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156 French House Vocabulary Words

Wherever you may go, there really is no place like home!

That’s why it’s important to know how to describe each individual room in your house, right down to the furniture it has.

In this post, you’ll find 156 essential French words that you can use to talk about your home, plus some useful resources for practicing French house vocabulary!

La Maison en Général (The House in General)

Before we begin our room-by-room breakdown, let’s look at words for la maison en général (the house in general).

FrenchEnglish
la maison house
chez at/to the house (or place) of
la porte d’entrée front door
la porte moustiquaire screen door
la sonnette doorbell
le portail gate
le toit roof
le grenier attic (or granary)
le garage garage
la pelouse lawn
le jardin garden (sometimes used as “backyard”)
en bas downstairs
en haut upstairs
au premier étage on the second floor (American English); on the first floor (British English)
au rez-de-chaussée *on the ground floor
un escalier staircase / stairs
la copropriété condominium
un appartement apartment (American English); flat (British English)
le balcon balcony
la terrasse terrace
le cour courtyard

* La chaussée itself is the road or pavement, and le rez  is the level. Therefore, this would be the floor of a building that is level with the street or sidewalk.

Now, we’ll lay out the blueprint for some of our favorite rooms in the house, along with common furnishings and household objects.

Le Salon (Living Room)

FrenchEnglish
le meuble piece of furniture
le canapé sofa / couch
le bout de canapé end table
la lampe lamp
le coussin throw pillow / cushion
la causeuse loveseat
le fauteuil / le fauteuil de salon armchair
le fauteuil relax recliner
la table basse coffee table
la télé / la télévision television
le poste de télévision TV set
la télécommande remote control
la magnétoscope numérique / l’enregistreur numérique DVR (digital video recorder)
le lecteur de DVD DVD player
la console de jeux vidéo gaming console
la chaîne stéréo stereo system
le haut-parleur stereo speaker

La Cuisine (Kitchen)

FrenchEnglish
la vaisselle dishes
le lave-vaisselle dishwasher
le four à micro-ondes / le micro-ondes microwave
le grille-pain toaster
le mixeur mixer
le four oven
la cuisinière stove
la cocotte cooking pot
la casserole saucepan
la poêle frying pan
la batterie de cuisine pots and pans (collectively)
la cafetière coffee maker
l’évier kitchen sink
le réfrigérateur refrigerator
le frigo / le frigidaire fridge
le garde-manger pantry
le placard kitchen cabinet / cupboard
le plan de travail countertop

La Salle à Manger (Dining Room)

FrenchEnglish
la chaise chair
la table table
la nappe de table tablecloth
le napperon / le set de table placemat
la serviette napkin
l’assiette plate
la tasse cup
une demitasse a half-cup
le verre glass
le dessous de verre coaster
le couteau knife
la fourchette fork
la cuiller / la cuillère spoon
la cuillère-fourchette / la spork spork
les couverts flatware
la vitrine hutch / dish cabinet
le bar liquor cabinet
le casier à bouteilles wine rack
la bouteille de vin bottle of wine
le pichet d’eau / la carafe d’eau pitcher of water

La Chambre (Bedroom)

FrenchEnglish
le lit bed
le matelas mattress
le sommier box spring
le drap sheet
le drap-housse / le drap contour fitted sheet
le drap plat flat sheet
la couverture blanket
l’édredon quilt
la couette comforter (American English); duvet (British English)
l’oreiller pillow
la taie d’oreiller pillowcase
la table de chevet *nightstand
la lampe de chevet bedside lamp
le réveil alarm clock
la coiffeuse dresser
la boîte à bijoux jewelry box
la commode chest of drawers
la garde-robe wardrobe
la penderie closet

*The term chevet means “bedside.” It can also be used in phrases like, Elle était restée au chevet de lui pendant qu’il était malade (She had stayed at his bedside when he was ill).

La Salle de Bains (Bathroom)

FrenchEnglish
le lavabo sink
le robinet faucet
la toilette toilet
le papier-toilette toilet paper
la douche shower
la baignoire *bathtub
le miroir mirror
le peigne comb
la brosse à cheveux hairbrush
la brosse à dents toothbrush
le dentifrice toothpaste
le fil dentaire dental floss
l’eau dentifrice / le bain de bouche mouthwash
le shampooing shampoo
l’après-shampooing / la crème démêlante conditioner
le sèche-cheveux hair dryer
le rasoir razor
la crème à raser shaving cream

* Le bain  is the bath you take while in la baignoire. Se baigner means “to bathe oneself” or “to have a bath.” It can also mean “to go swimming.”

Le Bureau (Home Office)

FrenchEnglish
le téléphone telephone
le répondeur téléphonique answering machine
la barre d’alimentation / la bande d’alimentation power strip
la prise de courant electrical outlet
le parasurtenseur / le limiteur de surtension surge protector
la bibliothèque bookshelf (also library)
l’écran monitor
le fax / le télécopieur fax machine
le clavier keyboard
la souris mouse
le tapis de souris mousepad
l’ordinateur computer
le classeur *filing cabinet

* Le classeur à feuillets mobiles  is a ring binder, but le classeur by itself can be used to name the piece of furniture where you keep your dossiers  (files) organized. This word is related to the verb classer , which means to classify, organize or file.

La Blanchisserie (Laundry Room)

FrenchEnglish
le lave-linge / la machine à laver washer / washing machine
le détachant stain remover
l’adoucissant fabric softener
la lessive *laundry detergent
l’eau de Javel bleach
la sécheuse / le sèche-linge dryer
la feuille assouplissante dryer sheet
le cintre clothes hanger
le panier à linge clothes basket

* Faire la lessive means to do laundry. The laundry itself is le linge . Laver le linge means to wash dirty laundry. It’s also used in the expression laver la linge sale en famille , which means to not air one’s dirty laundry in public.

Le Sous-sol (Basement)

FrenchEnglish
le fourneau furnace
le chauffe-eau water heater
le disjoncteur circuit breaker
un atelier workshop

Why Study French House Vocabulary?

Whether you’re a beginner French student or several years into your French-learning quest, these household words will come in handy. Here’s why:

Universal and practical

When you learn French house vocabulary, you empower yourself with words to describe your life.

Home is a concept that’s near and dear to people’s hearts. It’s part of la vie quotidienne  (everyday life).

Household life is a relatable topic. So, if you need to make small talk in French and you’re sick of talking about the weather, delve into your knowledge of house vocabulary to propel the conversation forward.

“At home” for beginners

French house vocabulary will help beginning learners feel more “at home” with the French language.

This fundamental vocab covers concrete concepts that you can immediately relate to. After all, what’s closer to home than talking about the rooms and objects in your own abode?

Home again for intermediate learners

If you’re an intermediate French learner, studying these words will give you a chance to review what may now be long-lost vocab.

You may have progressed into advanced grammar and moved far beyond bonjour  (hello), but unless you get daily French conversation practice, chances are good that a few of these words may have slipped your mind.

And, even in your native language, there will always be words you haven’t encountered yet. It can’t hurt to refresh your memory or learn new vocab.

6 Ways to Practice French House Vocabulary

As all language learners know, just skimming vocab lists is not enough to make new words stick in your long-term memory.

Here you’ll find a few of the best ways to help you learn, practice and retain this vocabulary.

1. Get inQUIZitive

Try out a few fun quizzes to test your vocabulaire de la maison  (house vocabulary) mettle.

Sporcle

sporcle-logo

Known for five or 10-minute quizzes on just about any topic, Sporcle has several French-language options.

Quizlet

Quizlet offers multiple approaches to practicing and learning French house vocabulary. Try photo flashcards, multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank questions. Test your listening and spelling skills with audio and writing exercises. Try out these various French house vocab collections.

Quiz-Tree.com

french house vocabulary

This site offers a range of multiple-choice questions that’ll test your knowledge of French household words. The words are read aloud in French, and then you can choose from four possible answers.

2. APPly yourself

Here are a couple of apps for you to use to cement your knowledge of French house vocabulary.

Memrise (iOS / Android)

french house vocabulary

Watch your mastery of French house words grow with Memrise. Once you’ve learned the words, challenge yourself with the Speed Review.

Based on spaced repetition and a combination of multiple-choice questions, putting words in the correct order and typing out target words, Memrise shows your progress with each word or phrase. Progress is displayed as a newly planted seed, a seedling and a flower in full bloom.

See our full review of Memrise here.

Language Lab by McGraw-Hill (iOS / Android)

The Language Lab by McGraw-Hill app gives you access to flashcards based on several different textbooks, such as “The Ultimate French Review and Practice” and “Practice Makes Perfect: French Vocabulary.”

The “French Vocabulary Drills” title has a section called À la maison  (House and home) where you’ll be able to practice some key French house vocabulary using flashcards.

3. Get the picture

First French Dictionary (DK First Reference)Picture dictionaries are a great way to teach words for concrete concepts like French house vocabulary.

Embellished with photographs or simple drawings, you’re sure to find a dictionary that suits your style. Look for bilingual or French-only choices, depending on your learning level.

DK’s “First French Dictionary” has three chapters illustrating words used in la cuisine  (kitchen), ma chambre (my bedroom) and la salle de bain  (bathroom). The photos on each page are labeled with their names in French, along with English-language translations.

4. Watch cool videos

A great way to memorize vocab is to hear it used by native speakers in authentic contexts, which you can easily do by watching videos.

But where to find French videos? Pretty much anywhere you’d normally watch videos! If you use French search terms on YouTube, you can find all sorts of content from native speakers about any topic you can imagine, whether you’re interested in recipes or video games. This way, you’ll learn vocab about things that interest you!

FluentU New iOS App Icon

If you’re looking for French videos combined with language learning support, you could try an immersive language learning program like FluentU. FluentU teaches you with authentic French videos, like movie trailers and music videos, showing you how native speakers use the language in context. While watching the videos you can use the interactive subtitles to discover extra information about the terms used, such as their meaning. You can also use the contextual video dictionary to search for French house vocabulary terms.

5. Use DIY sticky notes

One useful way to start memorizing French house vocabulary is to see it around you.

Get a pack of your favorite sticky notes and spend a little time labeling various items in your house. Or, if you’re not into DIY projects, there are plenty of pre-made French labels out there for purchase. Every time you look around, you’ll be reminded of your French household vocabulary.

6. Re-design your vocab

Intermediate and advanced French learners who enjoy home design can practice their French house vocabulary by reading about la décoration intérieure  (interior decorating) in French periodicals.

Try the DIY Déco section of Marie Claire or the Pièce par Pièce (Room by Room) section of Le Journal de la Maison (The House Journal) for starters.

 

Be it ever so humble, there’s nothing like French house vocabulary.

You can use it wherever you may roam, near or far from home.

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