Labeling food in a shared fridge | Learn French in English

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Use Labeling food in a shared fridge to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

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

ess-kuh zhuh puh MAY-truh set SOOP dahn luh ray-zhee-fray-rah-TUR koh-MUN Can I put this soup in the shared fridge?

Étiquette le récipient avant de le laisser là.

ay-tee-KET luh ray-see-pyahn ah-VAHN duh luh leh-SAY LAH Label the container before you leave it there.

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

ess-kuh zhuh dwah oh-SEE ay-KREER lah DAHT duh-SOO Should I write the date on it too?

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

suh-LAH ehd leh ZHAHN ah sah-VWAHR duh-PWEE kohm-BYEN duh TAHN ell eh dahn luh ray-zhee-fray-rah-TUR That helps people know how long it has been inside.

Quelle étagère est réservée aux aliments personnels ?

KEL ay-tah-ZHAIR eh ray-zair-VAY oh-zah-lee-MAHN pair-soh-NEL Which shelf is for personal food?

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

oo-tee-LEEZ lay-tah-ZHAIR dew OH, LWAHN day-zah-lee-MAHN koh-MUN Use the top shelf, away from the shared items.

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

zhuh lah leh-suh-RAY lah ay zhuh lah rah-men-RAY byen-TOH shay MWAH I'll keep it there and take it home soon.

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

KOHM sah, luh ray-zhee-fray-rah-TUR nuh suh rahn-PLEE pah duh VYUH zah-lee-MAHN That way the fridge does not fill up with old food.

Word by Word

Est-ce que Est-ce que forms a yes/no question in Est-ce que je peux mettre cette soupe dans le réfrigérateur commun ? Est-ce introduces the question structure, and que links it to the clause that follows. It is useful for asking politely whether something is possible or permitted.

je je means “I” and is the subject of the speaker’s action in je peux mettre. It appears before the verb in these sentences. Use it when talking about your own action, ability, or obligation.

peux peux means “can” or “may” in je peux mettre, asking whether the speaker is allowed or able to put the soup in the fridge. This form is used with je and is followed here by the infinitive mettre. It is useful for asking permission or expressing ability.

mettre mettre means “to put” in mettre cette soupe dans le réfrigérateur commun. It names the action that the speaker is asking permission to do. It commonly takes an object and a place introduced by dans.

cette cette means “this” before the feminine noun soupe in cette soupe. It identifies one specific soup close to the conversation or already understood. It is used directly before the noun it determines.

soupe soupe means “soup” in cette soupe. It is the food being put into the shared refrigerator. It can be used with a determiner to identify a particular quantity or type of soup.

dans dans means “in” or “inside” in dans le réfrigérateur commun, showing where the soup will be put. It introduces the container or place containing something. Use it when describing movement into or position inside a place.

le le has two uses in the dialogue: it means “the” in le réfrigérateur and “it” in le laisser, referring to the container. As an article it comes before a masculine singular noun; as a pronoun it comes before the infinitive laisser. The exact meaning therefore depends on the words around it.

réfrigérateur réfrigérateur means “refrigerator” or “fridge” in le réfrigérateur commun. It names the shared appliance where the soup and other food are kept. It commonly appears with a determiner and can be followed by a description of its purpose or ownership.

commun commun means “shared” or “common” in le réfrigérateur commun. It describes the refrigerator as belonging to or being used by several people. It agrees with the masculine singular noun réfrigérateur here.

Étiquette Étiquette tells someone to label the container in Étiquette le récipient. It is a direct instruction addressed to one person. This form is useful when giving a simple practical instruction.

récipient récipient means “container” in Étiquette le récipient. It is the object that should receive the label. It can refer to a container holding food, liquid, or another item.

avant avant means “before” in avant de le laisser là, placing the labeling action earlier than leaving the container there. Here it introduces an action that must happen first. It is useful for ordering two actions in time.

de de links avant to the infinitive phrase avant de le laisser là, meaning “before leaving it there.” In this construction it is followed by an infinitive. It also appears in de vieux aliments, where it introduces the food that fills the refrigerator.

laisser laisser means “to leave” or “to let remain” in le laisser là. The container is being left in a particular place, expressed by là. It commonly takes an object and can be followed by a place or location.

là là means “there” in le laisser là, referring to the shelf or refrigerator location already understood. It points to a specific place rather than naming it again. It is useful when the location is clear from the surrounding conversation.

dois dois means “should” or “must” in Est-ce que je dois aussi écrire la date dessus ? The speaker is asking whether writing the date is necessary. It is followed here by the infinitive écrire and is useful for asking about an obligation or recommended action.

aussi aussi means “also” or “too” in je dois aussi écrire, adding the date as another action to perform. It shows that this action is added to the labeling instruction. It commonly appears near the verb or before the added information.

écrire écrire means “to write” in écrire la date dessus. It names the action of putting the date in writing on the container. It commonly takes the thing being written, here la date.

la la has two uses in the dialogue: it means “the” in la date and “it” in Je la laisserai and je la ramènerai, referring to the soup. As an article it comes before a feminine singular noun; as a pronoun it comes before the verb. The surrounding words show which use is intended.

date date means “date” in écrire la date dessus. It is the information the speaker proposes adding to the container. It is commonly used with a determiner when referring to a specific calendar date.

dessus dessus means “on it” or “on top of it” in écrire la date dessus. It refers back to the container without repeating the noun. It is useful when an item’s surface or upper part is already clear from context.

Cela Cela means “that” or “it” in Cela aide les gens à savoir, referring to writing the date. It makes the previous action the subject of the next statement. It is useful for explaining the effect or benefit of something just mentioned.

aide aide means “helps” in Cela aide les gens à savoir. It describes how writing the date makes it easier for people to know the food’s age. It commonly takes a person or group that receives help, followed here by les gens.

les les means “the” before the plural noun gens in les gens. It refers to the people using or sharing the refrigerator as a known group. It is used before plural nouns when the people or things are identified in context.

gens gens means “people” in aide les gens à savoir. It refers to the other people who need to understand how long the soup has been stored. It is a common way to refer to people as a group.

à à links aide to the infinitive phrase à savoir in aide les gens à savoir, showing what the people are helped to do. It commonly follows verbs such as aider before an infinitive. Here the action is knowing the storage duration.

savoir savoir means “to know” in à savoir depuis combien de temps elle est dans le réfrigérateur. It refers to knowing information, specifically how long the soup has been inside. It commonly follows à after aider in this type of construction.

depuis depuis means “since” or “for” in depuis combien de temps, asking about the duration from a starting point until now. It is used with a time expression when the situation continues into the present. Here it asks how long the soup has been in the refrigerator.

combien combien means “how much” or “how many” in combien de temps. Together with de temps, it asks for the length of a period. It is useful for asking about an amount or duration when the exact quantity is unknown.

temps temps means “time” in depuis combien de temps. In this expression it refers to the length of the period that the soup has been in the refrigerator. It commonly appears after combien de when asking about duration.

elle elle means “she” or “it” in elle est dans le réfrigérateur, referring to the feminine noun soupe. It is the subject of est. It is useful for referring back to a feminine singular noun without repeating it.

est est means “is” in elle est dans le réfrigérateur. It connects the soup with its location in the refrigerator. It is used here before a place expression introduced by dans.

Quelle Quelle means “which” in Quelle étagère, asking the listener to identify one shelf from the available choices. It comes directly before the feminine noun étagère. It is useful when selecting one item from a known group.

étagère étagère means “shelf” in Quelle étagère and l'étagère du haut. It identifies the refrigerator shelf being discussed. It commonly appears with a determiner and can be described by its position.

réservée réservée means “reserved” in étagère est réservée aux aliments personnels, saying that the shelf is intended for personal food. The form describes the feminine singular noun étagère. It is useful for explaining that a place or resource is set aside for a particular use.

aux aux means “to the” or “for the” in réservée aux aliments personnels. It combines the preposition à with the plural article les and introduces the group the shelf is reserved for. It commonly appears before a plural noun phrase after expressions such as réservée.

aliments aliments means “food” or “food items” in aliments personnels and aliments communs. It refers to the items stored in the refrigerator. The plural form is used because the discussion concerns food items generally rather than one specific item.

personnels personnels means “personal” in aliments personnels. It distinguishes food belonging to an individual from food shared by everyone. The form describes the masculine plural noun aliments.

Utilise Utilise tells someone to use the top shelf in Utilise l'étagère du haut. It is a direct practical instruction addressed to one person. It is useful when directing someone to choose or operate something.

l'étagère l'étagère means “the shelf” in l'étagère du haut. The apostrophe shows that the article le is shortened before the vowel sound at the start of étagère. It refers to one specific shelf identified by its position.

du du means “of the” in l'étagère du haut, linking the shelf with its upper position. It is the contracted form of de plus le. It commonly introduces a description of a part, position, or relationship.

haut haut means “top” or “upper part” in l'étagère du haut. It identifies which shelf to use by its position in the refrigerator. It is useful for describing an upper location.

loin loin means “far” or “away” in loin des aliments communs. It describes the personal shelf as being away from the shared food. It commonly appears with de to specify what something is away from.

des des introduces the plural noun phrase des aliments communs in loin des aliments communs. Here it refers to shared food items without identifying particular items individually. It commonly appears before a plural noun when speaking about such items in general or as a group.

communs communs means “shared” or “common” in aliments communs. It describes food intended for everyone rather than one person. The form agrees with the masculine plural noun aliments.

laisserai laisserai means “I will leave” or “I will keep” in Je la laisserai là. It expresses the speaker’s future plan to leave the soup in that place. It is followed by the object pronoun la and the location là, and it is useful for stating a future arrangement.

et et means “and” in Je la laisserai là et je la ramènerai bientôt chez moi. It joins two actions planned by the speaker. It is useful for connecting related actions in the same statement.

ramènerai ramènerai means “I will bring back” or “I will take back” in je la ramènerai bientôt chez moi. It describes the future action of taking the soup back to the speaker’s home. It is followed by la for the item being moved and chez moi for the destination.

bientôt bientôt means “soon” in je la ramènerai bientôt chez moi. It places the planned return in the near future without giving an exact time. It is useful when promising or describing an action that will happen shortly.

chez chez means “at” or “to someone’s home” in chez moi. It identifies the speaker’s home as the destination of the soup. It is commonly followed by a stressed pronoun or a person’s name when referring to someone’s home or place.

moi moi means “me” and completes chez moi, meaning “at my home” or “to my home.” It specifies whose home is intended. This expression is useful when saying that something is kept, taken, or done at the speaker’s place.

Comme Comme contributes to the meaning “that way” in Comme ça, which introduces the result of following the earlier storage plan. Together with ça, it refers to the method or arrangement just discussed. It is useful for explaining the consequence of an action or arrangement.

ça ça means “that” or “it” in Comme ça, referring to the arrangement of labeling food, using the proper shelf, and taking it home soon. Together with Comme, it means “that way.” It is useful when pointing back to a method or situation already understood.

ne ne is the first part of the negation ne ... pas in le réfrigérateur ne se remplit pas. It helps state that the refrigerator does not fill up. In standard written French, it works together with pas around the verb phrase.

se se is part of se remplit in le réfrigérateur ne se remplit pas. It shows the refrigerator undergoing the change of becoming full, rather than someone filling another object. It is useful in constructions describing something becoming or making itself a certain way.

remplit remplit means “fills up” or “becomes full” in le réfrigérateur ne se remplit pas. With se, it describes the refrigerator becoming full of old food. It is useful for describing a container gradually reaching its capacity.

pas pas completes the negation ne ... pas in ne se remplit pas, meaning “does not fill up.” It follows the verb phrase in this sentence. It is useful for saying that an action or change does not happen.

vieux vieux means “old” in vieux aliments, describing food that has been stored for some time. It helps explain why the refrigerator should not become full. The form describes the masculine plural noun aliments.

Grammar Points

depuis combien de temps + verbe

Depuis combien de temps ?

duh-PWEE kohm-BYEN duh TAHN

For how long? / Since when?

French uses « depuis combien de temps » to ask about duration or the starting point of an ongoing situation.

se remplir

Le réfrigérateur se remplit.

luh ray-zhee-fray-rah-TUR suh rahn-PLEE

The refrigerator is filling up.

The reflexive form « se remplir » means that something fills up, without naming a person who fills it.

French Vocabulary

aider verb

eh-DAY to help aide

avant prep

ah-VAHN before

commun adj

koh-MUN shared; communal

date noun

DAHT date

dessus adv

duh-SOO on it; on top of it

écrire verb

ay-KREER to write

étiqueter verb

ay-tee-KAY to label Étiquette

laisser verb

leh-SAY to leave

mettre verb

MET-truh to put

récipient noun

ray-see-pyahn container

réfrigérateur noun

ray-zhee-fray-rah-TUR refrigerator; fridge

soupe noun

SOOP soup

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to leave

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laisser

container

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récipient

to put

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mettre

shared; communal

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commun