It describes aliments, which is masculine plural, and this form is also written vieux for masculine singular nouns. Before a feminine singular noun, the form is vieille, and before a feminine plural noun, vieilles. Example: de vieilles boîtes — “old boxes.” aliments means “food” or “food items” here. The singular is aliment, and the observed form is masculine plural. In this sentence, de vieux aliments refers to old food items in general. Here de is a preposition introducing what the refrigerator fills up with, not an article expressing a particular number. Together, le réfrigérateur ne se remplit pas de vieux aliments means “the fridge does not fill up with old food.” With Comme ça at the beginning, the whole utterance is: “That way, the fridge does not fill up with old food.”