“House” in French is la maison, and a flat is un appartement. The main rooms are la cuisine (kitchen), le salon (living room), la salle à manger (dining room), la chambre (bedroom), la salle de bains (bathroom) and les toilettes (toilet). “At home” is chez moi or à la maison.
Rooms of the house in French
In the pronunciation column, capitals mark the syllable to lean on slightly (French stress is light and falls on the last syllable). (n) marks a nasal vowel: air goes through the nose and the n itself is not pronounced. “zh” is the s in “measure”, “uh” is the short vowel in “the”, and “ü” is “ee” said with rounded lips.
| French | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| la maison | house | meh-ZO(N) |
| l’appartement (m.) | flat | la-par-tuh-MAH(N) |
| l’immeuble (m.) | block of flats | lee-MUH-bluh |
| la pièce | room | pyess |
| la cuisine | kitchen | kwee-ZEEN |
| le salon | living room | sa-LO(N) |
| la salle à manger | dining room | sal a mah(n)-ZHAY |
| la chambre | bedroom | SHAH(N)-bruh |
| la salle de bains | bathroom | sal duh BA(N) |
| les toilettes (f.), les WC (m.) | toilet | twa-LET, vay-SAY |
| l’entrée (f.) | hall, entrance | lah(n)-TRAY |
| le couloir | corridor | koo-LWAR |
| l’escalier (m.) | stairs | les-ka-LYAY |
| le bureau | study | bü-ROH |
| le grenier | attic, loft | gruh-NYAY |
| la cave | cellar | kav |
| le garage | garage | ga-RAZH |
| le jardin | garden | zhar-DA(N) |
| le rez-de-chaussée | ground floor | ray-duh-shoh-SAY |
| le premier étage | first floor | luh pruh-myay-ray-TAZH |
L’escalier is usually singular where English says “stairs”, though les escaliers is common too. Les toilettes are plural in France; in Belgium and Quebec la toilette is also used, and Belgians often call the living room le living.
Furniture and household objects
| French | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| le lit | bed | lee |
| l’armoire (f.) | wardrobe | lar-MWAR |
| la commode | chest of drawers | ko-MOD |
| le placard | cupboard | pla-KAR |
| la table | table | TA-bluh |
| la chaise | chair | shez |
| le canapé | sofa | ka-na-PAY |
| le fauteuil | armchair | foh-TUY |
| l’étagère (f.) | shelf | lay-ta-ZHAIR |
| le bureau | desk | bü-ROH |
| la lampe | lamp | lah(n)p |
| le tapis | rug | ta-PEE |
| le miroir | mirror | mee-RWAR |
| la douche | shower | doosh |
| la baignoire | bath | beh-NYWAR |
| le frigo | fridge | free-GOH |
| le four | oven | foor |
| la machine à laver | washing machine | ma-SHEEN a la-VAY |
The t of lit, the s of tapis and the d of placard are silent.
Il y a, chez moi and where things are
- Il y a for “there is” and “there are”. Il y a une cuisine et deux chambres. In the negative, un, une and des become de: Il n’y a pas de jardin.
- Chez moi for “at my house”. chez moi, chez toi, chez mes grands-parents. No word for “house” is needed.
- Mon before a vowel. mon armoire, mon étagère, even though both are feminine.
- De + le = du. à côté du lit, en face du canapé; but à côté de la fenêtre.
- Where you live. J’habite dans une maison, dans un appartement, en ville, à la campagne, au bord de la mer.
Prepositions of place
| French | English |
|---|---|
| dans | in |
| sur | on |
| sous | under |
| devant | in front of |
| derrière | behind |
| à côté de | next to |
| en face de | opposite |
| entre | between |
J’habite dans un appartement au troisième étage.I live in a flat on the third floor.
Chez moi, il y a trois chambres, mais il n’y a pas de jardin.At my house there are three bedrooms, but there’s no garden.
Je partage ma chambre avec mon frère.I share my bedroom with my brother.
Le chat dort sous le lit.The cat is sleeping under the bed.
Plus tard, j’aimerais habiter dans une maison au bord de la mer.Later on, I’d like to live in a house by the sea.
False friends in the house
- La chambre is a bedroom, not a chamber.
- La cave is a cellar, not a cave (une grotte).
- La pièce is a room; un trois-pièces is a flat with three main rooms.
- Le bureau is a desk, a study and an office.
- La commode is a chest of drawers.
- La location means renting: une maison en location.
Idioms about the house
| French | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| faites comme chez vous | do as at your home | make yourself at home |
| c’est la maison qui offre | it’s the house that offers | it’s on the house |
| un bruit de couloir | a corridor noise | a rumour |
| mettre la clé sous la porte | to put the key under the door | to shut up shop |
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- “Ma armoire”: before a vowel, mon armoire.
- “Il n’y a pas un jardin”: after the negative, pas de jardin.
- “Dans ma maison” for “at home”: French prefers chez moi.
- “Le chambre”: it is la chambre, feminine.
- Sounding silent letters: lit, tapis, placard, escalier.
- Chambre and chaise mixed up in early lessons: bedroom and chair.
In class: the house as a word of the day
The house gives pupils something concrete to describe from the first term, and a plan of a house is a ready-made game board.
- Show the picture (an armchair) and the English word: “armchair”.
- Ask Comment dit-on “armchair” en français ? Pupils write their guess on mini whiteboards.
- Reveal le fauteuil with its pronunciation. The class repeats it, then two pupils alone. Work on the ending: foh-TUY.
- Show the example sentence: Dans le salon, il y a un fauteuil à côté du canapé.
- Give the reuse task: each pupil places the object in a room of their home, real or imagined, with il y a and a preposition.
- Recall yesterday’s word: Comment dit-on “wardrobe” ?
That is exactly what a daily routine does: one word at a time, placed in a real room, until pupils can describe a whole home.
Hide and seek
Project a house plan. One pupil secretly hides a cat in a room; the class asks Il est dans la cuisine ? or Il est sous le lit ? until they find it.
Homes are personal. Let pupils describe an invented, dream or famous home as easily as their own, and never ask them to compare the size of their houses.
- A1Rooms and il y a: Chez moi, il y a une cuisine et un salon.
- A2Descriptions and position: Ma chambre est petite. Le lit est à côté de la fenêtre.
- B1Past and future homes: Avant, j’habitais dans un appartement ; maintenant, on habite dans une maison.
- B2Ideal homes: Si je pouvais, j’habiterais dans une maison à la campagne.
At KS2, rooms, a picture and il y a are enough. At KS3, insist on pas de, chez moi and du. At GCSE, home and local area are core: move on to the imperfect and the conditional.
The “Le mot” module does it for you
A picture and the word in the pupils’ language: the class works out how to say it, then the word is revealed with its pronunciation and an example sentence to reuse. No preparation needed: try everything free for 15 days of use.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "bedroom" in French?
La chambre. “My bedroom” is ma chambre. It never means “chamber” in everyday French.
How do you say "at home" in French?
Chez moi or à la maison: Je suis chez moi, Je rentre à la maison. “At my friend’s house” is chez mon ami.
Is it salle de bain or salle de bains?
Both spellings are accepted and pronounced the same way. La salle de bains is the traditional form.
Is the ground floor the same in French and British English?
Yes. Le rez-de-chaussée is the ground floor and le premier étage the first floor above it, as in the UK. American English counts differently.
Why is it mon armoire if armoire is feminine?
Before a vowel or a silent h, ma, ta and sa become mon, ton and son, for the sound: mon armoire, mon étagère, ton entrée. The noun stays feminine: mon armoire est grande.